Russia's FM leaves N. Korea after 3-day visitRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has left North Korea after wrapping up his three-day visit to the eastern coastal city of Wonsan, the North's state media reported Monday. Lavrov departed the country via Wonsan Kalma Airport on Sunday after being seen off by North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Russia's top envoy in Pyongyang, according to the Korean Central News Agency. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met Lavrov on his yacht in Wonsan on Saturday. During the talks, Kim reaffirmed his "unconditional" support for Russia's war against Ukraine. Lavrov also held the second round of strategic dialogue with his North Korean counterpart Saturday. They vowed efforts to advance the bilateral relations between the two nations into long-term strategic ties by faithfully implementing a mutual defense treaty. Experts said North Korea appears to have invited Lavrov to Wonsan in an effort to promote a newly opened tourist zone and attract Russian tourists. After visiting the North, Lavrov flew to China to attend a foreign ministerial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization membeJul 14, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korean leader visits fish farm under construction, urges regional economic developmentNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected the construction site of an offshore fish farm in South Hamgyong Province, stressing the importance of regional economic development, state media reported Monday. Kim visited the construction site of the Ragwon County Offshore Farm the previous day, accompanied by key party officials, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The North's leader attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Ragwon fish farm in February. It marks the North's second offshore fish farm after the one built in December last year in the eastern coastal city of Sinpho. Kim called the construction of offshore farms a "strategic creation work" to fundamentally strengthen and develop the regional economy, according to the KCNA. "The construction of modern offshore farm ... is an innovative creation field to reliably guarantee the efficient rejuvenation and long-term development of more than 60 coastal cities and counties across the country," Kim was quoted as saying by the KCNA. He called for accelerating the construction in an apparent bid to tout the completioJul 14, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's state media mentions 'grave' situation in food supply in Kaesong in 2023North Korea's state media has reported that a "grave" situation in food supply might have occurred in the city of Kaesong in early 2023, in what could be a rare admission of food shortage in the reclusive state. In 2023, unconfirmed media reports had said starvation-related deaths were witnessed in North Korea, including Kaesong, at that time, due to border lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The North's quarterly magazine named Korean Architecture has reported that the North's farm controls in 2022 "created a grave situation that could cut off food supply to people in Kaesong" in January 2023. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had ordered officials to distribute "strategic reserve crops" to Kaesong and people in the North Korean city expressed gratitude, according to the report. North Korea suffered a massive famine and related deaths during the period of the Arduous March in the 1990s. North Korea adopted a new policy in October 2022 to tighten state control on the distribution of rice and other grains. But the move was believed to have disrupted food supplies, as farmers and merchJul 13, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea supplies Russia with 12 mil. rounds of 152 mm shells: S. KoreaNorth Korea has continued to provide Russia with artillery shells to support its war against Ukraine, which amounts to more than 12 million rounds of 152 mm shells, according to South Korea's military intelligence authorities Sunday. North Korea is believed to have provided around 28,000 containers containing weapons and artillery shells to date, according to a report by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) submitted to a lawmaker of the main opposition party. "If calculated with 152 mm single shells, (the number of supplied shells) are presumed to have reached more than 12 million," the DIA under the defense ministry said. Since October last year, North Korea has provided conventional weapons and around 13,000 troops to Russia to support Moscow's war efforts. North Korea is likely to send additional troops to Russia in July or August, Seoul's spy agency said in late June. Russia's media reported the North will send 5,000 military construction workers and 1,000 sappers to Kursk to support reconstruction efforts.Jul 13, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's embassy in China holds reception to mark 64th anniv. of key treaty signingThe North Korean Embassy in China has held a reception to celebrate the 64th anniversary of the signing of a mutual defense treaty between the two nations, the North's state media said Sunday. The event was held in Beijing on Thursday after the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang hosted a similar reception the preceding day ahead of the July 11 anniversary. The reciprocal receptions 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. Wang Dongming, vice chairperson of the standing committee of China's National People's Congress, attended the event hosted by the North's embassy, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). At last year's reception marking the 63rd anniversary, China sent a lower-ranking official as the main guest amid cooled relations between the two nations. A higher-level North Korean official was also present at the Chinese embassy's reception last week, with Kang Yun-sok, vice chairman