N. Korea gave $9.8 bil in weapons to Russia but received $1.2 bil. in Ukraine war deal: reportNorth Korea has sent about $10 billion worth of weapons and troops to Russia under their deal to support Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, but Pyongyang has received comparatively limited compensation, according to a report Friday. The report, commissioned by the Korea Office of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, said it showed signs of "unequal partnership" between North Korea and Russia although they have intensified their military cooperation. The report said North Korea has provided weapons, ammunition and troops worth up to $9.8 billion, or more than one-third of the North's annual estimated economic output, since 2023. In contrast, Russia's direct compensation to the North is estimated at a maximum of $1.2 billion, which includes mainly food and oil assistance, along with "a small number of air defense systems, GPS jammers and possibly fighter aircraft." The report noted there is "no evidence" to support concerns that Russia has played a direct role in North Korea's technological modernization, saying the reclusive nation's economy also remains in a dire situation under thisSep 19, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim oversees performance test of tactical attack dronesNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen a performance test of tactical attack drones, stressing the need to advance applicable artificial intelligence (AI) technology and bolster their operational capabilities, state media reported Friday. Kim inspected the test of unmanned weapons being developed and produced by an institute and enterprise under the Unmanned Aeronautical Technology Complex on Thursday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The leader reviewed the performance and combat applicability of strategic and tactical reconnaissance drones, as well as multipurpose unmanned aerial vehicles. The test approved the "excellent effectiveness of Kumsong-series tactical attack drones for combat uses, along with the military strategic value and performance of strategic surveillance drones' capabilities, the KCNA said. North Korean state media reported on Kumsong-line tactical attack drones for the first time. Kim said advancing AI and operational capabilities of unmanned weapons and equipment systems should be the top priority in modernizing the armed forces, stressing tSep 19, 2025By Yonhap
South Korea seeks 'peaceful 2 states' approach in relations with NorthUnification Minister Chung Dong-young said Thursday that South Korea will seek to transform North Korea's "hostile two-state" framework into a “peaceful two-state” arrangement, describing it as a transitional stage on the path toward eventual unification. Speaking at the Global Korea Forum hosted by the ministry in Seoul, Chung said South Korea will continue pursuing rapprochement with Pyongyang despite the North’s frosty response, calling dialogue the most effective means of reducing hostilities. "Even if North Korea continues to uphold the two-state theory, there is no justification for maintaining hostility," he said in an opening speech. "The main focus should first be on ending this hostility. The alternative is to transform the hostile two-state framework into a de facto peaceful two-state framework. This is the core of our policy toward North Korea." While Chung's remarks appear aimed at reviving talks with Pyongyang as the Lee Jae Myung administration seeks to restore engagement, some worry that this approach could spark controversy for aligning too closely with Kim Jong-uSep 18, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
N. Korea's early disclosure of Hwasong-20 ICBM apparently aimed at putting pressure on USNorth Korea appears to have disclosed a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) under development earlier than scheduled in a bid to exert pressure on the United States, Seoul's military officials said Thursday. Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a research lab that developed a new high-thrust solid-fuel engine, saying it will be used for the next-generation Hwasong-20 ICBM under development. The North also conducted a ground test for the engine, disclosing what appears to be the warhead of the Hwasong-20. A Seoul military official said the North's new ICBM appears to be in the early stage of development. "Pyongyang appears to have disclosed it somewhat hastily in consideration of political factors," the official said, noting that the move could be aimed at putting pressure on the U.S. North Korea seems to be aiming to show off its solidarity with China and Russia and raise tensions in Northeast Asia with a new ICBM as it exceptionally disclosed its warhead and related engine test, according to Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the main opposition People Power Party. ExpeSep 18, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea intends to participate in 2026 Asian Games in Japan: reportNorth Korea has expressed its intent to take part in next year's Asian Games set to be staged in Japan, a report claimed Wednesday. Citing the organizing committee of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Kyodo News said North Korea is hoping to send a delegation of about 260 to 270, including some 150 athletes in 17 sports, to the multisport competition. The 20th Asian Games are scheduled to run from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4 next year in Aichi Prefecture, with the prefecture's capital, Nagoya, serving as the main host. The Kyodo report said the Japanese government will carefully consider opening its doors to North Korea. Since February 2016, Japan has banned North Korean citizens from entering as part of sanctions against Pyongyang's repeated ballistic missile firings. However, Japan made exceptions in sports, allowing North Korean men's and women's football teams