N. Korea's Kim takes photos with war veterans to celebrate armistice anniversaryNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un posed for photographs with war veterans and citizens honored for their wartime services to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the armistice that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War, state media reported Wednesday. The session, held Tuesday, was part of North Korea's self-declared Victory Day commemorations. Veterans and honorees arrived in Pyongyang from across the country Saturday to participate in the events, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "It is a great pleasure of and encouragement to our Party, state and people that the victorious wartime generation, who demonstrated to the world the heroic position and reputation of our country which should be glorified through generations, are standing before us as the personifier and witness of miraculous victory," KCNA quoted him as saying. The commemorations also included Kim's visits to national cemeteries, a military parade and a gala. Kim Ju-ae, the North Korean leader's daughter, made her first public appearance at events celebrating Victory Day.Jul 29, 2026By Yonhap
Measures ready for N. Korea's unannounced dam water releases: unification ministryThe government has response measures in place for sudden, unannounced releases of water from a North Korean dam near the border, the unification ministry said Tuesday. Release of water from north of the border, especially during monsoon seasons, often lead to flooding in the South, while Pyongyang has failed to give prior notices for over a decade, despite an earlier agreement, amid soured relations between the two Koreas. "The government has measures ready to protect residents in border areas," a unification official told reporters. "In the past, we had limited means to verify water releases, but now, advanced technology — satellite imagery, gate monitoring and coordination across government agencies — allows us to monitor conditions in real time," the official added. "The government does not rely solely on advance notice from the North." North Korea agreed to notify the South before releasing dam water, but it has not honored the commitment since 2014. While satellites normally photograph the areas three to four times a day, they are switched to real-time monitoring in an emergency.Jul 28, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's exports hit 8-year high in 2025: dataNorth Korea's exports rose sharply to an eight-year high in 2025 as the country's trade continued to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Tuesday. North Korea exported $468.59 million worth of goods in 2025, up 30 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). The figure marked the highest level since 2017, when the country's goods exports reached $1.77 billion. The reclusive country's exports have steadily increased in recent years after plunging in 2020 due to the global outbreak. Its imports totaled $2.66 billion, up 13.9 percent from a year earlier, resulting in a trade deficit of $2.19 billion. China was North Korea's biggest trade partner, accounting for 98.2 percent of its total trade. North Korea's trade deficit with China rose 11.9 percent to $2.19 billion last year. Prepared feathers and down, minerals, steel, mineral fuels, and watches and watch parts were North Korea's major export items, the latest KOTRA data showed.Jul 28, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea marks 73rd armistice anniversary with ceremonial paradeNorth Korea has held a commemorative parade to mark the 73rd anniversary of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, involving columns symbolic of units fought in the war, state media reported Tuesday. Leader Kim Jong-un attended the event the previous day, flanked by senior party, government and military officials, along with war veterans, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Diplomats from China and Russia stationed in Pyongyang were also present. The armistice was signed on July 27, 1953, halting the war. North Korea has observed the date as Victory Day since 1996, claiming it won the war against U.S.-led forces. The parade featured formations reenacting North Korean military units from the war, according to the report, followed by marching units representing the country's modern ground, naval and air forces. Kim "extended warm militant encouragement to the invincible elite ranks and representatives of the matchless army who newly defined the concept of the strong army and the law of victory, and placed the absolute might of the revolutionary armed forces at the peak ofJul 28, 2026By Yonhap
Unification ministry reaffirms 'realistic, practical' approach to denuclearizationThe unification ministry reaffirmed its stance Monday on seeking "realistic and practical" solutions to denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, focusing on halting North Korea's nuclear programs. "The ministry's position has not budged from seeking a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula in cooperation with the international community," Yoon Min-ho, the ministry's spokesperson, said at a regular briefing. "Given the gravity of North Korean nuclear issues, we will focus on halting North Korea's nuclear programs, and seek to find realistic and practical solutions," he said. His remarks came in response to a statement by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, carried by the Korean Central News Agency earlier in the day. She rejected outright a joint statement released Saturday after the annual foreign ministers' meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Manila, which reaffirmed their commitment to the "complete denuclearization" of North Korea. North Korea's "nuclear capability will be updated steadily without a momentary stagnation," she said. Unification Minister Chung Dong-youJul 27, 2026By Yonhap
