N.Korean leader appears to be accompanied by daughter on visit to China: NISNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears to be accompanied by his daughter, Ju-ae, on his visit to China, South Korea's spy agency said Tuesday, reinforcing views she is being groomed to succeed her father. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) made the assessment hours after Kim arrived in Beijing in a special armored train to attend Wednesday's ceremony marking the anniversary of the end of World War II. In a photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Kim could be seen stepping off the train followed by a person believed to be Ju-ae, followed by North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui. The person behind Kim is seen only partially due to the angle of the photo. "It appears that Kim Jong-un took his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, with him on his visit to China," the NIS said, adding it is closely following her movements. The North Korean leader has been accompanied by his wife, Ri Sol-ju, on three of his past visits to China, but it is the first time he is joined by his daughter. Since first appearing at an official event in 2022, Ju-ae has frequently been seen alongside her father, promptingSep 2, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim arrives in Beijing ahead of military paradeBEIJING/SEOUL — A special armored train carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Beijing on Tuesday as he is set to appear at China's upcoming military parade, which will be attended by dozens of state leaders, setting the stage for his multilateral diplomatic debut. The train arrived at Beijing Railway Station at around 4 p.m. (local time), nearly a day after departing Pyongyang, accompanied by Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and other officials. Citing witnesses, Reuters also reported that a train carrying a North Korean flag was seen in Beijing before a motorcade with the flag departed the station. North Korea's state media said, later confirmed by Seoul's National Intelligence Service (NIS), that Kim departed Pyongyang the previous day aboard his private train en route to Beijing and crossed into China at dawn. Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be among dozens of foreign leaders attending Wednesday's military parade presided over by Chinese President Xi Jinping at Tiananmen Square to celebrate the 80th anniversary of "victory" over Japan's surrender and the endSep 2, 2025By Yonhap
PHOTO N. Korean leader heads to Beijing for military paradeNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, talks with Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, right, Workers' Party secretaries Jo Yong-won, second from left, and Kim Tok-hun next to his private train before departing for China to attend a military parade, Wednesday, in this photo released by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency, Tuesday. Yonhap.Sep 2, 2025By Park Ung
About 2,000 NK troops deployed to Russia estimated to have been killed: NISThe spy agency estimated around 2,000 North Korean troops dispatched to Russia for combat in Ukraine were killed, lawmakers said Tuesday. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) shared the assessment during a closed-door briefing to the parliamentary intelligence committee, Reps. Park Sun-won and Lee Seong-kweun told reporters. The NIS said Pyongyang is planning to additionally send some 6,000 soldiers to Russia in its third batch of troop deployment to aid Moscow's war with Ukraine, while around 1,000 combat engineers have already arrived in Russia. The existing troops are stationed in the "rear front as reserve forces," the agency said, pointing to the possibility of a leadership change among the dispatched troops. "North Korea revealed it sustained around 350 deaths in the first and second rounds of deployment, while the NIS reported at least 600 deaths in a briefing to the parliamentary intelligence committee in April," Lee said, noting that the NIS has increased its estimate of the death toll to 2,000 after a "comprehensive review" with other countries. Since October last year, NorthSep 2, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea likely eyes multiple-warhead missile technology with new ICBMNorth Korea appears to be working to secure multiple warhead missile capabilities, analysts said Tuesday, after the North unveiled leader Kim Jong-un's visit to a lab for a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) under development. Kim inspected the production of a new high-powered solid-fuel engine for ICBMs, saying it will be used for the next-generation Hwasong-20 ICBM during his visit to the institute affiliated with the Missile Administration on Monday, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). North Korea said the new engine has a maximum thrust of 1,960 kilonewtons and will be used for the Hwasong-19 ICBM line and the new Hwasong-20 ICBM. The report, which came just hours after the KCNA confirmed Kim's departure for Beijing to attend a high-profile military parade, garnered attention as the North's first disclosure of a new ICBM the North seeks to develop. North Korea is presumed to already possess missile capabilities to strike anywhere on the continental U.S. The North's earlier versions of ICBM have a range of over 15,000 kilometers, putting the entire USep 2, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim to stand 'side by side' with Xi, Putin at China's military parade: NISNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un will stand "side by side" with his Chinese and Russian counterparts, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, at the upcoming military parade in China this week, Seoul's spy agency