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
N. Korea bars foreigners from Wonsan, opens doors to RussiansNorth Korea has temporarily barred foreign tourists from its newly opened Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone in Kangwon Province on the eastern coast, but appears to be making an exception for Russian visitors, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said Friday. According to the ministry, North Korea welcomed at least three Russian tour groups last month through Russian travel agencies, with itineraries that included Pyongyang, Mount Myohyang, and the Wonsan-Kalma region. Officials said Russian agencies are continuing to recruit travelers this month, and organized tours to the North remain underway. The discrepancy comes despite a notice posted July 18 on the website of the North Korean State General Bureau of Tourist Guidance, which stated that foreign visitors are “temporarily not accepted” at the Wonsan-Kalma resort. “North Korea continues to welcome Russian tourists to the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, despite an official ban on foreign visitors,” the ministry told the parliamentary foreign affairs and unification committee earlier this week. The resort, a flagship projectAug 22, 2025By Kim Hyun-bin
N. Korea's Kim praises troops deployed to Russia-Ukraine war as 'great heroes'North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has awarded commendations to the North's troops deployed to Russia's war with Ukraine, calling them "great heroes and patriots," and consoled bereaved families of fallen soldiers, state media reported Friday. The North held a ceremony to decorate commanders and combatants of the overseas operation unit of the Korean People's Army (KPA) who returned home from the battlefield, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). It marked the first time that North Korea has awarded commendation to its soldiers who fought overseas. The North's leader lauded troops deployed to the front-line Kursk region as "great heroes and patriots" in his speech at the ceremony held at the headquarters of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. "The victory won by the brave soldiers who participated in the war is a great feat that firmly defended the great honour of the KPA, which should never be undermined, and provided a sure guarantee for the existence and development of our state," Kim said. He said the bravery shown by North Korean troops affirmed that an army from any countAug 22, 2025By Yonhap