Unification ministry honors UNC officer for border area peace effortsThe unification ministry on Monday awarded a commendation to an officer from the United Nations Command's Military Armistice Commission (UNCMAC) in recognition of his contributions to peace in the border area with North Korea. The award was given to Maj. Lee Sung-bin during the Second Joint Conference on Peace and Safety in Border Areas, which was held at the government complex in Seoul. The UNCMAC supervises the Military Armistice Agreement between the two Koreas along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) signed on July 27, 1953. The move was seen as an olive branch following friction between the ministry and the UNC over entry control of the DMZ, with the former seeking independent authority for peaceful civilian visits and the UNC asserting exclusive military control under the armistice. Lee, who was absent for unspecified personal matter, is said to serve as a contact point between the ministry and the UNC on DMZ-related matters. The ministry also awarded commendations to officials from the border counties of Goseong and Cheorwon, as well as military officials, for similar contributions. TheJul 27, 2026By Yonhap
Commemorative plaque honoring N. Korean troops fighting Ukraine unveiled in RussiaA ceremony unveiling a commemorative plaque honoring North Korean soldiers who fought alongside Russian troops against Ukraine took place last week, Pyongyang's state media reported Monday. The plaque was unveiled Friday at the Pantheon of Defenders of the Motherland run by Russia's Defense Ministry in the Moscow region to convey the "heroic feats" of soldiers of the Korean People's Army overseas operations units involved in the operation to liberate Russia's Kursk region, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The plaque, mounted on the outer wall of the building, features a relief of a North Korean soldier standing with a rifle against the backdrop of the national flag. Its inscription reads: "Russia will never forget the feats performed by the DPRK combatants in Kursk Region," according to the KCNA. DPRK refers to North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Officials from Russia's defense ministry and other officials attended the ceremony, along with North Korean Ambassador to Russia Sin Hong-chol and embassy staff. North Korea and Russia signed a mutuJul 27, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim visits war cemeteries on Korean War armistice anniversaryNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited national cemeteries honoring fallen soldiers, including Chinese troops, to mark the 73rd anniversary of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, Pyongyang's state media reported Monday. Kim visited the Fatherland Liberation War Martyrs Cemetery on Sunday, where the war dead are buried, and met with veterans, wishing them "good health and long life," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The armistice was signed on July 27, 1953, and North Korea has marked the date as Victory Day since 1996, claiming it won the war against U.S.-led forces. Kim repeated familiar state narratives about the war, calling it a fight to defend "the dignity and sovereignty of the state but also the global peace and security in a heavy and hot war against the U.S. imperialists" and their allies. "The miracle of July 27 won by the ordinary army and people on this land with ardent love and indomitable might should be the precious ideological and moral wealth and infinite latent energy of the Korean revolution to be invariably and thoroughly carried forward rJul 27, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea covers inter-Korean border building in screens for apparent renovation workNorth Korea has installed screens around its building inside the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom to block it from public view, apparently for ongoing renovation work, military sources said Monday. The screens covering the Panmungak facility, located on the northern side of the Joint Security Area (JSA), were erected in April in what appeared to be part of renovation efforts, military sources with knowledge of the matter said. The North had put up screens around the building for renovation work in the past. Panmungak, built in 1969, sits 80 meters north of the Military Demarcation Line within the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas. It directly faces South Korea's Freedom House in the JSA. The three-story Panmungak houses a guard command post and has the "pink phone," a direct hotline between the North and the United Nations Command, which administers the Armistice Agreement that halted the 1950-53 Korean War. The building has also served as a venue for key inter-Korean engagements in the past, including the 2018 summit between then President Moon Jae-in and North Korean lJul 27, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korean leader's sister rebuffs ARF denuclearization call, vows to update nuclear arsenal 'steadily'The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Monday denounced regional calls for denuclearization, reaffirming that North Korea's nuclear arsenal would be "updated steadily." In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim Yo-jong criticized a joint statement released Saturday after the annual foreign ministers' meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Manila, which reaffirmed their commitment to the "complete denuclearization" of North Korea. The ARF statement called for international efforts toward "the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner." "Resolute and clear is the DPRK's stand that nuclear deterrence is the ultimate shield for national sovereignty and the supreme guarantee for defending sovereignty," Kim said in the statement. DPRK is short for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "Whatever others may say, the position and significance of existence of the DPRK as a responsible nuclear weapons state to keep the balance of strength and ensure the geopolitical security in and oveJul 27, 2026By Yonhap
