New unification minister visits truce village ahead of inaugurationNew Unification Minister Chung Dong-young visited the truce village of Panmunjom near the inter-Korean border ahead of his inauguration Friday, the ministry said, in efforts to mend strained ties with North Korea. Chung made the visit after President Lee Jae Myung approved his appointment as the country's top point man on North Korea earlier in the day, according to the ministry. During the visit, Chung inspected the South's facilities at Panmunjom, a historic venue where some 370 rounds of inter-Korean talks have taken place since 1971. Chung stressed that restoring now-suspended inter-Korean communication channels is an "urgent priority" in order to swiftly resume dialogue between the two Koreas. "Under cooperation with relevant agencies, such as the U.N. Command, I will do my best to make Panmunjom into a space for connection and cooperation rather than one of separation and tension," he said. Chung, a journalist-turned-lawmaker, previously served as unification minister in 2004-05 under former liberal President Roh Moo-hyun.Jul 25, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea opens new beach resort hoping to remake eastern coast into tourism hubNorth Korea unveiled a new beach in Tongchon County, roughly 50 kilometers south of the recently launched Wonsan-Kalma coastal resort, state media reported Thursday — a move analysts view as part of Pyongyang’s broader campaign to reinvent the country’s eastern seaboard as a tourism hub. Years of stringent international sanctions, aimed at curtailing its weapons programs, have left North Korea severely short of hard currency. This has crippled legitimate trade, forcing Pyongyang to increasingly rely on illicit revenue streams, including cyber theft. Curiously, tourism remains one of the few sectors not explicitly banned by United Nations sanctions, a loophole the isolated nation has actively tried to exploit by developing resorts and seeking foreign visitors to generate much-needed funds. Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers’ Party, reported that an opening ceremony was held Wednesday for the new beach in Tongchon. The article framed the facility as a product of the “motherly party’s loving care,” underscoring the regime’s continued efforts to proJul 25, 2025By Kim Hyun-bin
US takes flurry of steps to disrupt N. Korea's illicit revenue generationThe United States announced a package of actions Thursday to disrupt North Korea's illicit schemes to generate revenue for its nuclear and missile programs, including offering rewards for North Koreans involved in the schemes, and sanctioning a North Korean firm and associated people. The move came although U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled his openness to reengaging with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, raising speculation that he could seek to resume his personal diplomacy, which led to three in-person meetings between him and Kim during his first term. The Trump administration described the move as a "whole-of-government" effort that involved an array of organizations, including the Department of State, Justice and the Treasury. The State Department said its Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program is offering rewards totaling up to $15 million for information leading to arrests or convictions of seven North Koreans — Sim Hyon-sop and six co-conspirators. Sim and the others were charged for their role in illicit activities to buy and sell tobacco from North Korea to gainJul 25, 2025By Yonhap
S. Korea not to resume anti-NK propaganda broadcasts unless Pyongyang does first: officialSouth Korea will not resume its propaganda radio and television broadcasts targeting North Korea unless Pyongyang resumes such broadcasts toward the Seoul first, a senior government official has said. The comments came after the National Intelligence Service, South Korea's spy agency, suspended all of its decades-old propaganda broadcasts targeting the North Korean regime earlier this month, including channels such as Voice of the People and Echo of Hope. Those channels, which had operated for decades, transmitted propaganda messages to North Koreans, promoting the values of South Korea's free society, criticizing the North Korean regime and serving as a rare source of outside information for the highly restricted country. The government official said the suspensions were a response to North Korea's halt of its own propaganda broadcasts toward Seoul early last year, adding the government won't resume such operations unless North Korea does so first. "If the North side resumes (its broadcasts), we will respond, but we won't be the first to do so," the official said in a meeting with reporJul 24, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korean leader calls for bolstering combat capability during artillery drillsNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called on the military to strengthen combat capability through intensive training, stressing the capability "of immediately coping with a war anytime and destroying the enemy in every battle," state media reported Thursday. Kim made the remarks as he observed a firing contest of artillery subunits of the Korean People's Army (KPA) the previous day, accompanied by senior party and defense officials, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). During the training aimed at sharpening artillery firing capabilities, participating units were ordered to hit a maritime target that was designated at a spot in a limited time, the KCNA said. Kim expressed satisfaction after observing the contest and called for further developing the military's artillery tactics "in keeping with the harsh and acute environment of the daily-changing modern battlefield," the KCNA said. He was also quoted as saying the military should further beef up intensive training for a "real war" and stressed that the most powerful war deterrent is the "clearest outlook on the arch enemJul 24, 2025By Yonhap
