N. Korea warns of 'additional military options' over Japan's expanding defense buildupNorth Korea warned Wednesday it will consider "additional military options" in response to what it called Japan's ambitions to return to a "war criminal state," denouncing the United States for allowing Tokyo to pursue rearmament. Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, made the remarks in a statement issued by state media, citing the recent moves by Japan, such as a test-firing of Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles and its participation in U.S.-led military drills in the Philippines, as evidence of Tokyo's broader push for military expansion. "Japan, a war criminal state, is accelerating its transformation into a war state, taking advantage of the acute and variable trend of the present international situation in which global geopolitical conflicts and inter-camp confrontation are getting fiercer," Kim said in the statement released by the Korean Central News Agency. "Such military actions prove that Japan's moves to formulate the possession of the capability for preemptive attack ... are entering the stage of the actual act," she said. Kim accused the U.S.Aug 5, 2026By Yonhap
North Korea's Vietnam War dead to get first memorial 60 years onHANOI — Vietnam will build a memorial and renovate a cemetery dedicated to North Korean servicemen killed fighting during the Vietnam War, state media reported, in a rare public acknowledgement of Pyongyang's military role in the conflict. North Korea sent fighter pilots to North Vietnam in the 1960s, where some flew Soviet-made MiG-17 jets in combat missions against U.S. aircraft, according to Vietnamese and North Korean state media. Vietnam and North Korea maintain diplomatic ties dating back to the Cold War, but Pyongyang's direct involvement in the Vietnam War remains little known. The memorial project was discussed at a meeting chaired by Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Truong Thang in Hanoi on Monday and attended by North Korean Ambassador Ri Sung Guk, the Defence Ministry's Quan Doi Nhan Dan newspaper reported. "The Party, State, people, and People's Army of Vietnam always cherish and remember the effective assistance of North Korea and the sacrifices of North Korean martyrs in its struggle for national independence in the past," Quan Doi Nhan Dan quoted Thang as saying. The memorAug 4, 2026By Reuters
N. Korea slams US-led naval exercise, vows to respond with 'deterrence of new level'North Korea on Tuesday denounced a recent U.S.-led multinational naval exercise as a "war rehearsal" and threatened to respond with a "deterrence of new level." An article, attributed to "a military commentator" and published by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), pointed to the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise as evidence of deepening military cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan, and called it "a war rehearsal of aggression." RIMPAC, the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise, took place in and around the Hawaiian Islands from June 24 to July 31. The article cited the expanded operational roles played by South Korea and Japan in the drills as proof of Washington's push for trilateral interoperability and an attempt to "establish an absolute military hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region." "The deputy commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet openly said that the commanding role of the ROK and Japan was not a symbolic one but for the actual operation," the article said, using South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. "This goes tAug 4, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea denounces joint warning over its cyberactivity as 'false' infoNorth Korea on Tuesday rejected a recent joint alert issued by South Korea, the United States, Japan and others about its information technology (IT) workers and cyberactivity as "false information" driven by political motives. South Korea, the U.S., Japan and eight other countries issued the alert last week, accusing North Korean IT workers of using fake credentials to secure freelance and remote corporate jobs abroad. "The U.S. and its followers' 'joint warning' about the 'cyber threat' by the DPRK is nothing but a stereotyped political accusation with a sinister purpose to tarnish the image of our state," North Korea's foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). DPRK is short for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name. The statement warned that North Korea relies on these skilled IT workers to generate hard currency for its weapons programs and advised to strengthen countermeasures, such as enhancing identity verification procedures. The ministry spokesperson turned the accusation back on WashingtonAug 4, 2026By Yonhap
Former US envoy urges US to ease NK travel ban, citing its impact on aid workersA former U.S. envoy for North Korean human rights issues stressed the need Monday for the United States to ease its longstanding ban on U.S. citizens' travel to North Korea, noting that the prohibition has also prevented Americans from offering humanitarian aid to the reclusive state. In an article released on the website of the Korea Economic Institute of America, Robert King, who served as special envoy for North Korean human rights issues from 2009-2017, said that the U.S. has renewed the travel ban with no public assessment of what a decade of prohibition has accomplished. Washington put the ban in place in September 2017 after North Korea released Otto Warmbier, a U.S. college student, following 17 months of detention. Warmbier, who returned home in a vegetative state and died days later, had been imprisoned in the North on charges of anti-state activities. The ban has been extended annually. "The extension of the travel ban comes without any effort to identify whether it has been helpful. Over the last decade, the travel ban has been extended with no indication of improving NorthAug 4, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea swelters under heat wave, with Pyongyang hit by tropical nightsA heat wave has gripped North Korea, pushing temperatures as high as 40 C in some regions, with Pyongyang hit by tropical nights for days, state media reported Monday. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Pyongyang and the provinces of Phyongan and Jagang would see daytime highs between 35 and 40 C. In the capital, Monday's low was 28 C — five degrees above average — with the daytime high climbing to 35 C. Pyongyang has seen no relief at night either: temperatures there have not dropped below 25 C since last Monday, in a stretch of tropical nights, defined as nights when temperatures remain above 25 C between 6:01 p.m. and 9 a.m. the following day. The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, urged citizens to avoid outdoor activities during the day to prevent heat-related illnesses, and advised farmers on protecting crops from the heat and high humidity. Meanwhile, Korean Central Television showed crowds packing beaches and swimming pools at the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone on the east coast, which has drawn tens of thousands of visitorAug 3, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea decries NATO fuel network overhaul as 'unprecedented' war preparationsNorth Korea on Saturday condemned the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)'s recently approved fuel network overhaul plan, casting it as an "unprecedented" effort to prepare for war and evidence that the alliance is becoming "a more aggressive military bloc." The condemnation came in a commentary carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), as NATO approved the Fuel Supply Chain Capability Programme Plan last month, which seeks to modernize and expand its Cold War-era military fuel pipeline and storage network across Europe. The commentary indicated that Pyongyang is keeping close tabs on NATO's military movements at a time when its forces have been deployed to support Russia's war in Ukraine, while the transatlantic alliance continues to provide military assistance to Kyiv. "Originally, there were disagreements among the member states because of the huge cost, but they were finally settled. This shows that NATO is clinging to the provision of strategic reserves for war while regarding it as a vital matter," the commentary said. "What merits an attention is thaAug 1, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korean economy grows over 3% for 3rd consecutive year in 2025: BOKThe North Korean economy grew more than 3 percent for the third consecutive year in 2025, supported by expanded economic cooperation with Russia, South Korea's central bank said Friday. North Korea's gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to have expanded 3.5 percent from a year earlier in 2025, following 3.7 percent on-year growth in 2024 and 3.1 percent growth in 2023, according to a report from the Bank of Korea (BOK). "Expanded economic cooperation with Russia, increased trade with China and national policy projects helped North Korea post growth of more than 3 percent for three consecutive years," a BOK official said. "In particular, the North's real GDP has surpassed its 2017 level, when United Nations sanctions were imposed," the official added. Pyongyang deployed around 15,000 combat troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a strategic partnership treaty in June 2024. The mining and manufacturing sector rose 4.9 percent on-year in 2025 on an increase in the manufacturing industry. The BOJul 31, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea, China pledge closer ties at banquet marking Chinese military anniversaryBEIJING/SEOUL — North Korea and China called for closer bilateral friendship and cooperation at a banquet in Pyongyang, celebrating the 99th anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), the North's state media reported Wednesday. China's top envoy to Pyongyang, Wang Yajun, hosted the event Tuesday at the Chinese Embassy, according to Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. North Korean defense, foreign affairs and ruling party officials attended, including Defense Minister No Kwang-chol. The minister's attendance appeared to reflect the two countries' push for more high-level exchanges following the June summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping, where they pledged to expand bilateral ties. Last year, the banquet was attended by North Korea's vice defense minister. Attendees spoke of combat friendship and unity between the North Korean and Chinese militaries, and vowed to expand and deepen their traditional relations. North Korea has marked the PLA's founding anniversary, which falls on Aug. 1., inJul 29, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim takes photos with war veterans to celebrate armistice anniversaryNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un posed for photographs with war veterans and citizens honored for their wartime services to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the armistice that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War, state media reported Wednesday. The session, held Tuesday, was part of North Korea's self-declared Victory Day commemorations. Veterans and honorees arrived in Pyongyang from across the country Saturday to participate in the events, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "It is a great pleasure of and encouragement to our Party, state and people that the victorious wartime generation, who demonstrated to the world the heroic position and reputation of our country which should be glorified through generations, are standing before us as the personifier and witness of miraculous victory," KCNA quoted him as saying. The commemorations also included Kim's visits to national cemeteries, a military parade and a gala. Kim Ju-ae, the North Korean leader's daughter, made her first public appearance at events celebrating Victory Day.Jul 29, 2026By Yonhap
