Belarusian president says 'ready' to visit Pyongyang in message to N. Korea's KimBelarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday sent a congratulatory message to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the country's founding anniversary, saying he is "ready" to visit Pyongyang. According to Lukashenko's office, the president said he is prepared to visit North Korea at the earliest convenient time to strengthen bilateral ties. The message came after Kim extended an invitation to Lukashenko to visit North Korea last week, during their brief conversation in Beijing ahead of China's military parade. On Tuesday, North Korea marked the 77th anniversary of the country's founding on Sept. 9, 1948, by the current leader's grandfather, Kim Il-sung, in the communist northern part of the Korean Peninsula. The Belarusian president also expressed hopes that increased cooperation between North Korea and Belarus could benefit both peoples and raise mutual trust and understanding.Sep 9, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea emphasizes self-reliance in building strong state on national founding dayNorth Korea on Tuesday emphasized that self-reliance is key to building a powerful state as it calls for national unity on the 77th anniversary of the country's founding. The North's Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in an editorial, "Our people's strong pride and ardent patriotism have been the powerful drive for our republic's autonomous development." On Tuesday, North Korea marks the 77th anniversary of the country's founding on Sept. 9, 1948, by the current leader's grandfather, Kim Il-sung, in the communist northern part of the Korean Peninsula. "Nation building inevitably begins with a choice between independent presence and reliance," the newspaper said, adding that this choice determines whether the country becomes a powerful or weak nation. "Disaster comes from relying on overseas forces while blessing comes from building self-reliant power," it said, noting that the dignity and greatness of a powerful country derive from growing its power independently. Marking the national founding anniversary, a series of public events were held in Pyongyang the previous night, calling for loyaltySep 9, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim inspects hospital construction in northwestern cityNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected a hospital under construction in a northwestern city, emphasizing that building hospitals in regional areas is the "most urgent task" in promoting public health, state media reported Tuesday. Kim visited the construction site of the Kusong City Hospital in the namesake city the previous day and inspected its progress, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Under Kim's signature regional development policy launched last year to promote the well-being of local residents, North Korea aims to build modern factories in 20 cities and counties across the country each year as part of a 10-year plan. Kim has also expanded the development plan to include regional hospitals, ordering the construction of three this year, including one in Kusong, in addition to 20 regional hospitals planned annually starting in 2026. Kim visited the Kusong City Hospital construction site twice in June. Regional hospital construction is "the most responsible and important work to ensure that regional people receive advanced medical services in their regions just like iSep 9, 2025By Yonhap
China's Xi, in message to Kim, says ready to deepen strategic communication with N. KoreaChinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message Tuesday to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the North's national founding anniversary, saying Beijing is ready to strengthen strategic communication with Pyongyang, according to the North's state media. The message was delivered as North Korea marks the 77th anniversary of its national founding on Sept. 9, 1948, by the current leader's grandfather, Kim Il-sung, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. "The Chinese side is ready to join hands in promoting the China-DPRK friendship and the socialist cause of the two countries through the intensified strategic communication and brisk visits and close cooperation with the DPRK side," Xi told Kim, according to the KCNA. "It is the consistent and steadfast strategic policy of the Chinese party and government to successfully defend, consolidate and develop the China-DPRK relations," the KCNA quoted Xi as saying. DPRK is the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Xi also referred to his joint appearance with Kim at last week'sSep 9, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim oversees test of new missile engine for ICBMsNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen a high-thrust solid-fuel missile engine test using composite carbon fiber material for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), saying it heralds "a significant change" in strengthening the country's nuclear strategic forces, state media reported Tuesday. The Missile Administration, together with a chemical materials research center, conducted the ground jet test the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The report came a week after Kim visited the research institute that developed the engine, where he unveiled the next-generation Hwasong-20 ICBM under development, saying it will use the new engine. Kim said the engine's development "heralds a significant change in expanding and strengthening the nuclear strategic forces" of North Korea, also calling it a "success assuming the most strategic nature in the recent modernization of defense technology." The engine test marks the ninth of its kind and "the last one" in the development process, the KCNA said, describing its maximum thrust as 1,971 kilonewtons. North Korea lastSep 9, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim likely conditioned China visit on dropping denuclearization call: ministerNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un may have demanded that China make no mention of a goal of denuclearizing his country as a condition for his attendance at the recent military parade in Beijing, South Korea's unification minister said Monday. Minister Chung Dong-young raised the possibility during a parliamentary session after Kim's rare trip to China last week. During the trip, Kim attended a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II on Wednesday, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Chinese and Russian presidents in a show of trilateral solidarity to the world. Kim also held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but the outcome contained no reference to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, a major departure from the four summits they held between 2018 and 2019, when Beijing consistently called for it. "I presume that (Kim) may have strongly demanded no mention of denuclearization as a condition for his attendance (at the military parade)," Chung noted. He said from North Korea's perspective, Kim's attendance at the event may have represented "aSep 8, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea remains silent on NYT report of 2019 secret US SEAL mission against its regimeNorth Korea on Saturday remained silent on a recent report that United States Navy special operations forces infiltrated North Korea in early 2019 to install a device aimed at intercepting leader Kim Jong-un's communications. A day earlier, the New York Times reported that the classified mission by Sea, Air and Land (SEAL) Team 6 — the same unit that killed Osama bin Laden — took place while Pyongyang was engaging in high-level nuclear talks with the Donald Trump administration during its first term. The report said the mission was unsuccessful after U.S. forces encountered North Koreans aboard a civilian boat, whom they reportedly killed. As of 6 p.m. on Saturday, about a day after the report, neither North Korean state media nor the country's foreign ministry had issued a response to the news. Experts said acknowledgement by North Korea of the U.S. infiltration would be tantamount to admitting failures in border security and protection of nationals, suggesting this could explain the regime's silence.Sep 6, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea, Russia sign agreement to bolster cooperation on public safetyNorth Korea's public security ministry and Russia's interior ministry have signed an agreement to strengthen cooperation on public safety affairs and law enforcement, according to the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang on Saturday. The agreement was reached after North Korean Public Security Minister Pang Tu-sop and Vladimir Kolokoltsev, Russia's minister of internal affairs, held talks Tuesday in Moscow, the Russian embassy said on its Telegram account. The embassy did not disclose details about the agreement, but it noted that both sides shared the view that bilateral cooperation on public safety and security has taken on extra importance, given the geopolitical situation. As key areas for cooperation with North Korea, the Russian minister cited the fight against transnational organized crime, such as search and arrests of wanted criminals, responses to extremists and terrorist threats as well as a crackdown on trafficking of illegal drugs and humans. The two ministers also agreed on the need to beef up cooperation related to border areas, according to the Telegram message. North Korea and RuSep 6, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's state media domestically report on Kim's arrival after China tripNorth Korean state media on Saturday domestically reported on leader Kim Jong-un returning home after visiting Beijing to attend China's military parade, publishing photos of his daughter Ju-ae who accompanied him on the trip. The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper targeting domestic readers, reported on its front page that Kim arrived in Pyongyang on Friday after visiting China by his private armored train earlier this week. The Korean Central Broadcasting Station, the country's state-run radio network, also reported the leader's return on its 6 a.m. broadcast. On Friday night, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the state-run news agency targeting readers outside North Korea, issued a short dispatch of Kim's arrival. A photo carried by state media showed Kim's daughter Ju-ae, in a dark suit, standing next to him in a cabin of Kim's private train. In the same carriage were key North Korean party and government officials accompanying the leader on his trip, including Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui. In another photo published by the KCNA, Ju-ae was seen stepping out of the train rSep 6, 2025By Yonhap
Secret US SEAL mission to plant device to intercept Kim's communications failed in 2019: NYTWASHINGTON — A group of the United States' Navy special operations personnel infiltrated into North Korea in early 2019 on a high-risk mission to install a device to intercept North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's communications, but the mission fell apart as it came across a North Korean civilian boat, a report said Friday. The New York Times (NYT) reported that the classified mission by Sea, Air and Land (SEAL) Team 6 — the same unit that killed Osama bin Laden, the founder of the militant Islamist organization al-Qaeda — proceeded when Pyongyang engaged in high-level nuclear talks with President Donald Trump's first administration. It elaborated on the botched mission that killed the unarmed North Korean crew of the boat, basing the report on interviews with two dozen people, including civilian government officials, members of the first Trump administration and current and former service members. During a press availability, Trump said he did not know anything about the mission. "I could look, but I know nothing about (it)," Trump said. "I'm hearing it now for the first time." The miSep 6, 2025By Yonhap
