Russian delegation arrives in Pyongyang for joint committee meeting on economic cooperationA delegation from Russia's industry and trade ministry has arrived in Pyongyang to attend a meeting of the joint committee on economy and trade cooperation between the two countries, the North's state media reported Thursday. The forestry-sector delegation, led by Grigory Gusev, deputy director of the industry and trade ministry's timber industry department, arrived in the country via Pyongyang International Airport the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The delegation will attend the 28th meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for Cooperation in Trade, Economy and Science's subcommittee on forestry, the KCNA said without providing further details. The forestry subcommittee has been in operation for nearly three decades between the two countries, with the North having dispatched woodcutters to Russia to earn foreign currency. The trip comes as the two countries expand cooperation in various fields, including the economy, public health and education, since North Korea dispatched troops to support Russia late last year in its war against Ukraine.Oct 16, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's art performance marking party anniversary apparently features K-pop elementsNorth Korea's recent art performance to mark its key party anniversary featured elements apparently influenced by K-pop and other outside culture, footage from the North's state-run TV station has showed. Footage aired by the state-run Korean Central Television showed a North Korean female singer with a "bowl haircut" performing a group dance in sync with background dancers during an art performance held Sunday marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea. Instead of "hanbok," traditional Korean attire, the singer wore a white trouser suit, with her backup dancers also wearing short skirts and high heels. In the art performance, some lyrical North Korean songs were arranged into fast-beat tunes, according to the footage. North Korea has implemented three so-called evil laws to prevent North Koreans from accessing outside information and culture. The regime has carried out public executions of North Koreans who watched or distributed South Korean movies and music. But the North's recent art performance having South Korean cultural elements appears to indicateOct 15, 2025By Yonhap
JCS chairman vows firm readiness following N. Korea's military paradeThe chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) pledged to ensure a robust readiness posture against security threats, including the North's display of new weapons systems during a recent military parade. The remarks by JCS Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung came days after North Korea showcased its latest Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) under development and other modernized weapons systems during a military parade held in Pyongyang last week. "North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities are advancing and (the North) flaunted the development of key weapons systems such as the ICBM and hypersonic glide missile ... during last week's military parade marking the 80th founding anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea," Jin said in his opening remarks for a parliamentary audit session. "By strengthening strategic alignment with Russia and North Korea, it gravely threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula as well as global peace," he said. In a report submitted to lawmakers ahead of the audit session, the JCS said it is seeking to hold the South Korea-U.S. Military Committee MOct 14, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea erects 10 km-long anti-tank barriers along inter-Korean border: lawmakerNorth Korea has built sections of anti-tank barriers spanning 10 kilometers along the tense inter-Korean border, a lawmaker said Tuesday, in the North's apparent efforts to sever ties with South Korea. The North has so far built four clusters of anti-tank barriers, each measuring 2.5 km, in areas north of the Military Demarcation Line in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Rep. Yu Yong-weon of the main opposition People Power Party said, citing satellite imagery and information submitted by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The anti-tank barriers appeared to stand about four to five meters tall and comprised a two-meter-wide concrete wall on the side facing southward, supported by mounds of earth on the other side, Yu said, citing satellite imagery compiled by the Finland-based ICEYE. The North has halted extending the anti-tank barriers and is clearing land in nearby areas in an apparent move to provide a clear line of sight, Yu said. "North Korea's anti-tank barriers are symbolic structures demonstrating its 'two hostile states' policy," he said, calling for the military to factor in the anti-tankOct 14, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korean Embassy in Russia hosts banquet marking ruling party anniversaryThe North Korean Embassy in Russia has hosted a banquet marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), attended by key Russian parliamentary and government officials, state media reported Tuesday. The gathering took place last Thursday, attended by North Korean Ambassador to Russia Sin Hong-chol and a number of Russian officials, including Gennady Zyuganov, leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation; Ivan Melnikov, first vice chairman of the State Duma; and Deputy Defense Minister Andrey Bulyga, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. In a speech at the banquet, Sin claimed the WPK's greatest achievements lie in building the most powerful national defense capabilities and in firmly safeguarding the country's sovereignty and safety interests against prevailing global violence, the KCNA reported. Zyuganov noted that Russia-North Korea relations are proving to be not merely part of a global pact but a strategic national policy direction that serves the interests of the peoples of both countries. He also expressed respect for North KoreanOct 14, 2025By Yonhap