World Baseball Softball Confederation president observes practice match in N. KoreaThe president of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), currently visiting Pyongyang, has observed a practice match and met with North Korea's sports minister, the North's state media reported Wednesday. A WBSC delegation headed by Riccardo Fraccari observed a five-member practice baseball match the previous day, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), in what is seen as efforts to promote baseball and softball in the North. The move came after an article posted on the WBSC website recently showed the confederation's executive board approved new members — North Korea's Baseball Association and the Baseball and Softball Federation of Luxembourg. All new memberships are subject to final endorsement at the upcoming WBSC Congress to be held in Bangkok in October, it said. Fraccari, who arrived in Pyongyang on Saturday, also held talks with the North's Olympic Committee Chairman and Sports Minister Kim Il-guk the previous day, the KCNA said. While the state media outlet did not provide further details, they are widely viewed to have discussed sports cooperationJul 23, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea, China tout ties in banquet marking Chinese military anniversaryNorth Korea and China have called for a bilateral military friendship and unity in a banquet held in Pyongyang to celebrate the 98th anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), the North's state media report showed Wednesday. China's top envoy to Pyongyang, Wang Yajun, hosted the event at the Chinese Embassy the previous day, attended by the North's defense, foreign and ruling party officials, as well as foreign delegates and defense attaches based in the North, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The banquet came as North Korea's ties with China, the North's traditional ally, showed some signs of improvement after their bilateral relationship remained cool amid Pyongyang's close alignment with Moscow over Russia's war with Ukraine. Participants were quoted as calling for the combat friendship and unity of the militaries of North Korea and China and wishing for the continuous development of the PLA, which celebrates its founding anniversary Aug. 1. North Korea has carried congratulatory messages or jointly held banquets with the Chinese Embassy to mark theJul 23, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea discharges water from border dam twice without notice between June-July: SeoulNorth Korea appears to have released water from a dam near the inter-Korean border twice between June and July, both times without prior notice to South Korea, a unification ministry official said Tuesday. North Korea discharged water from the Hwanggang Dam, located upstream on the Imjin River, which flows across the inter-Korean border, on June 25 and again on July 18 without prior notice to the South, the ministry official said. The official also reiterated Seoul's call for North Korea to provide prior notice before releasing water from the border dam, citing "humanitarian" concerns. An unannounced discharge from the Hwanggang Dam in September 2009 caused flooding in the South Korean border city of Yeoncheon, leaving six residents dead or missing. "The government is monitoring the situation regarding North Korea's water discharge while closely cooperation with relevant agencies to prevent any damage to border areas from heavy rains," the official noted. As of early Tuesday, the water level under Pilseung Bridge, located downstream on the Imjin River just below the inter-Korean border, sJul 22, 2025By Yonhap
Early bird registration opens for 2026 int'l marathon in N. KoreaA tour agency in China has opened early bird registration for next year's Pyongyang International Marathon in North Korea, the agency's website showed Tuesday. Beijing-based Koryo Tours, which specializes in travel to North Korea, is offering a 50 percent early bird discount on its website for those who register for the marathon by Sept. 1. Koryo Tours said next year's Pyongyang International Marathon is set for April, but the exact date has not been confirmed. In April, North Korea hosted the marathon for the first time in six years, following a COVID-19 suspension, with runners participating from North Korea, China, Morocco, Ethiopia and other countries. The marathon competition was launched in 1981 to celebrate North Korean founder Kim Il-sung's birthday on April 15 and had been held annually until it was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. North Korea is now shifting its focus to tourism, which is exempt from international sanctions, to earn much-needed foreign currency. But entry for foreigners to the Rason special economic zone and the Kamla beach resort area has been teJul 22, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korean delegation of senior female officials visits Russia: KCNAA North Korean delegation of senior female officials is visiting Russia, Pyongyang's state media reported Tuesday, marking the latest in a series of exchanges between the two countries. The delegation, led by Kim Jong-sun, department director of the ruling party's central committee, departed for Russia via Pyongyang International Airport the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Kim is responsible for overseeing various labor organizations. The KCNA did not disclose the purpose of the visit, but the trip appears aimed at discussing bilateral cooperation with Russian women's organizations, as it comes amid growing bilateral cooperation between the two countries across various fields.Jul 22, 2025By Yonhap
