North Korea's top diplomat meets Chinese counterpart in Beijing: reportNorth Korea's Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui met her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on Sunday in Beijing, a Chinese media outlet said. The report by the China Global Television Network came after the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said earlier in the day that Choe left Pyongyang for China "by plane for her personal use" Saturday. North Korea and China have announced that Choe is visiting China from Saturday to Tuesday at the invitation of the Chinese foreign minister. Upon departure, Choe and the North's delegation were seen off by ministry officials and Chinese Ambassador Wang Yajun, according to the KCNA report. Choe's visit to China comes as North Korea is preparing a large-scale military parade to mark the 80th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea on Oct. 10. The North is reported to be inviting state leaders to the event. The trip follows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's high-profile attendance at China's military parade in Beijing on Sept. 3 and his subsequent talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping the next day. Choe accompanied Kim on the latest triSep 28, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim reaffirms 'invariable' stance on ensuring security through nuclear forceNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reaffirmed his country's "invariable" stance on ensuring security through its nuclear forces, highlighting steady preparations for its "nuclear counteraction" as an "essential top-priority" task, state media reported Saturday. Kim made the remarks Friday, when he met nuclear scientists and technicians, and presided over a key consultative meeting on the production of nuclear materials and weapons, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). His message came after the U.S. President Donald Trump's administration reaffirmed its commitment to the "complete" denuclearization of North Korea. At Friday's meeting, Kim stressed that making steady preparations for advancing the country's nuclear posture is an "essential top-priority task," calling it an "unchangeable duty." "The powerful deterrent, namely, the logic of peacekeeping and security by force with nuclear forces as its backbone is the invariable stand of the DPRK," Kim was quoted as saying. DPRK is short for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. He also calledSep 27, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korean merchant vessel crosses sea border, retreats after warning shots from SouthA North Korean merchant vessel briefly crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the Yellow Sea, the de facto maritime border between the Koreas, on Friday and retreated after South Korea's military fired warning shots, officials said. The 140-meter-long North Korean vessel crossed the NLL near the South Korean border island of Baengnyeong at 5:06 a.m. and remained on the southern side for an hour, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The vessel, which departed from a port in North Korea, reportedly advanced up to 5 kilometers south of the NLL. The South Korean military, which had been monitoring the North Korean ship's advance toward the NLL, issued warning broadcasts, but the vessel crossed the line, triggering a South Korean Navy vessel to fire around 60 warning shots and shells. The North Korean ship subsequently veered westward and retreated from the South's maritime control area at around 6 a.m., JSC officials said. The 2,800-ton ROKS Cheonan frigate was conducting operations in the area at the time of the NLL breach. A JCS official said a dozen Chinese ships were situated neSep 26, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea, China vow to deepen bilateral tiesSenior officials from North Korea and China have held a meeting and pledged to deepen bilateral ties, according to the North's state media Friday. China's ambassador to North Korea, Wang Yajun, held the meeting at the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang the previous day to mark the 76th anniversary of China's founding on Oct. 1, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. "Traditional friendship (between China and North Korea) is endlessly engraving new chapters," the KCNA quoted Wang as saying during the banquet, which was attended by North Korean party and government officials, including Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong-ho. "China's side is open to thoroughly implementing the important understanding reached between the two countries' leaders … and achieving bigger-than-ever development in (China-North Korea) relations," Wang also noted. Kang Yun-sok, vice chairman of North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly standing committee, also delivered remarks, pledging to "work with Chinese comrades" to strengthen bilateral ties. Kang added that the friendship between the two countries is "evolving in aSep 26, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's vice FM arrives in New York for scheduled UN General Assembly speechNorth Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son-gyong has arrived in New York to attend the ongoing United Nations General Assembly. A delegation led by Kim departed Pyongyang on Thursday (Korean time) for the 80th U.N. General Assembly, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) earlier said. Kim reportedly arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport the same day aboard North Korea's flag carrier, Air Koryo, en route to New York. It marks the first time that North Korea has sent a high-level delegation to the U.N. General Assembly since 2019, when leader Kim Jong-un's last summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam, ended without a deal. From 2014 to 2018, North Korea's foreign minister -- first Ri Su-yong and later Ri Yong-ho — attended the annual session. Since then, Kim Song-gyong, North Korea's permanent representative to the U.N., has represented Pyongyang at the General Assembly. The vice foreign minister is reportedly scheduled to deliver a speech Monday (local time), the final day of the general debate, marking the first address at the General Assembly by a North KoreSep 26, 2025By Yonhap
