Russia's Duma speaker meets N. Korea's Kim, conveys Putin's greetings: reportThe chief of Russia's parliamentary lower house met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang and conveyed greetings from Russian President Vladimir Putin, a Russian media report said Friday. The meeting between Kim and Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the State Duma, took place the previous day during his visit to Pyongyang for the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese occupation, TASS reported, citing a Russian parliamentary news release. "Volodin congratulated the North Korean leadership and people on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Korean Peninsula from Japanese colonial rule on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin at a solemn meeting on the occasion of the public holiday," TASS said. Volodin also expressed gratitude to Kim for the support the North Korea people provided fighting on the Kursk frontline region in the Russia-Ukraine war, according to the report. The Russian lawmaker is visiting North Korea from Thursday to Friday with a parliamentary delegation to mark the 80th anniversary of the Korean Peninsula's liberation from Japan's 1910-4Aug 15, 2025By Yonhap
Seoul vows to consistently pursue normalization of inter-Korean ties after NK statementSouth Korea will consistently pursue the normalization of ties with North Korea, the unification ministry said Thursday, responding to Pyongyang's statement rejecting Seoul's conciliatory overtures. "The government will consistently pursue normalization and stabilization of ties between South and North Korea in a way that can become mutually beneficial," an official at the unification ministry said. The reaction came just hours after Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, issued the statement, rebuffing the Lee Jae Myung administration's actions to appease North Korea and resume dialogue, calling them a "pipe dream." "We have clarified on several occasions that we have no will to improve relations with (South Korea) ... and this conclusive stand and viewpoint will be fixed in our constitution in the future," Kim Yo-jong said. "It may be necessary for Seoul to take an undaunted, long-term approach in order to turn the strength-to-strength inter-Korean ties of the past three years into ones of goodwill," the ministry official noted. Sincere attitudes and conAug 14, 2025By Yonhap
Rare earths are China’s Trump cardBEIJING – China’s weaponization of rare earths has emerged as a major flash point in US-China trade negotiations. These critical materials, especially the high-performance magnets they make possible, are vital components in electric vehicles (EVs), wind turbines, industrial robotics, and advanced defense systems. In response to China’s strict rare-earths export controls, the United States has quietly lowered tariffs, relaxed export controls on AI chips, and even softened visa restrictions for Chinese students. At the same time, the U.S. is scrambling to secure alternative supplies. In July, the Department of Defense announced a landmark multi-billion-dollar investment package to boost MP Materials, the company behind America’s flagship rare-earths project. But what if, despite massive subsidies and years of effort, the US still can’t escape its dependence on Chinese rare earths? Japan offers a cautionary tale. In 2010, following a maritime standoff over the Senkaku Islands, China abruptly cut off rare-earths exports to Japan. In response, the Japanese government pursued a serAug 14, 2025By Angela Huyue Zhang
Pro-Putin Russian singer Shaman visits PyongyangShaman, a Russian singer-songwriter known for his support of President Vladimir Putin, arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday as North Korea marks the Korean Peninsula's liberation from Japan's colonial rule 80 years ago, the North's state media reported. The singer visited North Korea as part of a delegation from Russia's culture ministry, led by Deputy Minister Andrey Malyshev, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). North Korea's culture ministry invited the delegation ahead of the 80th anniversary on Friday of liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. The delegation also includes Russia's military concert bands, the KCNA said. Shaman previously traveled to North Korea in June last year, accompanying Putin on a trip for a summit with leader Kim Jong-un and performed at the Pyongyang Gymnasium. The KCNA earlier said another delegation from Russia's parliamentary lower house, the Duma, led by Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin, will visit North Korea on Thursday and Friday as part of the anniversary celebration.Aug 14, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea slams US over back-to-back joint military drills in West PacificNorth Korea on Thursday denounced the United States for its recent back-to-back military exercises in the West Pacific, conducted jointly with other countries, including Australia and Japan, calling them "highly provocative." "If the U.S. and its followers obsessively pursue military actions that undermine peace and security in the Asia Pacific region, they will inevitably provoke protest and retaliation from countries in the region," the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in an article. The KCNA took issue with two recent U.S.