High-profile chief of NK's abolished body appears to retain director titleRi Son-gwon, director of North Korea's now-abolished United Front Department (UFD), which handled affairs with South Korea, appears to have retained his director title even after the organ's dissolution, a North Korean report showed Monday. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Ri delivered a speech at a banquet for overseas North Koreans the previous day marking the 80th anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), addressing him as "comrade director of the WPK's Central Committee." South Korea's unification ministry said North Korea has disbanded all of its roughly 10 official organizations responsible for addressing inter-Korean issues, following leader Kim Jong-un's 2023 order to designate South Korea as its primary foe. As part of the organizational revamp, the UFD was reportedly downgraded in status and renamed Bureau 10 of the party's Central Committee, according to the unification ministry's assessment. Monday's KCNA report confirmed Ri's directorial status after his fate had been the subject of speculation since the UFD's abolition. Ri has had a prominent role in NorthOct 13, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim says national potential fully showcased in party anniversary eventsNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has watched a mass gymnastic and art performance with people who helped host recent celebrations marking a party anniversary, saying they demonstrated the country's "potentials and might." Kim watched the performance, titled "Long Live the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK)," the previous day, congratulating those who participated in and worked on the recent celebration events for the party's 80th anniversary, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. On the eve and day of the Oct. 10 anniversary, North Korea hosted a series of events, including a military parade, attended by foreign dignitaries such as Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Vietnamese leader To Lam and Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council. The military parade featured North Korea's new Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile, marking the first time the weapon system, capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, has been displayed. Kim expressed thanks to the participants, saying, "Indeed, thanks to your utmost sincerity and devoted efforts, our celebrations ... demonstrated thOct 13, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim pays respects at family mausoleum for party founding anniversaryNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun family mausoleum to pay respects to former leaders on the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), state media said Monday. Kim, "who organized and guided the grand celebrations of the 80th founding anniversary of the WPK in a responsible manner, respectfully presented the great glory won by the party and state to the great leaders," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The mausoleum enshrines the embalmed bodies of the North's founder Kim Il-sung, grandfather of Kim, and Kim Jong-il, a former North Korean leader and Kim's father. The visit came as North Korea held celebratory events last week, including a military parade, to mark the Oct. 10 party anniversary, which were attended by foreign dignitaries, including Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Vietnamese leader To Lam. The KCNA quoted Kim as saying, "The revolutionary exploits of the great leaders who laid a solid cornerstone for the durable existence and victorious development of our party and state will be immortal along withOct 13, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea unveils new Hwasong-20 ICBM, signaling multi-warhead ambitionsNorth Korea unveiled a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and other advanced weapons during a massive nighttime parade in Pyongyang marking the 80th founding anniversary of the Workers’ Party, in what analysts described as a show of force highlighting its strides toward a multi-warhead nuclear deterrent. The parade, held Friday at Kim Il Sung Square, showcased the Hwasong-20, a solid-fuel ICBM that state media hailed as a “super-powerful strategic attack weapon” awaiting leader Kim Jong-un’s launch order. Mounted on an 11-axle transporter erector launcher (TEL), the missile resembled last year’s Hwasong-19 but featured key differences, suggesting new engineering. Its blunter, wider nose cone could signal space for multiple warheads or a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) that allows a single missile to strike several targets. Rep. Yu Yong-weon, a former military journalist and lawmaker from the main opposition People Power Party, said the Hwasong-20’s design shows Russian influences. “Unlike the Hwasong-19, which had side lifting arms, the nOct 12, 2025By Kim Hyun-bin
N. Korea releases water from border dam without prior noticeNorth Korea appeared to have released water from a dam north of the inter-Korean border without giving prior notice to the South, officials said Sunday. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said it has been monitoring the Hwanggang Dam, located upstream of the Imjin River, after satellite imagery taken around 11 p.m. Saturday showed signs of water being discharged from the dam. An official from the Gunnam Dam notified Yeoncheon County in Gyeonggi Province at 3:50 a.m. that North Korea appeared to be releasing water from the Hwanggang Dam without prior notice, a county official said. The water level at Pilseung Bridge, the northernmost point of the Imjin River in South Korea, had risen to 1 meter around midnight and reached 1.86 meters as of 10:50 a.m., according to Yeoncheon County and the Gunnam Dam operator. As a water level of 1 meter requires the evacuation of visitors in the river area, Gyeonggi Province and Yeoncheon County issued text alerts urging visitors and nearby residents to evacuate. The North is presumed to have discharged water to control the border dam's waterOct 12, 2025By Yonhap
