Trump's captionless Kim Jong-un photo sparks talk of renewed North Korea diplomacyHours after declaring an end to the war with Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump posted a captionless photo of himself with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un — a move experts say signals openness to renewed summit talks with Pyongyang, even if North Korea is unlikely to become an immediate priority for the administration. Trump uploaded the image to Truth Social on Sunday (local time), showing him walking with Kim through a garden in Singapore on June 12, 2018, during the summit at which the two leaders agreed to pursue denuclearization and improved bilateral ties. The post came roughly an hour after Trump announced the U.S. would sign a deal with Iran Monday, an agreement he said would bar Iran from possessing nuclear weapons and lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. “Barack Hussein Obama’s Deal with Iran, the JCPOA, was an easy, beautiful, smooth road to a Nuclear Weapon, which Iran would have had six years ago, and would have used long before now. My Agreement with Iran is the exact opposite, A WALL TO NO NUCLEAR WEAPON! In fact, they no longer want a Nuclear Weapon, norJun 15, 2026By Park Ji-won
Unification ministry vows to press on with peace drive despite Pyongyang's rebuffsThe unification ministry said Monday it remains committed to respecting the North Korean regime and will not engage in hostile acts, after North Korea slammed South Korea's peaceful coexistence policy as a disguise of peace. "The unification ministry will unwaveringly proceed with measures to rebuild inter-Korean trust in support of President Lee Jae Myung's commitment to peace," Yoon Min-ho, the ministry's spokesman, said at a regular press briefing. He cited a string of goodwill gestures as evidence of Seoul's sincerity, including halting loudspeaker broadcasts along the border and moving quickly to express regret over drone flights into the North. "These reflect Seoul's resolve for peaceful coexistence," he said. The remarks came after a weekend of sharp accusations from Pyongyang. North Korea on Saturday lashed out at Seoul over its denuclearization goal, declaring South Korea is "an invariable enemy state obsessed with hostility and confrontation." The outburst came after South Korea and the European Union jointly condemned Pyongyang's military cooperation with Russia and its nuclearJun 15, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea, Vietnam hold talks over cooperation on public security, law enforcementThe security ministers from North Korea and Vietnam held talks in Pyongyang over the weekend to discuss ways to expand cooperation on public security and law enforcement, Pyongyang's state media reported Monday. The North's Public Security Minister Pang Tu-sop met with his Vietnamese counterpart, Luong Tam Quang, on Sunday, and they exchanged "the successes and experience gained by the public security organizations … in the field of law enforcement," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). They also "discussed the issues of expanding and developing bilateral exchange and cooperation," the report said. The Vietnamese delegation arrived in Pyongyang on Saturday, the latest in a string of Hanoi officials to make the trip to North Korea. Last month, Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung visited Pyongyang, meeting Jo Yong-won, chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly's standing committee, and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui. That visit followed a summit in October between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Vietnamese President To Lam — the first visit by a top VietnameseJun 15, 2026By Yonhap
Presidential office reaffirms NK's denuclearization as int'l community's 'consistent goal'The presidential office said Sunday that North Korea's denuclearization remains a "consistent goal of the international community" after Pyongyang criticized Seoul and Washington for reaffirming their shared goal during recent high-level talks. A senior presidential official reiterated the government's position in response to remarks by North Korea's foreign ministry, which described denuclearization as an "irreversibly finalized" matter after South Korea and the United States reaffirmed their shared goal during the bilateral Nuclear Consultative Group meeting in Seoul on Thursday. "Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is a consistent goal of the international community, as reaffirmed through multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions," the official said. The official said cooperation between the allies on extended deterrence is part of the government's responsibility to protect its citizens and is fully consistent with the international nonproliferation regime and norms, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Extended deterrence refers to a U.S. pledge toJun 14, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea calls denuclearization 'irreversibly finalized' matterNorth Korea on Sunday called denuclearization an "irreversibly finalized" matter as it denounced recent talks between South Korea and the United States that reaffirmed the goal of the North's denuclearization. An unnamed spokesperson of the North's foreign ministry issued the criticism, after South Korea and the United States reaffirmed the shared goal at the bilateral Nuclear Consultative Group meeting on Thursday. "It is an unreasonable talk and fantastic daydream to mention about disarming the other belligerent party's nuclear weapons," the spokesperson said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "The U.S. and its vassal forces' meaningless rhetoric against the DPRK and cooperation in posing a nuclear threat to it can never affect the irreversible position of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state," the spokesperson said. "The 'denuclearization' is an irreversibly finalized matter." DPRK stands for the North's official name — the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The