N. Korea appears to have released water from border dam without prior noticeNorth Korea appears to have released water from a dam north of the inter-Korean border again without giving prior notice to the South, officials said Sunday. Based on satellite imagery, the North appeared to have discharged water from Hwanggang Dam, located upstream of the Imjin River, at about 3 p.m., according to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment. The North is presumed to have released water to control the border dam's water level as the region has received rainfall since Oct. 10, including on Friday and Saturday. The water level of South Korea's Pilseung Bridge, located in the northern part of the Imjin River, surpassed 1 meter earlier in the day, according to the Han River Flood Control Office. A water level of 1 meter requires the evacuation of visitors in the river area. In 2009, the North agreed to provide prior notice before discharging water from Hwanggang Dam and sent such notices intermittently in 2010 and 2013, but has not issued any since. Its unannounced water releases have threatened the safety of residents in South Korea's border areas.Oct 19, 2025By Yonhap
Will Trump, Kim reprise 2019 ad hoc meeting?Anticipation is rising again over a possible meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un later this month during Trump’s visit to South Korea for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit events. Although there has been no confirmation of such a meeting, the chance of one happening cannot be written off, considering their previous meeting in 2019 took place with less than two days’ preparation after the U.S. president floated the offer via social media. The South Korean presidential office said Sunday that Seoul will maintain “close communication and coordination” with Washington regarding any potential U.S.-North Korea dialogue during Trump’s upcoming visit here. The statement came after a CNN report on Saturday (local time), citing sources familiar with the matter, said, “Trump administration officials have privately discussed setting up a meeting between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un.” Trump has shown his willingness to talk with Kim, especially after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, during his summit with Trump inOct 19, 2025By Anna J. Park
N. Korea operating 4 political prison camps with up to 65,000 detainees: reportNorth Korea is operating four political prison camps, where up to 65,000 people are believed to be imprisoned and placed under forced labor, a report showed Friday. North Korea is currently operating four prison camps — Camp 14, Camp 16, Camp 18 and Camp 25 — in South Phyongan Province and North Hamgyong Province, according to the report by the state-funded Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU). The latest report was updated from its 2013 report with U.S. satellite imagery and testimonies from North Korean defectors. North Korea has long been labeled one of the worst human rights violators in the world. The North does not tolerate dissent, holds thousands of people in political prison camps and keeps tight control over outside information. Camp 14, established in Kaechon, South Phyongan Province, in 1965, was expanded after followers of Jang Song-thaek, an uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un who was executed in 2013 for plotting to overthrow the regime, were transferred from Camp 18. Camp 18 was initially placed in Pukchang County of North Hamgyong Province but relocateOct 17, 2025By Yonhap
Elderly N. Korea sympathizer asks to be repatriated to North via China or RussiaAn elderly North Korea sympathizer on Thursday called on the government to repatriate him to the North via China or Russia, after his failed attempt to cross the inter-Korean border into the North. Ahn Hak-sop, a 95-year-old who once served as a North Korean soldier, made the request at a press conference in Seoul, asking the government to arrange his return to North Korea via a third country. Known as an "unconverted long-term prisoner," Ahn is one of six elderly former North Korean soldiers and spies who have yet to renounce their communist beliefs linked to North Korea, despite having spent decades in prison in the South. Ahn served as a North Korean solider during the 1950-53 Korean War before being arrested in the South in 1953 on anti-state charges. He served 42 years in prison. "I will go to (North Korea) via Russia or China," Ahn said, adding, "How much longer can I wait?" In August, Ahn and the five others formally requested that the government repatriate them to North Korea. Later that month, he went to the inter-Korean border and attempted to cross into North Korea, only to beOct 16, 2025By Yonhap
Russian delegation arrives in Pyongyang for joint committee meeting on economic cooperationA delegation from Russia's industry and trade ministry has arrived in Pyongyang to attend a meeting of the joint committee on economy and trade cooperation between the two countries, the North's state media reported Thursday. The forestry-sector delegation, led by Grigory Gusev, deputy director of the industry and trade ministry's timber industry department, arrived in the country via Pyongyang International Airport the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The delegation will attend the 28th meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for Cooperation in Trade, Economy and Science's subcommittee on forestry, the KCNA said without providing further details. The forestry subcommittee has been in operation for nearly three decades between the two countries, with the North having dispatched woodcutters to Russia to earn foreign currency. The trip comes as the two countries expand cooperation in various fields, including the economy, public health and education, since North Korea dispatched troops to support Russia late last year in its war against Ukraine.Oct 16, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's art performance marking party anniversary apparently features K-pop