Unification minister discusses NK issues with Chinese envoyUnification Minister Chung Dong-young met with China's top envoy to Seoul on Wednesday to discuss ways to step up cooperation and address pending issues on the Korean Peninsula, his office said. During talks with Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing, Chung expressed hope that relations between South Korea and China would further mature and develop, particularly in light of the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in the southeastern city of Gyeongju from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1. Chung also outlined the Seoul government's policy direction on North Korea and unification, emphasizing the importance of building trust between the two Koreas and fostering peaceful coexistence. He also called for China's constructive role in resuming dialogue and establishing sustainable peace in the region. In response, the Chinese envoy congratulated Chung on his appointment and reaffirmed China's commitment to promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.Aug 27, 2025By Yonhap
S. Korea, US, Japan voice serious concerns over NK IT workers' malicious cyber activitiesSouth Korea, the United States and Japan on Wednesday voiced "serious concerns" over evolving malicious cyber activities by North Korean information technology (IT) workers who use artificial intelligence (AI) tools and other means to fund Pyongyang's illicit weapons programs. The three countries issued the call in a joint statement, reaffirming the shared commitment to continued trilateral coordination to counter the North's unlawful cyber activities that pose serious risks to the international community. "North Korea continues to dispatch its IT workers around the world to generate revenue, which funds its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions," the statement issued by the foreign ministry showed. "Japan, the United States, and the Republic of Korea express serious concerns over the evolving malicious activities of North Korean IT workers," it read. The statement said that North Korean IT workers use a variety of techniques to disguise themselves as non-North Koreans with false identities and locations, inAug 27, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim visits new local aquafarm to reaffirm regional development driveNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited a newly completed aquafarm and fishing village in the eastern coastal region, reaffirming his regional development drive, state media reported Wednesday. Kim toured the offshore farm and the "modern" fishing-village residential district in Ragwon County, South Hamgyong Province, the previous day, expressing satisfaction with their "picturesque" quality and the speed of construction, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The Ragwon facility is the second aquafarm built under Kim's signature regional development drive, following the first one in the eastern coastal city of Sinpho, completed in December last year. The construction of the Ragwon aquafarm began in February, with Kim attending the groundbreaking ceremony. Kim touted the buildings as "the outcome of the high ideological readiness and redoubled efforts of the Korean People's Army upholding the policy of the (ruling) party on regional development with absolute loyalty and devoted struggle." The leader reaffirmed the party's regional development policy, saying, "Regional rejuvenatioAug 27, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea slams Lee as hypocrite with 'denuclearization paranoia'North Korea on Wednesday denounced President Lee Jae Myung's remarks on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula made during his visit to the United States, saying he is a hypocrite seized by a "denuclearization paranoia." The North's criticism came after Lee said during a speech in Washington that he and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed during their summit Monday (local time) to work closely to "establish peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula." North Korea denounced South Korea for harboring a vain hope for denuclearization, stressing the North will never give up its nuclear weapons. "It is a daydream for the ROK, the one and only political poor in the world who has offered all its sovereignty to the U.S., to cherish an absurd hope for 'denuclearization,' unaware of the nature of the nuclear issue of the DPRK," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The ROK is the acronym of South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea, and the DPRK stands for the North's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "Lee Jae Myung should understand that if he continueAug 27, 2025By Yonhap
S. Korea, US, Japan co-host forum in Tokyo to counter N. Korean IT worker threatsWASHINGTON — South Korea, the United States and Japan, together with a U.S. cybersecurity firm, co-hosted a forum this week to help counter threats stemming from North Korea's overseas dispatch of its information technology (IT) workers, the State Department said Tuesday. The department and the foreign ministries of South Korea and Japan, in partnership with Mandiant, convened the forum in Tokyo on Tuesday (local time) for over 130 attendees from the three governments and industry partners, including freelance work platforms, payment service providers and cryptocurrency companies. The event was designed to help public and private sectors strengthen their collective defenses against deceptive North Korean IT worker tactics, the department said. Overseas North Korean workers have long been accused of helping generate revenue for Pyongyang's nuclear and other weapons programs in breach of U.N. and U.S. sanctions. "Engaging with these (North Korean) workers exposes companies to theft of sensitive data and assets, reputational harm and legal consequences, as well as increased risk of targeAug 27, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea denounces ongoing S. Korea-US military exercise as 'will to invade'North Korea on