N. Korea says it tested hypersonic missiles with leader Kim Jong-un attendingNorth Korea test-launched hypersonic missiles in Pyongyang the previous day that successfully struck targets in the East Sea, with leader Kim Jong-un in attendance, state media reported Monday. "A sub-unit under a major firing strike group of the Korean People's Army conducted a missile launching drill" to evaluate the country's war deterrence and the readiness of the weapon system, as well as to verify its capacity to fulfill missions, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. South Korea's military detected the missile launch at 7:50 a.m. Sunday, hours before President Lee Jae Myung departed for Beijing for summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and after the United States announced the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a large-scale military strike. "Through today's launching drill, we can confirm that a very important technology task for national defense has been carried out. The missile soldiers showed the readiness of the DPRK's nuclear forces without regret and gave confidence in it," the KCNA quoted Kim as saying. DPRK refers to the official name of North KJan 5, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea strongly denounces US capture of Venezuela's MaduroNorth Korea on Sunday denounced the U.S. military strike that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, calling the ouster of Maduro "the most serious form of encroachment of sovereignty." The North's foreign ministry made the remarks as U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington has captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife in a large-scale military strike. The North's foreign ministry "strongly denounces the U.S. hegemony-seeking act committed in Venezuela as the most serious form of encroachment of sovereignty," according to the North's Korean Central News Agency.Jan 4, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea fires ballistic missiles as US capture of Maduro unnerves Kim Jong-unNorth Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Sunday, a move analysts said underscored its leader Kim Jong-un's unease after the United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a surprise overnight military operation. Pyongyang's military provocation also appeared to be timed before a South Korea-China leaders' summit set for Monday, at which North Korea was expected to be on the agenda as Seoul presses Beijing to play a more active role in denuclearization efforts. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were launched from an area near Pyongyang at about 7:50 a.m. and flew roughly 900 kilometers before landing in the East Sea. The military said it was maintaining a heightened state of readiness. The launches marked North Korea's first missile provocation of the year. Its most recent test occurred on Nov. 7, 2025, when it fired a short-range ballistic missile into the East Sea. Analysts said the timing appeared carefully calculated, coming a day after the Donald Trump administration launched a surprise military operation in Venezuela. The oJan 4, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
US says is aware of NK missile launches, reaffirms defense commitment to alliesA U.S. military command said Saturday it is aware of North Korea's missile launches this week while reaffirming its security commitment to allies in the region. The Indo-Pacific Command issued a statement after Pyongyang lobbed multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Sunday morning (Korea time), marking its first missile test this year. "We are aware of the missile launches and are consulting closely with our allies and partners. Based on current assessments, this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies," the command said. "The United States remains committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and our allies in the region," it added. The North's latest launches came as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung plans to have a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing during his four-day state visit to China this week. They also followed U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that the U.S. has captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a military strike in Caracas to bring him to face American justice for drug traffickJan 4, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCSNorth Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Sunday, South Korea's military said, in what marked the North's first display of weapons testing this year. The launch of missiles came as President Lee Jae Myung was set to depart for Beijing for summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. It also came after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Washington has captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a large-scale military strike. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the missiles launched from near Pyongyang at around 7:50 a.m. The missiles flew some 900 kilometers, the JCS said, adding the South Korean and U.S. authorities were analyzing the exact details of the launch. The missiles reportedly landed at sea, according to a JCS official. "Our military maintains a firm readiness posture while closely sharing North Korean ballistic missile information with the U.S. and Japan sides amid a heightened surveillance posture against additional launches," the JCS said. The North last fired a short-range ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Nov. 7, whiJan 4, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim inspects production of tactical guided weapons at munitions factoryNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected the production of tactical guided weapons at a munitions factory, instructing officials to expand production capacity by 2.5 times, state media reported Sunday. Kim visited a