N. Korea calls for standing up to US-led 'Western coercion'North Korea on Saturday called for standing up to "Western coercion" led by the United States and its allies, accusing them of violating U.N. principles of respect for other countries' sovereignty and noninterference in their internal affairs. North Korea made the call in a statement released by the foreign ministry, urging partner countries to continue raising their voices against such actions should they want to build "an equal and multipolar" world. "Unilateral coercive measures that obliterate the rights to sovereignty, survival and development must be abolished," the ministry said in the statement posted on the website. The ministry also said that the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the U.N. — a new U.N. group of which North Korea is a member — had a meeting earlier this month to mark the U.N. International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures. The group was launched in 2021 by 18 countries, including China, Russia and Iran, to support what they say are the purposes of the U.N., but its members largely include some of the world's most repressive regimes. The groDec 21, 2025By Yonhap
USFK commander says DMZ should not become 'politicized,' amid bill to ease accessThe commander of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said Friday that the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) should not be "politicized," voicing opposition to a bill in South Korea that seeks to grant the government control of non-military access to the buffer zone. The remarks by USFK Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson, who also doubles as commander of the U.N. Command (UNC), followed a recent UNC statement in opposition to the pending bill. He said the armistice agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War should remain the barometer governing behavior. Under the armistice, the UNC currently has the authority to approve or deny access to the DMZ. "What we want to try to make sure that we do is, number one, we don't allow that area to become politicized ... we signed an agreement to say that we will maintain this buffer here," Brunson said in an episode of security-focused podcast series "War on the Rocks." Brunson noted that South Korea recently proposed military talks with North Korea to discuss how to clarify the Military Demarcation Line in the DMZ in a bid to prevent possible clashes near the inter-KoreDec 19, 2025By Yonhap
President gives unification ministry rein on NK policyPresident Lee Jae Myung emphasized the role of the Ministry of Unification, rather than the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in North Korea policy Friday, addressing the recent rift between the two ministries over Pyongyang-related policies. In response, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said his ministry will “strengthen the lead” as the primary player in the Korean Peninsula issue. During the two ministries’ policy briefing in Seoul, Lee stressed the need for patience and trust-building in inter-Korean relations. “South Korea must act with patience and do its utmost to reduce hostility between the two Koreas and allow even a small seed of trust to sprout,” Lee said. “That role, I believe, is one the Ministry of Unification must play.” His remarks followed a series of comments emphasizing engagement with Pyongyang and were seen as effectively endorsing the unification ministry’s position, reinforcing expectations that it will take the lead in shaping North Korea policy going forward. Lee repeatedly underscored the ministry’s significance, citing South Korea’s uniqueDec 19, 2025By Anna J. Park
N. Korean troops crossed inter-Korean land border 10 times in November: lawmakerNorth Korean soldiers crossed the heavily fortified inter-Korean land border on 10 occasions last month as part of their continued construction activities near the border, a lawmaker said Friday, citing military data. Since March up until recently, there have been 16 cases of North Korean soldiers breaching the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, according to information submitted by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to main opposition People Power Party Rep. Kang Dae-sik. A majority of the border crossings reported in November occurred in the eastern coastal county of Goseong, with six cases reported in the area, followed by three in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, and one in Hwancheon, Gangwon Province. The military attributed the recent rise in border intrusions in Goseong to its geographic traits. "While the North Korean military has been clearing land in the Goseong area since November, border intrusions have been reported because that section of the MDL is shaped pointed toward the northern side," JCS spokesperson Lee Sung-jun said in aDec 19, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim attends opening for regional factories in western Jangyon CountyNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended the ceremony to inaugurate new factories in the western county of Jangyon, completed under his signature regional development policy, state media said Friday. Kim cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony the previous day and toured the factories in South Hwanghae Province, where he sampled wheat paste, soy sauce and other products, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The visit came just three days after Kim attended the inauguration of a new industrial complex in Kangdong County, just outside Pyongyang, on Monday, accompanied by his wife and daughter. North Korea has been holding inauguration ceremonies for regional factories across the country as it accelerates the implementation of Kim's signature regional development drive aimed at reducing the urban-rural gap. The country is expected to publicize the results of the policy at the upcoming ninth party congress early next year. Speaking at the ceremony, Kim highlighted self-reliance. "When we strenuously explore the path toward development and prosperity ... and make courageous efforts unDec 19, 2025By Yonhap