elementsNorth Korea's recent art performance to mark its key party anniversary featured elements apparently influenced by K-pop and other outside culture, footage from the North's state-run TV station has showed. Footage aired by the state-run Korean Central Television showed a North Korean female singer with a "bowl haircut" performing a group dance in sync with background dancers during an art performance held Sunday marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea. Instead of "hanbok," traditional Korean attire, the singer wore a white trouser suit, with her backup dancers also wearing short skirts and high heels. In the art performance, some lyrical North Korean songs were arranged into fast-beat tunes, according to the footage. North Korea has implemented three so-called evil laws to prevent North Koreans from accessing outside information and culture. The regime has carried out public executions of North Koreans who watched or distributed South Korean movies and music. But the North's recent art performance having South Korean cultural elements appears to indicateOct 15, 2025By Yonhap
JCS chairman vows firm readiness following N. Korea's military paradeThe chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) pledged to ensure a robust readiness posture against security threats, including the North's display of new weapons systems during a recent military parade. The remarks by JCS Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung came days after North Korea showcased its latest Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) under development and other modernized weapons systems during a military parade held in Pyongyang last week. "North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities are advancing and (the North) flaunted the development of key weapons systems such as the ICBM and hypersonic glide missile ... during last week's military parade marking the 80th founding anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea," Jin said in his opening remarks for a parliamentary audit session. "By strengthening strategic alignment with Russia and North Korea, it gravely threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula as well as global peace," he said. In a report submitted to lawmakers ahead of the audit session, the JCS said it is seeking to hold the South Korea-U.S. Military Committee MOct 14, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea erects 10 km-long anti-tank barriers along inter-Korean border: lawmakerNorth Korea has built sections of anti-tank barriers spanning 10 kilometers along the tense inter-Korean border, a lawmaker said Tuesday, in the North's apparent efforts to sever ties with South Korea. The North has so far built four clusters of anti-tank barriers, each measuring 2.5 km, in areas north of the Military Demarcation Line in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the main opposition People Power Party said, citing satellite imagery and information submitted by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The anti-tank barriers appeared to stand about four to five meters tall and comprised a two-meter-wide concrete wall on the side facing southward, supported by mounds of earth on the other side, Yu said, citing satellite imagery compiled by the Finland-based ICEYE. The North has halted extending the anti-tank barriers and is clearing land in nearby areas in an apparent move to provide a clear line of sight, Yu said. "North Korea's anti-tank barriers are symbolic structures demonstrating its 'two hostile states' policy," he said, calling for the military to factor in the anti-tankOct 14, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korean Embassy in Russia hosts banquet marking ruling party anniversaryThe North Korean Embassy in Russia has hosted a banquet marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), attended by key Russian parliamentary and government officials, state media reported Tuesday. The gathering took place last Thursday, attended by North Korean Ambassador to Russia Sin Hong-chol and a number of Russian officials, including Gennady Zyuganov, leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation; Ivan Melnikov, first vice chairman of the State Duma; and Deputy Defense Minister Andrey Bulyga, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. In a speech at the banquet, Sin claimed the WPK's greatest achievements lie in building the most powerful national defense capabilities and in firmly safeguarding the country's sovereignty and safety interests against prevailing global violence, the KCNA reported. Zyuganov noted that Russia-North Korea relations are proving to be not merely part of a global pact but a strategic national policy direction that serves the interests of the peoples of both countries. He also expressed respect for North KoreanOct 14, 2025By Yonhap
High-profile chief of NK's abolished body appears to retain director titleRi Son-gwon, director of North Korea's now-abolished United Front Department (UFD), which handled affairs with South Korea, appears to have retained his director title even after the organ's dissolution, a North Korean report showed Monday. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Ri delivered a speech at a banquet for overseas North Koreans the previous day marking the 80th anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), addressing him as "comrade director of the WPK's Central Committee." South Korea's unification ministry said North Korea has disbanded all of its roughly 10 official organizations responsible for addressing inter-Korean issues, following leader Kim Jong-un's 2023 order to designate South Korea as its primary foe. As part of the organizational revamp, the UFD was reportedly downgraded in status and renamed Bureau 10 of the party's Central Committee, according to the unification ministry's assessment. Monday's KCNA report confirmed Ri's directorial status after his fate had been the subject of speculation since the UFD's abolition. Ri has had a prominent role in NorthOct 13, 2025By Yonhap