of the staJul 13, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim reaffirms unconditional support for Russia in Ukraine war: KCNANorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un reaffirmed his unconditional support for all of Russia's actions in its war against Ukraine as he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the North's state media reported Sunday. Kim made the remarks in a meeting with Lavrov on Saturday, a day after the Russian minister flew to North Korea for his second round of strategic talks with his North Korean counterpart, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). During the talks, Kim and Lavrov discussed the faithful implementation of the agreements reached during Kim's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang in June last year, as well as ways to further develop the two countries' strategic partnership, the KCNA said. Kim "reaffirmed that the DPRK is ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership as regards the tackling of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis" in line with the North Korea-Russia mutual defense treaty, the KCNA said. DPRK refers to North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The KCNA aJul 13, 2025By Yonhap
Russia says foreign minister Lavrov met Kim Jong-unMOSCOW — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his visit to the secretive country and key Moscow ally. Lavrov "was received" by Kim Jong Un, Russia's foreign ministry said on Telegram, posting a video of two men shaking hands and greeting with a hug. Russian and North Korean state media announced the visit earlier, saying Lavrov would stay until Sunday. It is the latest in a series of high-profile trips by top Moscow officials as both countries deepen military and political ties over Russia's offensive in Ukraine. Pyongyang sent thousands of troops to Russia's Kursk region to oust Kyiv's forces and provided the Russian army with artillery shells and missiles. Earlier on Saturday, Lavrov met with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui in Wonsan, a city on the country's east coast where a massive resort was opened earlier this month. Lavrov said that North Korean officials had "reaffirmed their full support for all objectives" of the offensive in Ukraine, according to a Russian state agency Tass. He also thanked the "heroic" NoJul 12, 2025By AFP
N. Korea, Russia reaffirm strong ties in foreign ministers' talks: reportsWASHINGTON/SEOUL — North Korea and Russia reaffirmed their strong ties Saturday during a meeting of their top diplomats in a coastal North Korean resort city, Russian news agencies reported. North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui met her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Wonsan for the second round of strategic talks between the two countries, a day after Lavrov arrived in the city, where a tourist zone opened earlier this month, according to TASS. In opening remarks, Lavrov reaffirmed Choe's earlier description of their bilateral ties as an "invincible military brotherhood," citing North Korean troops who fought alongside Russian soldiers against Ukrainian forces in Russia's western region of Kursk. He also pledged to make efforts so that more Russian tourists will visit the resort city, such as increasing flights, TASS reported. Choe reaffirmed her country's support for Russia, describing their ties as rising to an "unbreakable" level. "The strategic choice and will of the DPRK government is to defend, unconditionally and consistently support Russia's policy of protecting staJul 12, 2025By Yonhap
Satellite images confirm N. Korea's demolition of inter-Korean reunion centerNorth Korea has been steadily dismantling a crucial inter-Korean facility in the Mount Geumgang tourist zone for more than six months, with recent satellite images confirming the removal of rooftop structures from a family reunion center, a site once symbolic of cross-border reconciliation for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. According to a report by 38 North, a U.S.-based North Korea monitoring site, high-resolution satellite images taken on July 5 reveal that rooftop structures at the reunion center have been dismantled, exposing the building’s interior. The facility’s demolition appears to have been underway since late last year. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said in February that North Korea had begun tearing down the upper floors of the 12-story building, including its observatory and exterior tiles. Other civilian-run structures in the area, such as the golf resort clubhouse and spa, have already been completely demolished. Satellite images clearly show that only the foundations of these buildings remain. Although the demolition is progressing, 38 North noteJul 11, 2025By Kim Hyun-bin
Unification official cites water hygiene, climate as priorities in int'l cooperation with NKVice Unification Minister Kim Nam-jung cited food security, water hygiene and climate, Friday, as among the top priorities for potential international cooperation projects with North Korea, pledging to revive dialogue channels with Pyongyang to facilitate its participation. Kim made the remarks in his congratulatory speech at the International Conference of Northeast Asia Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Network. "SDGs, including those on water hygiene, climate, ecosystems and disasters, are priority tasks where the international community can cooperate with North Korea," the vice minister said. "While working to restore inter-Korean communication channels to facilitate cooperation in various sectors, (the government) plans to encourage North Korea's participation by promoting multilateral cooperation with neighboring countries," he noted. Kim also pledged to seek practical ways to improve the quality of life for North Koreans, including on climate issues, in cooperation with the international community.Jul 11, 2025By Yonhap