major munitions factory the previous day and toured its technologically updated production areas to inspect the state of its modernization, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said without revealing the factory's exact location or name. Kim underscored the need of more innovative planning and rational systems to establish a flexible manufacturing system, pointing out lingering "deficiencies" in the modernization of the assembly process and instructing officials to reexamine overall plans for the construction and modernization of munitions enterprises this year, the KCNA said. "Munitions industry should conduct economic organization and direct production and technical upgrading in a scrupulous way so as to suit ... the present situation where the current munitions production and the modernization project should be pushed ahead with simultaneously," Kim noted. The NorthJan 4, 2026By Yonhap
NK leader inspects greenhouse farm construction site in 1st 'field guidance' of 2026North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected the construction site of a greenhouse farm in the northwestern city of Sinuiju for his first "field guidance" of the year, Pyongyang's state media reported Saturday. Kim traveled by his private train to the Sinuiju Combined Greenhouse Farm the previous day, whose construction is nearing completion, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). North Korea has been building a large greenhouse farm in vast areas of Wihwa Island, an islet in Sinuiju where the North suffered a great amount of flood damage during the summer of 2024. Since attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the farm in February 2024, Kim has visited the construction site five times, with the most recent visit made in late November. In a speech, Kim praised the builders for working hard "to transform the island area, once severely hit by natural disaster, into an ideal greenhouse town symbolic of the new era in more than 500 days," according to the KCNA. "The huge construction project and assembly of greenhouse equipment have been completed perfectly and landscaping of tJan 3, 2026By Yonhap
Top security adviser raises alarm about N. Korea's unveiling of what it calls nuclear subNational Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said Friday that North Korea's recent unveiling of the hull of what it calls a nuclear submarine has posed a new threat to South Korea, while taking a cautious tone on the capabilities of the North's submarine. Last week, North Korea's state media released undated images of the completed hull of an 8,700-ton nuclear submarine, with leader Kim Jong-un inspecting it. When asked about the North's unveiling of the hull of a nuclear submarine, Wi replied that, "As a new type of threat for us, it needs to be dealt with." Still, Wi said there has been little information about the capabilities of the North's nuclear submarine, describing such information as an "area that needs to be further figured out." President Lee Jae Myung is set to visit China next week for summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with North Korea expected to be one of the main agenda items. Wi stressed that South Korea's plan to build a nuclear-powered submarine would not violate the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) or International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) guidelines,Jan 2, 2026By Yonhap
1st tribute by Kim's daughter at family mausoleum seen as highlighting image of potential successorNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un's teenage daughter, Ju-ae, has paid tribute at the family mausoleum for the first time, reinforcing her image as North Korea's potential successor of the ruling family's "Paektu bloodline," experts said. But some observers said her presence at the mausoleum, together with her father and mother, is apparently intended to emphasize the image of a "loving family," assessing that it was not a sign of North Korea "formalizing" her status as Kim's successor. Kim Ju-ae, believed to be born in 2013, was seen paying tribute at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, together with her father and mother, Ri Sol-ju, on New Year's Day, according to photos published by the North's state media. The Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the incumbent leader's late grandfather and father lie in state, symbolizes the legacy of the power succession of the ruling Kim's family. It marked Ju-ae's first known visit to the family mausoleum since she appeared in North Korean state media for the first time in November 2022, when she visited the launch site of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballJan 2, 2026By Yonhap
Daughter of N. Korea's Kim pays tribute at family mausoleum for 1st timeNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un's teenage daughter Ju-ae has paid tribute at the family mausoleum for the first time, accompanied by her father, the North's state media images showed Friday. Her first known attendance at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the North Korean leader's late father and grandfather lie in state, came amid growing speculation about her presence in the North Korean communist dynasty's potential succession. Kim, his wife and Ju-ae, as well as key party and government officials, visited the family mausoleum on New Year's Day. While the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) did not mention that Ju-ae visited the family mausoleum, state media photos showed the Kim family standing in the front row. Ju-ae was spotted in the center, with her parents standing on each side. It marked the first known visit to the family mausoleum by Ju-ae, who first appeared in North Korean state media in 2022. "All the visitors made a firm pledge to fulfill their responsibility and duty in the vanguard of accomplishing the sacred cause for the eternal prosperity and development of tJan 2, 2026By Yonhap