Tuesday renewed its criticism of the ongoing joint exercise between South Korea and the United States, calling it an expression of their "will to invade" and warning that they will "pay a dear price." Kim Yong-bok, first vice chief of the North Korean military's General Staff, issued the criticism in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), as the large-scale joint annual summertime drills, Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS), entered their ninth day ahead of their scheduled conclusion Thursday. Kim pointed to the recent deployment of U.S. Air Force F-35 stealth fighters during the drills, refuting the allies' claim that the exercise is defensive in nature. "It is a generally-acknowledged fact that the large-scale war drill against a state can never be 'defensive' one as it is being staged by the world's biggest nuclear weapons state and more than ten satellite states," the military official said. He also described the UFS as "the most solid expression of their will to invade" North Korea, citing a new operational plan allied in this year's exercise,Aug 26, 2025By Yonhap
Trump says he will meet N. Korean leader Kim Jong-un somedayWASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday reiterated his willingness to resume dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying he will meet the reclusive leader "someday." Trump made the remarks during a press availability, touting his "very good" relationship with Kim, as he is set to have a summit with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the White House, where the leaders are expected to discuss joint efforts to bring Pyongyang back to the negotiating table, among other things. "In fact, someday, I will see him. I look forward to seeing him. He was very good with me ... We got along great," he said. The president voiced confidence that Kim will meet him "at some point." "I look forward to it actually," he said. "But you notice that since I came into office, you haven't had a problem with him." He repeated his argument that if Hillary Clinton had won the 2016 presidential election, the U.S. would have had a nuclear war with the North. "We are not going to have a nuclear war. Once that happens, it's over," he said. He claimed he knows Kim "better than anybody almost, otAug 26, 2025By Yonhap and AFP
UNC says around 30 N. Korean troops crossed inter-Korean border recently, triggering S. Korean warning shotsAround 30 North Korean troops recently crossed the inter-Korean border despite warning broadcasts, triggering warning shots from the South Korean military, a spokesperson of the U.S.-led U.N. Command (UNC) said Sunday, citing its investigation into the incident. The spokesperson made the remarks in response to a question from Yonhap News Agency, a day after North Korea berated the South Korean military for having fired more than 10 warning shots at North Korean troops who were conducting a border reinforcement project last week. "The UNCMAC investigation team confirmed that the around 30 members of the Korean People's Army (KPA) crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in an area where they have been conducting construction and maintenance activities," the spokesperson said via email. UNCMAC is short for the UNC Military Armistice Commission. "ROK forces issued several warning broadcasts in an attempt to notify the soldiers that they had crossed the MDL, but they did not respond to the broadcasts. ROK forces then fired warning shots in a designated warning shot area to compel the KPAAug 24, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea' Kim supervises firing-test of new air defense missiles: KCNANorth Korea conducted a test-firing of two types of newly improved air defense missiles to assess their combat capability, with leader Kim Jong-un supervising the test of new weapons, state media reported Sunday. The Missile Administration carried out the test on Saturday, firing two types of new air defense missiles at different targets, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Kim oversaw the firing, accompanied by party and military officials, including Air Force Commander Marshal Kim Kwang-hyok. The firing test came as South Korea and the United States have been conducting their large-scale joint military exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield, since Aug. 18, for a 11-day run. The firing demonstrated the missiles' "superior combat capability" to promptly respond to aerial targets such as attack drones or cruise missiles, the KCNA said, adding that their operation and reaction mode are based on "unique and special" technology. "The firing particularly proved that the technological features of two types of projectiles are very suitable for destroying various aerial targets," it said. Kim alsoAug 24, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea berates S. Korea for firing warning shots at its troops in border area this weekNorth Korea accused South Korea's military Saturday of having fired more than 10 warning shots at North Korean soldiers, who were conducting a border reinforcement project, earlier this week, underscoring a rise in inter-Korean tensions amid an ongoing military exercise between Seoul and Washington. Ko Jong-chol, vice chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army (KPA), issued a statement calling for Seoul to stop its "premeditated and deliberate" provocations that he said are "inciting military conflict," according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "On Aug. 19, the ROK military warmongers committed such a serious provocation as firing more than 10 warning shots with a 12.7 mm large-caliber machine gun at the DPRK soldiers who were conducting a permanent barrier project near the southern border line," the statement read. ROK is the acronym for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea, and DPRK is short for North Korea's full name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. North Korea said its soldiers were conducting a "barrier project to permanently block theAug 23, 2025By Yonhap
