Pyongyang says S. Korea-US joint military drills aimed at deterring N. KoreaNorth Korea on Friday blasted the recent joint U.S.-South Korea anti-submarine drills called Silent Shark, as well as other joint military exercises between Seoul and Washington, saying such drills were aimed at deterring Pyongyang. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) issued the criticism in a commentary, taking aim at recent joint drills between Washington and Seoul, including an anti-special operation drill near South Korea's Pyeongtaek and the monthlong Silent Shark exercise in Guam. The KCNA also cited the recent U.S. forward deployment of F-16 fighter jets to Osan Air Base in South Korea to bolster joint operational capability, as well as the recent installation of a U.S. forward arming and refueling point on Japan's Yonaguni Island and the upcoming Proliferation Security Initiative drill in Japanese waters. "It is an irrefutable fact that it is aimed at deterring the DPRK and regional countries by force and securing air superiority in contingency," the KCNA said. DPRK stands for the official name of North Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. North Korea calNov 28, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea plays friendly football, ice hockey matches with RussiaNorth Korea has played friendly football and ice hockey matches with Russia in bilateral sports exchanges, state media reported Friday, as the two countries expand ties following the deployment of North Korean troops to support Russia in the war against Ukraine, North Korea's national women's football team defeated Russia 5-2 in their friendly match held at Kim Il Sung Stadium the previous day, watched by workers, athletes, football fans and members of the Russian Embassy in the country, the Korean Central News Agency said. It described the game as "a good opportunity to strengthen friendship between the athletes of North Korea and Russia and to develop football skills." North Korean media also reported on an ice hockey match between North Korean and Russian athletes under age 17, held in North Korea on Wednesday, adding the Russian team was visiting Pyongyang at the invitation of the North Korean sports ministry. Since signing a comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia in June last year, North Korea has deployed troops to Russia to support its war with Ukraine, while widening bilNov 28, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim inspects construction site of greenhouse farm in SinuijuNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected the construction site of a greenhouse farm in the northwestern city of Sinuiju, state media reported Thursday, as the North has been pushing for implementing regional development projects. Kim visited the Sinuiju Combined Greenhouse Farm, whose construction is nearing completion, the previous day, 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 flood damage during last year's summer. Since attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the farm in February, the North's leader has visited the construction site almost every month since August. The construction of the greenhouse farm has reached 97 percent of completion, the KCNA said. "He noted with great satisfaction that the islet, once called a barren land, has turned into a golden islet with great potential for leading the regional development and the improvement of the material and cultural life of the local people," the KCNA said. North Korea is widely expected toNov 27, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea says cruise ship to launch on Taedong RiverNorth Korea will launch a luxury cruise ship in the downstream part of the Taedong River that flows to the western port city of Nampho, state media reported Wednesday, in an apparent bid to bolster tourism. The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, said a "modern, luxurious 500-ton cruise ship" is currently in the final stage of construction, drawing public attention. If the construction is completed, the three-story cruise ship is expected to travel downstream along the Taedong River to the West Sea Barrage near Nampho, the paper said. The Taedong River is the North's key river that also runs through Pyongyang. The move comes as the North has been seeking to promote Nampho and areas along the Taedong River as tourist destinations. Pyongyang has recently opened a beach resort in the Kalma tourist zone in the eastern coastal city of Wonsan.Nov 26, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea may possess more than 400 nuclear weapons by 2040: analystNorth Korea currently has as many as 150 nuclear weapons in stock and may ramp up the figure to more than 400 by 2040 as it seeks to strengthen its nuclear capabilities, an analyst said Wednesday. The forecast by Lee Sang-kyu, chief of the nuclear security research division at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA), came as the North has vowed to beef up its capabilities to produce nuclear material and relevant facilities. In a key party meeting in late 2022, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for "exponentially" increasing the number of the country's nuclear arsenal. He reaffirmed the pledge in September last year, saying North Korea is steadily carrying out such a policy to deter any threats by enemies. Lee estimated the North to own between 115 and 131 uranium-based weapons and between 15 and 19 plutonium bombs, bringing the total number of its nuclear arsenal to up to 150. The figure is approximately two to three times bigger than estimates by overseas research institutions that put the North's nuclear weapons inventory at around 50. Citing strengthened uranium enrichmentNov 26, 2025By Yonhap
Ex-UN chief Ban lauds S. Korea's co-sponsorship of N. Korea human rights resolutionFormer U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday lauded South Korea's co-sponsorship of this year's U.N. resolution condemning human rights violations in North Korea. Ban made the remarks in his keynote speech to an international conference on North Korean human rights held in Seoul, after the U.N. General Assembly's Third Committee adopted a resolution against North Korea's human rights abuses last week in New York. A total of 61 countries co-sponsored the annually adopted resolution, including South Korea under the liberal Lee government, which has been making overtures to resume dialogue with North Korea. The move marks a departure from the former liberal Moon Jae-in administration, which withheld its support for the resolution from 2019 to 2021. The resolution will be reviewed at the upcoming General Assembly plenary session next month for final adoption. "It is noteworthy," Ban said of the action. "(It) would be viewed as the new Korean government's recognition that North Korean human rights issues constitute one of the universal values." Ban pointed to "a lack of coherence" in SoNov 25, 2025By Yonhap
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
