N. Korea's Kim tells Lao president bilateral friendship will further advanceNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has told Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith that the friendship between the two countries will continue to advance across all sectors, in a recent message to him, the North's state media reported Wednesday. Kim delivered the message in a letter sent to the Lao president on Sunday, in response to his congratulatory telegram marking the recent 80th anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. "I express confidence that the friendly and cooperative relations between our two parties and the two countries, which have a long-standing history and tradition, will further strengthen and advance across all sectors," Kim was quoted as saying. Kim also wished the Lao president "great success" in his work. The Lao president was among the foreign state leaders and senior officials who attended celebratory events in Pyongyang to mark the Oct. 10 party anniversary. During his trip to North Korea, the Lao president held talks with Kim, agreeing to strengthen bilateral cooperation.Oct 22, 2025By Yonhap
Russian students from Kursk send paper boats to thank N. Korean soldiers: KCNARussian students from the Kursk region have sent paper boats to thank North Korean soldiers who fought for Russia in the war against Ukraine and to mourn their deaths, the North's state media reported Wednesday. Students from a school affiliated with the Russian Embassy in North Korea launched paper lantern boats carrying messages honoring the memory of war heroes and wishing for their "eternal life" in the Daedong River the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The messages attached to the paper boats included "Thank you," "We will prevail" and "Friendship forever," written in both Korean and Russian, according to the KCNA. Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexandr Matsegora and other embassy officials also attended the event. Since October last year, North Korea has deployed 15,000 troops to Russia in support of its war with Ukraine, helping Russian forces reclaim territory in Kursk in April. Of the North Korean troops, around 2,000 are believed to have been killed in action, according to South Korean intelligence authorities. The troop deployment has cemented cooperOct 22, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea slams Japan politicians for visit to war shrine, ritual offeringsNorth Korea on Tuesday slammed Japanese politicians for recently visiting a controversial war shrine and sending ritual offerings to the Yasukuni Shrine, which symbolizes the country's militaristic past. The Rodong Sinmun, the North's mainstream newspaper, accused Japan of harboring ambitions to reinvade by paying respects at the shrine, in an article criticizing Japanese politicians for honoring it. Last week, outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba sent an offering to the Yasukuni Shrine to honor Japanese war dead, while lawmakers visited the shrine together to pay their respects. The Yasukuni Shrine honors some 2.46 million Japanese war dead, including 14 Class A criminals convicted by international tribunals for their roles in World War II. The North Korean newspaper said that honoring and glorifying war dead constitutes a "blatant challenge" to and violation of international justice, adding that such a reckless action is sending an alarm to neighboring countries. "Japanese politicians' obstinate paying of respects to the specters of militarism is not just nostalgia but a maniOct 21, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korean Embassy in Russia holds banquet marking 77th anniv. of diplomatic tiesThe North Korean Embassy in Russia has held a banquet marking the 77th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties, with a Russian official lauding their relations as having reached a new level of alliance, the North's main newspaper reported Tuesday. The banquet took place last Friday to mark the Oct. 12 anniversary, attended by officials from Russia's foreign, defense and industrial ministries, as well as from United Russia, the biggest party in Russia, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper said. North Korea forged diplomatic relations with the then Soviet Union in 1948. A Russian vice foreign minister, delivering a speech during Friday's gathering, said the Russia-North Korea friendship has reached "a new level of alliance" in terms of quality through the test of several decades, the newspaper said. North Korea's deployment of its troops to Russia's Kursk region has firmly demonstrated the two countries' solidarity, the vice minister also said, expressing confidence that bilateral ties will continue to expand and contribute to stability and security on the Korean Peninsula andOct 21, 2025By Yonhap
51% of S. Koreans say unification with N. Korea not necessary: pollMore than half of South Koreans view unification with North Korea as unnecessary, a poll showed Monday, marking the first time that those unsupportive of unification with Pyongyang have exceeded those in favor of it. The poll, conducted by the Korea Institute for National Unification on 1,000 adults from July 10 to Aug. 13, found that 51 percent said unification is not necessary, while 49 percent said it is necessary. It marks the first time since the state institute began the related polling in 2014 that those unsupportive of unification have surpassed those in favor of it. In last year's poll, 52.8 percent said unification is necessary. This year's poll also found a record 63.2 percent saying unification would not be necessary if the two Koreas could coexist peacefully without the possibility of war. A total of 47 percent responded that it would be better for the two Koreas to remain divided rather than unify. Also, a record 68.1 percent said they have no interest in North Korea. The latest poll has a 95 percent confidence level, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage poinOct 20, 2025By Yonhap
Trips to Panmunjeom to be suspended amid speculation over possible Trump-Kim talksTrips to the truce village of Panmunjeom will be suspended next week, officials said Monday, amid speculation that U.S. President Donald Trump may hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his scheduled to trip for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. "From late October to early November, there will be no unification ministry-operated special field trips to Panmunjeom," ministry spokesperson Koo Byoung-sam said during a press briefing. The ministry has been operating a scaled-down trip program to the truce village, which houses inter-Korean conference buildings and a section of the border, only for "policy customers" since field trips were suspended in mid-2023 following a U.S. soldier's unauthorized crossing into North Korea via the village. The upcoming suspension comes amid growing speculation that Trump could meet with Kim, possibly at Panmunjeom, during his visit to South Korea for the APEC summit scheduled for Oct. 31-Nov. 1 in the southeastern city of Gyeongju. CNN reported over the weekend that Trump administration officials have privately discussed aOct 20, 2025By Yonhap
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