US sanctions 5 people, 1 group tied to N. Korea missilesThe United States on Thursday sanctioned five people and one entity for their role in generating revenue for North Korea's weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, despite growing expectations for the resumption of dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang. The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added two North Koreans, three Myanmarese nationals and one Myanmarese company to the sanctions list, after U.S. President Donald Trump voiced his hope to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this year, with Kim having expressed openness to conditional dialogue with the U.S. "North Korea's unlawful weapons programs are a direct threat to America and our allies," Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John Hurley was quoted as saying as the department announced the sanctions. "At Treasury, we will continue to dismantle the financial networks that sustain them." The latest action involved a key network facilitating weapons deals between North Korea and Myanmar's military regime. Those sanctioned included Kim Yong-ju, thSep 26, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's top diplomat to visit China from Sept. 27-30: reportsNorth Korea's Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui will visit China this week for a four-day trip, China's foreign ministry said Thursday, weeks after leader Kim Jong-un traveled to Beijing to attend a military parade. The trip will take place at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi from Saturday to next Tuesday, Guo Jiakun, spokesperson at China's foreign ministry, said. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency also reported on Choe's planned trip, saying she will visit China "soon." The planned trip comes as North Korea prepares a large-scale military parade to mark the 80th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea on Oct. 10. The North is reported to be inviting state leaders to the event. The trip follows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's high-profile attendance at China's military parade in Beijing on Sept. 3 and his subsequent talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping the next day. Choe accompanied Kim on the latest trip to China. Whether Xi will reciprocally attend the upcoming North Korean military parade is drawing keen attention ahead of the partySep 25, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea presumed to possess up to 2,000 kg of highly enriched uranium: unification ministerNorth Korea is presumed to possess up to 2,000 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, as the country has sought to dramatically expand its nuclear weapons capabilities in recent years, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Thursday. The minister disclosed the assessment during a press conference, citing publicly released estimates by experts, highlighting the urgency of stopping North Korea's nuclear programs. "It is urgent to stop (it). Even at this very hour, uranium centrifuges at four locations (in North Korea) are running, probably accumulating nuclear materials," Chung said. "Estimates (by experts) suggest North Korea possesses up to 2,000 kg of highly enriched uranium at 90 percent and higher," he said, adding that uranium between 10 to 12 kg is enough to produce one bomb. Chung assessed that it is now impossible to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program through international sanctions, saying that the resumption of North Korea-U.S. talks could instead serve as a "breakthrough" in stalled denuclearization efforts. "It will be desirable for (North Korea-U.S.Sep 25, 2025By Yonhap
US diplomat stresses 'clear,' 'open' commitment to NK denuclearization goalA State Department official on Wednesday highlighted the United States' "open" and "clear" commitment to the "complete" denuclearization of North Korea, although Pyongyang has signaled openness to engaging with the U.S. if Washington drops its demand for denuclearization. During an interview with Yonhap News Agency, Mignon Houston, the department's deputy spokesperson, also said an immigration crackdown by President Donald Trump's administration "does not change" the Seoul-Washington relationship, as she touched on the recent raid at a South Korean battery plant site in Georgia. "This administration has said on numerous occasions from the start that our commitment is to a complete denuclearization of North Korea, that launches of ballistic missiles ... (and) an ambition for weapons of mass destruction is in direct violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions," she said. "That we want to see an Indo-Pacific that reduces military tensions, that is free, fair, open, prosperous for its citizens, and we have been very vocal on this." She added that the U.S. remains committed to being "open"Sep 25, 2025By Yonhap
