Lee warns of risks of accidental clash with N. Korea, vows efforts to resume dialoguePresident Lee Jae Myung has warned risks of accidental clashes with North Korea, saying Seoul must continue to make efforts with patience to resume dialogue with Pyongyang to reduce such risks. Lee gave the assessment on inter-Korean relations at a press conference aboard his flight from Johannesburg to Ankara on Sunday (local time), as part of his four-nation trip to Africa and the Middle East. Inter-Korean relations have turned extremely hostile and confrontational, and North Korea is engaging in very extreme actions without even the most basic level of trust," Lee told reporters. "We are in a very dangerous situation where accidental clashes could break out at any time." He renewed his call for dialogue after Seoul proposed military talks to clarify the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), aimed at preventing unintended clashes near the border. The proposal came amid repeated incidents of North Korean soldiers briefly crossing the MDL while clearing land or laying mines in the buffer zone. Lee noted that the North has been installing triple layers of barbed wire along the MDL, raising theNov 24, 2025By Yonhap
Private group seeks to stage int'l youth football tournament in N. Korea next yearA private group promoting inter-Korean sports exchanges said Monday it will seek to stage an international youth football tournament in North Korea's Wonsan next year, where teams from the two Koreas could compete and help thaw stalled ties. Kim Kyung-sung, head of the Inter-Korea Sports Exchange Association, disclosed the push in a copy of his presentation at a policy debate held at the National Assembly. Kim said his group held a closed-door working-level discussion with the April 25 Sports Club, a North Korean sports organization, in China's Guangxi in July, adding that it will seek further talks with the North Korean side on hosting an international competition in Wonsan next year. The group led the hosting of the Ari Sports Cup, an under-15 youth football tournament aimed at facilitating inter-Korean sports ties, in South Korea's Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, in 2018, where a North Korean team competed. The group agreed at that time to bring the 2019 event to the east coastal North Korean city of Wonsan, but it was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "A successful hosNov 24, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea adopts AI-powered weather forecasting systemNorth Korea's meteorology agency has developed a new weather forecasting system that applies artificial intelligence (AI) across the entire forecasting process, the North's state media reported Monday. "By applying AI technology to all weather forecasting processes, this intelligent, automated and refined comprehensive weather forecast system could increase accuracy and shorten forecasting time," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Having been registered as one of the country's 10 greatest information technology products of the year, the system has secured a technological guarantee to promptly respond to natural disasters, including floods, and to stably develop the national economy, the agency said. Since damaging floods hit North Korea's northwest last year, the country has emphasized preparedness against natural disasters, with leader Kim Jong-un expressing fury over the failure to properly forecast floods at that time. North Korea is embracing AI, with related majors introduced at universities and state media providing a glimpse into citizens using ChatGPT.Nov 24, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea enacts urban development law to provide better living conditionsNorth Korea's rubber-stamp parliament has enacted an urban development law aimed at modernizing city environments to provide better living conditions for the people, the North's state media reported Monday. The "city formation and development law," aimed at modernizing central and regional cities, has been reviewed and adopted at a standing committee session of the Supreme People's Assembly, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The KCNA said the enactment is intended to "transform the appearance and environment of cities to meet the demand of the times and provide greater living conditions for the people." No further details about the enactment were reported, but the law appears designed to tighten the North Korean regime's overall control of urban developments and to prevent urban sprawl. It also comes as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is expected to reaffirm his signature regional development drive at a key party congress early next year. Under the Regional Development 20X10 Policy, launched last year, Kim aims to build modern factories in 20 cities and counties each year over aNov 24, 2025By Yonhap
Eximbank hosts forum to advance inter-Korean climate cooperationThe Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) said Sunday that it co-hosted the 2025 Korean Peninsula Climate and Environment Cooperation Forum with the Ministry of Unification and the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment at the Korea Press Center in Seoul on Friday. The forum focused on developing concrete policies for mutually beneficial inter-Korean exchange. Participants explored pathways to revive cross-border cooperation through joint responses to climate change. The event builds on the Korean government's five-year governance plan, unveiled in August, which outlines a vision for a peaceful, coexisting and prosperous peninsula. The forum served as an early step toward realizing that vision. During the first session, professor Koo Kab-woo of the University of North Korean Studies moderated a lively discussion on peaceful co-existence on the Korean Peninsula. Speakers included Sogang University professor Chung Young-chul, Institute for National Security Strategy researcher Kim Il-gi, UNESCAP associate economic affairs officer Kim Sung-eun and Um Ju-hyun, secretary-general of MedNov 23, 2025By Lee Yeon-woo