said Tuesday. Aboard his private train, Kim crossed the North Korea-China border at dawn and is en route to Beijing, where he is expected to arrive late in the afternoon, lawmakers told reporters, quoting the National Intelligence Service's (NIS) closed-door briefing. "Kim will demonstrate trilateral solidarity by standing side by side with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during Wednesday's military parade at Tiananmen Square," the NIS was quoted as saying. Earlier in the day, the North's Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim departed Pyongyang on Monday to participate in China's celebrations of the 80th anniversary of "victory" over Japan's surrender and the end of World War II. The train journey from Pyongyang to Beijing is expected to take about 20 hours. Kim's attendance at the military parade, which will bring together state leaders from 26 forSep 2, 2025By Yonhap
All eyes on solidarity between Pyongyang, Beijing, MoscowThe heads of North Korea, China and Russia are set to meet during a major military parade in Beijing on Wednesday, during which they are expected to display trilateral solidarity and strengthen ties between the three nations, according to the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and experts Tuesday. The NIS, however, saw little chance of Kim Jong-un, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin meeting for a trilateral summit, which would be a first for them. Kim arrived in Beijing late Tuesday afternoon via his private train, nearly a day after departing from Pyongyang. In one of the photos of the North Korean leader emerging from his armored train, his daughter Kim Ju-ae was visible behind him, fueling speculation that he may be grooming her as his heir. It marks her first time joining her father on a visit to China, let alone at a multilateral gathering. Accompanied by senior party and government officials, including Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, Kim will attend the large-scale military parade in China to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, a date Beijing commemorates as its victorSep 2, 2025By Lee Hyo-jin
N. Korea's public security minister heads to RussiaA North Korean delegation, led by the country's public security minister, has departed for Russia, the North's state media reported Tuesday, amid deepening cooperation between the two nations. North Korean Public Security Minister Pang Tu-sop left Pyongyang the previous day, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The KCNA did not disclose the purpose of the trip, but the visit appears to be aimed at discussing issues of North Korean laborers who are currently working in Russia or expected to be dispatched. The trip came nearly three months after the deputy chief of the North's public security ministry held vice ministerial talks with his counterpart from Russia's interior ministry in Pyongyang to discuss expanding cooperation. North Korea's exports of laborers have been under United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions against its nuclear and missile programs. Russia previously sent back the North's workers in accordance with U.N. sanctions, but suspended the move due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After the North reopened its border in 2023 following years of COVID-19 bordeSep 2, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim on way to Beijing for military parade alongside Putin, XiNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un crossed the border into China on early Tuesday as he headed for Beijing to attend a military parade that would mark his debut on the multilateral diplomatic stage and a possible three-way meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping. The special armored train carrying Kim passed the North Korea-China border early Tuesday morning, according to the North's state media. Kim, Putin and Xi will be among some 25 leaders who attend the military parade as Beijing celebrates the end of World War II. Reflecting his previous rail route during a 2019 visit to China, it is expected to take about 20 hours for the train to arrive in Beijing. Kim's first visit to the Chinese capital since January 2019 comes as he seeks to improve traditional ties with China and boasts a deepening military alignment with Russia at a time when Seoul, Washington and Tokyo are tightening security cooperation. "Kim Jong-un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, left here for Beijing by hiSep 2, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim inspects lab for new ICBM under development ahead of trip to ChinaNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected a research institute for a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) under development ahead of his departure for China to attend a military parade, state media reported Tuesday. Kim inspected the production of a new high-powered solid-fuel engine for ICBMs, saying it will be used for the next-generation Hwasong-20 ICBM during his visit to the institute affiliated with the Missile Administration on Monday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The report came hours after the KCNA said Kim departed Pyongyang for Beijing aboard his private train on Monday to attend a military parade in China. This marks the first disclosure of the latest missile under development in the country's ICBM arsenal, following the test-firing of the solid-fuel Hwasong-19 ICBM in late October last year. North Korea said the new solid-fuel engine has a maximum thrust of 1,960 kilonewtons and will be used for the Hwasong-19 ICBM line and the new Hwasong-20 ICBM. Kim reviewed the results of eight rounds of tests on the engine, which uses carbon fiber composite maSep 2, 2025By Yonhap