Pro-Pyongyang paper takes note of omission of N. Korea from US security strategy reportA pro-Pyongyang newspaper on Thursday took note of the omission of North Korean issues from a recent security strategy roadmap released by the Donald Trump administration, calling it the "most notable" aspect. "What is the most notable part is the fact that it does not mention" North Korea, the Japan-based Choson Sinbo said in an editorial in its Thursday edition, assessing the recent National Security Strategy (NSS) released in early December. This year's NSS, which serves as a new strategic roadmap for the United States, made no mention of North Korea or its nuclear issues in a major departure from previous editions, raising questions in Seoul about whether the issue may be put on the back burner under the Trump administration. It must be "because mentioning North Korea would mean the U.S. is admitting a complete failure in its policy to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula," the newspaper said. The news outlet, run by a Japan-based Korean organization sympathetic to North Korea, is widely seen as reflecting the regime's official stance. Thursday's editorial marks the newspaper's second reDec 18, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea bristles at Japan's reported review of 3 non-nuclear principlesNorth Korea's state media on Thursday denounced Japan's reported review of its decades-long three non-nuclear principles. The Rodong Sinmun newspaper issued the criticism as Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has reportedly sought to shift the principles that mandate no possessing, producing or introducing nuclear weapons. Takaichi is reportedly seeking to review the no-introduction principle, particularly regarding U.S. nuclear-armed assets. The Rodong Sinmun accused Japan of trying to rearm itself, saying this was "not aimed at seeking national or regional peace and security but, rather, constitutes a vicious challenge to peace." The newspaper also accused Japan of trying to justify its drive to become a military powerhouse and of drumming up public opinions in favor of its increased defense spending, a constitutional revision and overseas military expansion. "This reminds us of Japan's past history of brainwashing its people to jump into a war of aggression to establish the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere," the newspaper said, citing Japan's World War II-era imperial ambitioDec 18, 2025By Yonhap
Female N. Korean restaurant workers return home en masse from Beijing since late November: reportFemale North Korean workers employed at some North Korean restaurants in Beijing have returned home en masse since late last month, Kyodo News reported Wednesday, citing the possibility that China might have tightened visa controls. Since the departure of North Korean female employees beginning late November, North Korean restaurants in the Chinese capital have been scrambling to stay afloat by hiring Chinese staff or suspending the serving of North Korean cuisine, Kyodo said. The news agency, citing diplomatic sources, speculated that the incident may have been related to visa requirements in China, although it said details remain unknown. "There is information suggesting that employees at North Korean restaurants in China have made use of student or training visas. It is also possible that Chinese authorities have tightened visa controls," Kyodo said. The news agency pointed out that the U.N. Security Council in 2017 demanded that member states forcibly repatriate overseas North Korean workers in compliance with sanctions against the country.Dec 17, 2025By Yonhap
Ruling party pushes to lift ban on North Korean mediaA group of lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea is pushing to ease a decades-old ban on accessing North Korean websites such as the online Rodong Sinmun, reviving a debate over national security and freedom of information. The proposed revision, drafted by Rep. Han Min-soo and 11 other lawmakers, would allow people in South Korea to freely visit North Korean websites, while maintaining existing bans on distributing or actively promoting content that violates the National Security Act. “Blocking access excessively limits citizens’ most basic right to information and undermines their ability to freely use the materials needed to shape public discourse on North Korea and unification,” Han said. “By permitting access to and viewing of North Korean websites, the aim is to clarify the original intent of regulations on information distribution and to expand citizens’ opportunities to obtain information about the North, and thereby promote a more balanced understanding of the country.” Supporters frame the change as a necessary update for a mature democracy, arguing thaDec 17, 2025By Jung Min-ho
N. Korea's Kim pays respects to late father at family mausoleum on death anniversaryNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un paid his highest tribute to late state leader and his father Kim Jong-il at the family mausoleum Wednesday, marking the 14th anniversary of his death, state media reported. Accompanied by government and party officials, Kim visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang at midnight, paid tribute to the late leader and prayed "for his immortality," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The Kumsusan Palace of the Sun serves as the family mausoleum, where the embalmed bodies of the North's founder Kim Il-sung — Kim Jong-un's grandfather — and Kim Jong-il are enshrined. Kim Jong-il died on Dec. 17, 2011, at the age of 70, passing on the leadership he had inherited from his father, North Korean founder Kim Il-sung, to his youngest son, Kim Jong-il. Except in 2022, Kim Jong-un has paid tribute to his father at the family mausoleum every year on his death anniversary. The incumbent leader bowed before the statues of both late leaders "as an expression of noble respects" and flower baskets were laid before the statues, the KCNA said. "All the visitorsDec 17, 2025By Yonhap