Polish envoy voices 'great concerns' over N. Korea's involvement in war against UkraineThe Polish ambassador to South Korea on Friday voiced "great concerns" over North Korea's involvement in Russia's war against Ukraine, emphasizing the importance of maintaining "direct" communication with Pyongyang. Ambassador Bartosz Wisniewski made the remarks during a meeting with Unification Minister Chung Dong-young at the minister's office, as North Korea and Russia have been strengthening their alignment in military and other fields. Since last year, North Korea has sent around 15,000 troops and weapons to support Russia in its war against Ukraine. Poland, which borders Ukraine, has emerged as a key hub for military and humanitarian aid to Kyiv and faces growing security threats from the conflict. "Security between the Korean Peninsula, Central Europe and the so-called eastern flank has become intertwined. We are crystal clear that the DPRK's involvement in the brutal war and aggression against Ukraine is a source of great concerns to us," the Polish ambassador said. DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The ambassador emphasized thNov 21, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim attends inauguration of hydropower plant in Kangwon ProvinceNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended a ceremony to inaugurate a hydropower plant in Kangwon Province, the sixth to be built in the region amid the country's chronic electricity shortage, according to state media Friday. The ceremony to launch the Hoeyang Army-People Power Station in the southeastern province was held the previous day, with Kim in attendance, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. In his speech at the event, Kim lauded the construction as opening up "the clear prospect of solving the electricity problem most essential for developing the economy of their region and improving their material and cultural life." "What is really remarkable is that Kangwon Province, which has a smaller population and weaker industrial foundations than other provinces, has built by its own efforts these power stations," Kim noted. The KCNA said the Hoeyang power plant is the last of six hydropower stations to be completed in Kangwon, including those in Ichon, Munchon, Sepho, Phyonggang and Kosong. Appearing in a black leather jacket, Kim joined the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the powNov 21, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korean soldiers briefly crossed MDL a day earlier: sourcesNorth Korean soldiers briefly crossed the heavily fortified inter-Korean border the previous day, military officials said Thursday, as Pyongyang remains unresponsive to Seoul's calls for dialogue to prevent such accidental crossings. The soldiers, believed to have been working near the border at the time, crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) into the South on Wednesday, according to the officials. They said South Korea's military issued warning messages and fired warning shots, prompting the North Korean troops to retreat to their side of the border. "We acted in accordance with due procedure, as there was a violation of the armistice agreement at the Demilitarized Zone by North Korean troops," the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. It remains unclear how many soldiers crossed or whether they were armed. The brief incursion occurred as North Korea has yet to respond to Seoul's proposal to hold military talks aimed at preventing potential clashes near the inter-Korean border. The defense ministry said the recent MDL violations appear to be linked to the significant loss of boundary indicatoNov 20, 2025By Yonhap
Chinese envoy hopes for increased cooperation with universities in N. KoreaChina's ambassador to North Korea has visited the host country's top university and expressed hope the universities of the two countries will further strengthen cooperation and exchanges, the embassy said Thursday. Chinese Ambassador Wang Yajun made the remarks during his visit to Kim Il Sung University, named after North Korea's late founder, the previous day, where he toured the school's history hall, digital library, swimming pool and other facilities, according to the embassy's website. Wang said that cooperation in education represents a key component of China-North Korea relations, with Kim Il Sung University taking the lead in the cooperation and exchanges between universities of the countries. "For universities of the two countries to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, and to promote bilateral relations, I hope that more friendly delegations will be fostered," the embassy quoted Wang as saying. The ambassador also met separately with dozens of North Korean students majoring in Chinese literature and with Chinese students studying at the university. Pak Hak-chol, first deputy prNov 20, 2025By Yonhap
Lee says won't neglect N. Korea's advance of nuclear programCAIRO — President Lee Jae Myung has said he will not neglect efforts by North Korea to advance its nuclear program, vowing to achieve denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula with a "pragmatic and phased" approach. In a contribution to Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram that was published Thursday, Lee asked Egypt to support South Korea's plans to denuclearize North Korea and peace initiatives on the Korean Peninsula. Highlighting Cairo's mediating role in the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip, Lee also expressed hope for expanded cooperation between South Korea and Egypt to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the Middle East. Since taking office in June, Lee has extended an olive branch to resume dialogue with Pyongyang and proposed a three-step road map to halt, reduce and dismantle North Korea's program, though the North remains unresponsive. "The suspended inter-Korean dialogue and North Korea's evolving nuclear capabilities cannot be left as they are, and I firmly believe we should open a new era of peaceful coexistence and shared growth on the Korean Peninsula," Lee wroteNov 20, 2025By Yonhap