-led multinational military exercises: Talisman Sabre, conducted last month in northeastern Australia with 18 other nations, and a military exercise in the Philippine Sea of the Western Pacific from Aug. 4-12, involving Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, Norway and Spain. "Needless to say, they were highly sensational and provocative both in content and in elements," the KCNA noted. The news agency said the Korean Peninsula will also face another "manic" exercise, referring to the annual summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield joint drills between Seoul anAug 14, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korean leader's sister rejects Seoul's reconciliatory overture, denying reported removal of loudspeakersThe North Korean leader's influential sister on Thursday rebuffed a recent reconciliatory overture by South Korea as a "pipedream," denying Seoul's military claim that the North has removed some propaganda loudspeakers targeting Seoul along the inter-Korean border. "We have clarified on several occasions that we have no will to improve relations with the ROK ... and this conclusive stand and viewpoint will be fixed in our constitution in the future," Kim Yo-jong said in a statement. ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. The remarks came amid a series of reconciliatory gestures by the new Lee Jae Myung administration, from suspending propaganda broadcasts targeting the regime to dismantling Seoul's border-area loudspeakers and adjusting the annual summertime joint military exercise with Washington, all aimed at improving frayed ties with Pyongyang. The South Korean military said the North had removed some of its loudspeakers in response to Seoul's actions. During a Cabinet meeting earlier this week, Lee also noted the North was dismantling loudspeakers, expreAug 14, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea celebrates 80th independence anniversary with events glorifying Kim leadershipNorth Korea has launched exhibitions and other public events glorifying the three-generation rule of leader Kim Jong-un's family to mark the upcoming 80th anniversary of national independence, according to state media Wednesday. An opening ceremony for a stamp exhibition took place in Pyongyang the previous day to celebrate the anniversary, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, as both South and North Korea are set to mark Friday the 80th year since liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. The exhibition features stamps depicting the leadership of the Kim family, from founder Kim Il-sung to his son Kim Jong-il and grandson Kim Jong-un, and their achievements in national liberation, building state wealth and strengthening military forces, the KCNA said. In North Korea, late state founder Kim's political legitimacy is rooted in his claimed contributions as an independence hero, and the regime typically uses the liberation anniversary to boost loyalty to the ruling family. According to the KCNA, another photo exhibition celebrating the anniversary has been under way since laAug 13, 2025By Yonhap
US report halves pages on NK human rights, eschews criticism of political systemThe State Department accused the North Korean government of using "brutality" and "coercion" to keep its grips on the reclusive country in an annual report released Tuesday, but more than halved the amount of reporting on the regime and omitted criticism of Pyongyang's political system. The department released the 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, which documents the status of respect for human rights and workers' rights in countries around the world. It marks the first such report under the second Trump administration. The report came amid speculation that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration might pay relatively less attention to human rights issues as Trump is pushing for his signature policy agenda, including reducing America's trade deficits and bolstering foreign investments and domestic manufacturing. "The government, through brutality and coercion including executions, physical abuse, enforced disappearances, and collective punishment, maintained control of the country," the report said. "There were no significant changes in the human rights situation in theAug 13, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim voices 'full support' for Russia in phone talks with PutinNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has expressed his "full support" for Russia during his phone talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pyongyang's state media reported Wednesday, as the two nations have been deepening military cooperation. Kim and Putin held phone talks the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, marking the first time that the North has disclosed details about its leader's phone conversation with a foreign leader. Kim "expressed firm conviction that the DPRK would always remain faithful to the spirit of the DPRK-Russia treaty and fully support all measures to be taken by the Russian leadership in the future," the KCNA said. DPRK is the acronym of North Korea's full name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.Aug 13, 2025By Yonhap
Russia's parliamentary leader to visit N. Korea for national independence celebrationsA delegation from Russia's parliament, led by lower house chairman Vyactheslav Volodin, will visit North Korea this week to celebrate the country's 80th anniversary of national independence, North Korean state media reported Tuesday. The delegation of the State Duma will pay a "congratulatory visit" to North Korea from Thursday to Friday at the invitation of the North's Supreme People's Assembly on the occasion of the anniversary, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. On Aug. 15, both South and North Korea mark the 80th anniversary of their liberation from 35 years of brutal Japanese colonial rule from 1910-45. The subsequent 1950-53 Korean War left the Korean Peninsula divided into South and North Korea. Volodin is cited as one of those closest to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Once in North Korea, he could meet with state leader Kim Jong-un. On the 70th anniversary in 2015, delegations from Russia's upper chamber and defense ministry visited North Korea for celebrations.Aug 12, 2025By Yonhap