to visit the country early last year to play qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Asiad organizing committee will meet with leaders of each national delegation next week and bring them up to date on its preparations. According toSep 17, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea slams Japan for bolstering security cooperation with AustraliaNorth Korea on Wednesday denounced Japan's move to strengthen security cooperation with Australia, calling it a "dangerous military move." The commentary by the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) came after Australia and Japan held talks involving their foreign and defense ministers in Tokyo earlier this month and agreed to strengthen joint deterrence. The KCNA also accused Japan of signing a deal to supply its upgraded version of Mogami-class frigates to Australia. "The Asia of today ... will not tolerate at the least the move by the descendants of samurai to conquer the East by colluding with foreign power," the KCNA said.Sep 17, 2025By Yonhap
Unification ministry reviews changing S. Korean term of N. Korean defectorsThe unification ministry said Tuesday it is considering changing the South Korean term of North Korean defectors, noting the word highlighting their escape from the North carries a negative connotation. The ministry said it has commissioned a study to review renaming the Korean term of the North's defectors, or "talbukmin" in Korean, with an aim of selecting a new name by the end of this year after collecting opinions from such defectors. The term "bukhyangmin," which means people who hail from North Korea, is believed to be most favored among the North's defectors. "The ministry is considering changing the term of (North Korean defectors) in a bid to help them better resettle in the South and promote social integration," a ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity. A survey by the Korea Institute for National Unification last year showed 59 percent of North Korean defectors favor a change in the Korean term referring to them. The number of North Korean defectors coming to South Korea reached 96 in the first half of 2025, raising the total to 34,410, according to the miniSep 16, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea presumed to expand spy agency by bolstering intelligence capability: SeoulNorth Korea is presumed to have expanded operations of the General Reconnaissance Bureau (GRB), the country's spy agency, by strengthening its capabilities of collecting and analyzing external intelligence, Seoul's unification ministry said Monday. North Korea mentioned a new entity named the General Reconnaissance Information Bureau for the first time in a statement Sunday issued by Pak Jong-chon, vice chairman of the North's ruling party's Central Military Commission. The ministry said the North is presumed to have expanded the GRB into the General Reconnaissance Information Bureau. "We are monitoring the possibility that North Korea may have strengthened its capabilities to acquire and analyze external intelligence in line with its operation of a military spy satellite since November 2023," Koo Byoung-sam, spokesperson at the ministry, told a press briefing. Pak said he had received a report from the General Reconnaissance Information Bureau that South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold their trilateral Freedom Edge exercise this week and Seoul and Washington will simultaneoSep 15, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea-backed hacking group uses AI deepfake to target S. Korean institutions: reportA North Korea-linked hacking group has carried out a cyberattack on South Korean organizations, including a defense-related institution, using artificial intelligence (AI)-generated deepfake images, a report showed Monday. Kimsuky group, a hacking unit believed to be sponsored by the North Korean government, attempted a spear-phishing attack on a military-related organization in July, according to the report by the Genians Security Center (GSC), a South Korean security institute. Spear phishing is a targeted cyberattack, often conducted through personalized emails that impersonate trusted sources. The report said the attackers sent an email attached with malicious code, disguised as correspondence about ID issuance for military-affiliated officials. The ID card image used in the attempt was presumed to have been produced by a generative AI model, marking a case of the Kimsuky group applying deepfake technology. Typically, AI platforms, such as ChatGPT, reject requests to generate copies of military IDs, citing that government-issued identification documents are legally protected. However,Sep 15, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea says its status as nuclear weapons state is 'permanently' fixedNorth Korea said Monday its status as a nuclear weapons state has been "permanently" specified in the North's law as it denounced the United States for repeating its "anachronistic" claim about Pyongyang's denuclearization at an international meeting. North Korea's permanent mission to the U.N. office and international organization in Vienna issued a press statement condemning the U.S. taking issue with the North's nuclear weapons program at a recent session of the International Atomic Energy Agency. "We strongly denounce and reject the U.S. provocative act of revealing once again its invariable hostile intention against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ... and express serious concern over the negative consequences to be entailed by it," read the statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). North Korea said that while Washington has slammed the North's possession of nuclear weapons as "illegal," it is the U.S. that undermines the international nuclear non-proliferation system through its radical nuclear arms buildup. "The position of the Democratic People's RepublSep 15, 2025By Yonhap
