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
N. Korea receives $2.38 mil. in int'l aid this year, all from Switzerland: dataNorth Korea has received a total of $2.38 million in international aid so far this year, all of it from Switzerland, United Nations data showed Friday. Switzerland has committed the aid to North Korea for this year, with $1.1 million to be delivered through the U.N. Children's Fund, and the remainder via the Swiss Development Cooperation and Swiss Humanitarian Aid, according to the Financial Tracking Service of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. International aid to North Korea had sharply declined from $41.88 million in 2020 to $13.78 million in 2021, then to $2.31 million in 2022 and $1.49 million in 2023, as the country completely shut its borders and banned the entry of international organization staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the pandemic subsided, international assistance to North Korea slightly recovered last year to reach $2.81 million. Since August 2023, North Korea has reopened its borders. Subsequently, Sweden reinstated its diplomats to its embassy in North Korea last year, becoming the first Western country to do so since the COVID-19 bordeJul 11, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea touts robust ties with China on anniv. of key treaty signingNorth Korea's state media on Friday touted its robust relations with China, reaffirming its commitment to further strengthening bilateral ties as the two nations mark the 64th anniversary of their mutual defense treaty. "It is the unwavering position of our party and the republic to ceaselessly strengthen and develop the friendly relations between North Korea and China," the Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported. The report came on the anniversary of the signing of the North Korea-China Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance on July 11, 1961, by the North's state founder Kim Il-sung and then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. The North's most widely read newspaper described the treaty as an "important landmark in reinforcing strategic cooperation" between the countries, especially at a time when international peace and security are being threatened by "reckless military adventurism and hegemonistic policies by hostile forces." Despite obstinate plots by "the enemies of peace" to destroy the friendship and unity between the peoples of the two countries, the bilateral relationship "boJul 11, 2025By Yonhap
Lee calls for efforts to restore inter-Korean relationsPresident Lee Jae Myung called for efforts Thursday to mend strained inter-Korean ties, saying peace between the two Koreas is the most realistic and practical path to ensuring national security. Lee made the remarks while presiding over a National Security Council (NSC) meeting, the first since he took office in early June, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told reporters. "We must make efforts to restore severed relations between South and North Korea," Lee was quoted as saying. "Peace and coexistence between the two Koreas is the most realistic and practical option for safeguarding our national security." He urged participants to take a comprehensive view of the shifting international order, the domestic political situation and North Korea-related factors to prevent national security threats. Lee has ordered a halt to the military's propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts along the border and called on civic groups to suspend their distribution of anti-Pyongyang leaflets, expressing hope that the reconciliatory gestures could pave the way for resuming dialogue with the North. The NSC meJul 10, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea seen shunning ASEAN security forum for 1st timeNorth Korea is expected to shun a regional security forum hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Malaysia this week, in what would mark, if confirmed, its first absence from the multilateral gathering in 25 years. The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), joined by major powers including the United States, China, Japan and Russia, has long drawn attention as the only multilateral meeting regularly attended by Pyongyang. North Korea joined the forum in 2000, six years after the forum's launch. Since then, it has either sent its top diplomats or ambassadors based in Southeast Asian countries to the event, but it has never skipped the forum. The ARF has also served as a rare diplomatic venue for North Korea's top diplomats to come face to face with their counterparts from South Korea, the U.S. and Japan. South Korea has sought to drum up support for its efforts toward peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, while the North has used its presence to counter such efforts, often leaning on its ties with China and Russia. As of Thursday, a day before the ARF was set toJul 10, 2025By Yonhap
Boat carrying repatriated N. Koreans safely docks at port in North: officialA wooden boat carrying six North Koreans has safely docked at a North Korean port, a South Korean government official said Thursday, a day after they were repatriated across the sea border following their rescue in the South. Boarding the wooden boat they had been rescued in by South Korean authorities, the six North Korean fisherman were sent back home the previous day across the Northern Limit Line in the East Sea. Four of them had drifted into the southern side of the East Sea and were rescued in May, while the other two were rescued in March in the Yellow Sea in a similar incident. All of them wished to go back to North Korea. The repatriated ship safely reached the shore along North Korea's east coast the previous day, an official at South Korea's unification ministry said, without specifying the port where it docked. A large North Korean vessel was used to tow the wooden boat to the port, ministry officials said. As of Thursday morning, North Korea had shown no response to the repatriation.Jul 10, 2025By Yonhap
China's embassy in N. Korea holds reception to mark 64th anniv. of key treaty signingThe Chinese Embassy in North Korea has hosted a reception to celebrate the 64th anniversary of the signing of a mutual defense treaty between the two nations, Pyongyang's state media reported Thursday. The event 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. China's top envoy to Pyongyang, Wang Yajun, hosted the reception the previous day, attended by Chinese Embassy officials and North Korea's key officials, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance was signed on July 11, 1961, by the North's state founder Kim Il-sung and then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. In a speech, Wang said that "China will always firmly support North Korea's efforts to move toward its independent development, reaffirming that the spirit of the treaty will forever shine." Kang Yun-sok, vice chairman of the standing committee of the North's Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), said tJul 10, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korean defector to file lawsuits in S. Korea against Kim Jong-un over human rights crimesA North Korean defector in South Korea plans to file a lawsuit and a criminal complaint against North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un over human rights violations this week, a civic group said Wednesday. The Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB) said it would file the civil suit to the Seoul Central District Court and a criminal complaint to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office on Friday on behalf of Choi Min-kyung. Choi, who fled North Korea to China in 1997, was forcibly repatriated back in 2008. After her repatriation, she said she suffered human rights violations, including sexual abuse, physical violence and torture, at a North Korean detention facility in the northeastern county of Onsong. Choi plans to file the complaint against Kim and four others, including officials at the ministry of state security, on charges of international criminal law violations. "I hope this legal action serves as an opportunity to bring about attention in South Korea and overseas to North Korean human rights problems," she said. The NKDB said the move would mark the first lawsuit by a NJul 9, 2025By Yonhap