spokesperson also took issue with the bilateral Extended Deterrence Dialogue between the UJun 14, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's parliament elects new judges of highest courtNorth Korea's parliament has elected new judges of the country's highest court at a plenary meeting of its standing committee, state media reported Friday. The Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) held its first plenary meeting of its new 15th term Thursday, presided over by Jo Yong-won, chairman of the SPA presidium, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). During the session, the committee elected new judges and "people's assessors" for the Supreme Court. People's assessors refer to ordinary citizens chosen to participate in trials with the same voting rights as regular judges. The report did not list the specific names of those elected. The SPA presidium also "unanimously" passed a new law regarding academic degrees and titles, though no details were provided. Under North Korea's constitution, the SPA serves as the country's parliament and highest organ of state power, overseeing legislation and the organization of the executive and judicial branches.Jun 12, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim reaffirms alliance with Russia in letter to PutinNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has pledged unwavering support for Moscow in a congratulatory letter to President Vladimir Putin marking Russia Day, Pyongyang's state media reported Friday. Kim extended his "warmest congratulations" to Russia on its national day, which commemorates the 1990 declaration of Russian state sovereignty, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The two countries' relationship, Kim wrote, is being "further strengthened into sincere and devoted relations of comradely trust and alliance, opening a new chapter of history," the report said. He credited the growing bond to both sides honoring their obligations under the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty the two leaders signed at their Pyongyang summit in June 2024. "It is the invariable will and stand of mine and the DPRK government to fully support the internal and external policies of Moscow and always join the Russian Federation," he added. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name. The letter, dated June 12, was delivered by North Korea's AmbassadorJun 12, 2026By Yonhap
Seoul, Washington reaffirm goal of NK denuclearization at key nuclear deterrence meetingSouth Korea and the United States reaffirmed Thursday their shared goal of denuclearizing North Korea at a key bilateral meeting on U.S. extended deterrence against North Korean threats. The sixth meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) took place in Seoul earlier in the day, as Pyongyang has intensified efforts to secure its status as a nuclear-armed state and vowed never to abandon its nuclear weapons program. "The two sides agreed to continue advancing the activities of the NCG in order to strengthen the alliance and extended deterrence amid North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile capabilities and a changing security environment," a joint statement issued at the end of Thursday's meeting said. "South Korea and the U.S. reaffirmed their shared goal of denuclearization of North Korea," it added. Leading the NCG meeting were Deputy Defense Minister for Policy Kim Hong-cheol and Robert Soofer, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of war for nuclear deterrence and countering weapons of mass destruction. The mention of North Korea's denuclearization draws attention as China made no refJun 11, 2026By Yonhap
Was Xi's stance on China-North Korea military ties also a message for US, Russia?North Korea is gaining in strategic importance for China to counter the United States, but Pyongyang may refrain from intensifying military ties with Beijing, analysts say. During his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said both sides should "enhance exchanges in diplomacy, law enforcement and military affairs", according to state news agency Xinhua. Despite pledges from both sides to strengthen strategic communications, denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula was not included in their statements on the meeting, a sharp contrast with Xi's previous visit in 2019. Also in a departure from their previous summits, Xi and Kim were accompanied by their defence ministers, Dong Jun and No Kwang-chol. It is the first time since 1992 that a Chinese defence minister has accompanied a Chinese president to North Korea. It is also the first known case of a senior Chinese defence official visiting the country since Miao Hua, then-director of the Chinese Central Military Commission's Political Work Department, visited in 2019. While a Chinese military deJun 11, 2026By SCMP
Lee's peace policy can improve N. Korea's human rights conditions: unification ministrySeoul's push to seek peaceful coexistence with North Korea is a path that can ultimately and effectively improve human rights conditions in the North, the unification ministry said Thursday. "The Lee Jae Myung government believes fostering inter-Korean peace and expanding dialogue, exchange and cooperation are more effective in bringing about real improvements in North Korean human rights," a ministry official told reporters. The remarks came a day after Lee and European Union (EU) leaders met in Brussels and issued a joint statement urging Pyongyang to cooperate with the international community on human rights. "We recognize that a substantial improvement in the DPRK human rights situation is essential and call on the DPRK to allow access to international and humanitarian organizations," the joint statement said, using North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The call for Pyongyang to open its doors has prompted questions about whether Seoul was taking a harder line toward the North. The ministry official said it was not, and that the statement was fully coJun 11, 2026By Yonhap
