N. Korea's Kim likely to use bulletproof special train for his upcoming trip to ChinaNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un is likely to use his personal bulletproof special train when he travels to Beijing to attend China's large-scale military parade next week, sources said Friday. Kim is scheduled to attend a high-profile military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in 1945, which it observes as its victory day over Japan. No information has been made available so far about when and how Kim will depart Pyongyang for Beijing. But attention has been drawn to what mode of transport and route the highly security-conscious leader will take. Kim is more likely to use his customized special train than "Chammae-1," the private plane Kim reportedly used for long-distance domestic trips in his early years in office. For his four previous visits to China between 2018-2019, Kim traveled twice by the train and twice by the aircraft. Trips by train lasted four days, while those by air lasted two days. In recent years, however, no cases of Kim using the aircraft have been confirmed, a phenomenon possibly attributable toAug 29, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korean economy logs fastest growth in 8 years in 2024: BOKNorth Korea saw its economy grow at the fastest pace in eight years in 2024, driven by improvements in the manufacturing and construction sectors and increased trade with Russia, Korea's central bank said Friday. The North Korean economy is estimated to have expanded 3.7 percent from a year earlier in 2024, following 3.1 percent on-year growth in 2023, according to a report from the Bank of Korea (BOK). Last year's figure marked the highest growth since 2016, when the economy expanded 3.9 percent on-year. "North Korea has actively implemented national policy projects aimed at boosting its economy, including the five-year economic development plan, and has expanded economic cooperation with Russia," BOK official Park Chang-hyun told a press briefing. The mining and manufacturing sector surged 7.6 percent on-year in 2024 on the back of an increase in the production of coal, metals and non-metallic minerals, as well as an increase in heavy and chemical industry production. The construction field expanded 12.3 percent on-year due mainly to growth in residential building construction, the BOKAug 29, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea publicly announces leader's plan to attend China's Sept. military paradeNorth Korea on Friday publicly announced leader Kim Jong-un's plan to attend China's large-scale military parade next week to its people, a day after the information was released internationally. The Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's most widely read newspaper, carried the news in its Friday edition, saying Kim will soon travel to China to attend the military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, at the invitation of President Xi Jinping. The same report was also broadcast by the Korean Central Broadcasting Station's radio service Friday morning. The previous day, North Korea first broke the news via the Korean Central News Agency, the regime's mouthpiece wire service, which is inaccessible to general North Koreans. Next Wednesday, China will hold a high-profile military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in 1945, which it observes as victory against Japan. Attending alongside Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kim will make his debut on the stage of multilateral diplomacy, as state leaders of 26 foreignAug 29, 2025By Yonhap
Foreign minister notes 'close attention' to be paid to NK leader's planned China visitForeign Minister Cho Hyun said Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's planned attendance at the upcoming military parade in China warrants close attention, vowing continued efforts to bring Pyongyang back to dialogue. Cho made the remark during an interview with Yonhap News TV, hours after the North announced that Kim will travel to Beijing to attend the Sept. 3 celebration marking the end of World War II, known as Victory Day in China. Kim's planned attendance is significant as it will mark the first time the North Korean leader will join other world leaders on a multilateral stage, fueling speculation of a three-way summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. "North Korea also has incentives, or reasons to come out to the international community, and especially since U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed his willingness to hold talks (with Kim), it appears likely that North Korea will eventually agree to dialogue with the United States," Cho said. "In this sense, the announcement on Kim attending China's Victory Day should closely be watcAug 28, 2025By Yonhap
Kim Jong-un and S. Korean Assembly speaker may cross paths in ChinaAs North Korean leader Kim Jong-un prepares to attend China’s Victory Day celebration on Wednesday, speculation is mounting over whether he could cross paths with Woo Won-shik, South Korea’s National Assembly speaker, who will also be in Beijing for the event. It would mark the first time under President Lee Jae Myung that senior figures from both Koreas appear on the same stage. The ceremony, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Asia, is expected to draw more than two dozen heads of state, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. For Kim, it will be his first multilateral appearance in six years, after a stretch of intense focus on ties with Moscow. Beijing initially inquired about the attendance of South Korea’s president, but Seoul, after consultations with Washington and wary of sending mixed signals about alliance priorities, chose to send the Assembly speaker instead. The decision puts him in the unusual position of sharing a stage with the North's leader. Although a handshake would carry great symbolic significance, analAug 28, 2025By Bahk Eun-ji
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to attend victory celebration in ChinaNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un will visit China to attend a military parade next week marking the formal surrender of Japan in World War II, state media said, in what is likely to be the biggest multilateral diplomatic event Kim has attended. Kim is visiting at the invitation of China's President Xi Jinping, North Korea's state media KCNA said. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who faces an outstanding arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on allegations of war crimes in Ukraine, will also be at the parade. No major Western and European Union leaders are among the 26 foreign heads of state and government attending apart from Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, China's foreign ministry said. "It is quite unusual for Kim to attend a Victory Day ceremony, and it may be the first time Kim is attending a gathering of many heads of state, where he can meet Putin, Xi and Vietnam's Communist Party chief at once," said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. "Kim will seek to broaden his global status as a leader, and North Korea, China anAug 28, 2025By Reuters
N. Korea's top university holds int'l symposium attended only by China, RussiaKim Il Sung University, North Korea's top university named after the national founder, has held its annual international academic symposium, attended only by researchers and faculty from China and Russia, according to state media Thursday. "Officials, faculty members, researchers, as well as scholars from Russia and China's education, science research and cultural exchange institutes" attended the symposium held the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The event was divided into three disciplines — socio-politics, economy and humanities — under the theme "Autonomy, Equality and Regional Development," and dozens of theses were submitted, the KCNA said. The international Kim Il Sung University symposium first appeared in North Korean media in 2011 and was held annually until 2018, after which it was no longer mentioned. The report Thursday suggests the university may have resumed the event for the first time in seven years. Previously, the symposium hosted participants not only from China and Russia but also from the United States, France, Spain and Australia. ThisAug 28, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim inspects sniper, special forces units at training baseNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected sniper and special operations units at a training base, stressing that bolstering special operations forces is the "top priority" in the military's war preparations, state media reported Thursday. Kim visited the special operations training base under the military's General Staff the previous day and inspected the units' training, including their armament and training methods, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. He described snipers as handpicked forces assigned to important missions and trained to carry out independent and autonomous military actions, saying that dramatically bolstering special operations and sniper capabilities is an "important task" in the country's military buildup. "Thoroughly arming special operations forces to make them the pivotal force in war operations and the strongest combat groups is the top priority task in our military's war preparation," Kim said. The leader also noted that the party's military commission will review organizing a central sniper training center within the General Staff. Kim also inspecteAug 28, 2025By Yonhap
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
