N. Korean crossed neutral zone of Han River estuary into S. Korea last week: JCSA North Korean crossed the "neutral waters" of the Han River estuary near the inter-Korean border into South Korea last week, the military said Thursday, in what's presumed to be a defection to the South. South Korean troops secured the North Korean individual early last Thursday after detecting the person in the neutral zone of the Han River estuary located west of the inter-Korean land border, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The North Korean man is believed to have expressed intent to defect to the South. A military official said troops detected the individual in the northern part of the estuary with a surveillance device for the first time Wednesday night. After some 10 hours of monitoring, the military rescued the person at around 4 a.m. the following day. The JCS said it did not detect any unusual signs from North Korean troops at that time. The individual has since been transferred to relevant authorities for an investigation. It marked the second time that a North Korean has defected to the South since the Lee Jae Myung administration took office in June. In July, a NoAug 7, 2025By Yonhap
Photo from NK leader's flood control visit suggests shoddy embankment constructionA photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's recent inspection of a flood prevention construction site has shown a crack in a newly built embankment, suggesting shoddy construction. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Saturday on Kim's visit to embankment construction sites in Sinuiju and Uiju, both located in the northwestern North Phyongan Province, as part of flood prevention efforts. The region suffered severe flooding last year, displacing many residents. Kim expressed satisfaction, saying, "The floods that residents here regarded as their destiny have become a thing of the past," the KCNA reported, releasing photos of him standing atop an embankment and listening to an official with a smiling face. A photo of them, however, showed a clearly visible crack in the embankment, with misaligned building blocks exposed, suggesting shoddy construction, potentially due to hasty work. Ryu Yong-uk, a civil engineering professor at Chonnam University, suspected the flaw may have resulted from a lack of meticulous calculation or rushed construction, warning the spot could bAug 7, 2025By Yonhap
South Korea completes dismantling anti-North Korea loudspeakers along borderThe South Korean military has completed removing loudspeakers for propaganda broadcasts against North Korea along the heavily fortified border, military officials said Wednesday. About 20 fixed speakers installed in the front-line areas had all been dismantled as of Tuesday afternoon, nearly a day after the military began removing them on Monday in an effort to ease inter-Korean tensions, according to officials. The removed speakers are to be stored in military units. The move came less than two months after President Lee Jae Myung ordered the suspension of loudspeaker broadcasts in frontline areas as part of efforts to mend frayed ties with the North. The North has since responded by suspending its own noise-blaring campaigns against the South in June. However, North Korea has yet to show any signs of removing its own loudspeakers along the border areas in response to the South's removal, according to military officials.Aug 6, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea receives Russia's help in modernizing nuclear weapons carriers: reportNorth Korea has received support from Russia in modernizing its nuclear weapons carriers, a Ukrainian news report has said, amid continued military cooperation between the two countries. Kyrylo Budanov, chief of Ukraine's military intelligence, made the remark as he drew a comparison between Russia's provision of military technology to North Korea and Iran in a report carried by the news agency Interfax Ukraine on Tuesday. "As for North Korea, the matter is quite difficult here. DPRK already has nuclear weapons, first of all," Budanov was quoted as saying. DPRK refers to the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "But Russia helps modernize nuclear weapons carriers. This is actually happening," he said, adding that Russia is unlikely to directly transfer technologies for Iran's nuclear weapons development. Budanov's remark came as North Korea and Russia have been deepening their military alignment through the North's troop deployment and supply of shells and weapons, spawning speculation over Moscow's transfer of sophisticated military technology to Pyongyang. LAug 6, 2025By Yonhap
Ex-US official notes likelihood of US accepting nuclear-armed North KoreaA former senior U.S. official said Tuesday that he is not ruling out the possibility of the United States accepting North Korea's possession of nuclear arms, as Washington can deter the recalcitrant regime's nuclear threats. Robert Joseph, former under secretary of state for arms control and international security from 2005-2007, made the remarks during an online seminar hosted by The Washington Times Foundation, as North Korea has rejected any dialogue with the U.S. on its denuclearization. "I think there is a likelihood — I don't know how small it is — but a likelihood that the United States will cave. We will say we can live with a nuclear-armed North Korea even if they have 200, even if they have 400," he said. "We've had 10 times that much. We can deter them. Now, I haven't seen that discussed," he added. Joseph expressed such a view, noting that Pyongyang has shown no willingness to stop its nuclear program. Touching on the Iranian nuclear issue, he said that there are individuals entering the Pentagon who have expressed their view that the U.S. can live with a nuclear-armed IraAug 6, 2025By Yonhap
Pyongyang unresponsive to S. Korea's bid to hand over body of N. Korean manNorth Korea has not responded to South Korea's move to hand over the body of a North Korean national found on a western island in June, Seoul's unification ministry said Tuesday. The North has snubbed Seoul's call to respond to the South's plan to transfer the body of a presumed North Korean man via the truce village of Panmunjom by 3 p.m. Tuesday. The body was found on the shore of Seongmo Island, a South Korean island in the Yellow Sea, in late June, with his belongings. As there had been no response by the North by the proposed deadline, the body will be classified as unclaimed, and a funeral will take place, the ministry said in a notice to the press. The body will be cremated after consultation with a related provincial government. A total of 29 bodies of what are presumed to be North Korean nationals have been found in South Korean territory since 2010. Of them, North Korea has not received six bodies, including two in 2023. North Korea last brought home the body of its national found in the South in 2019. North Korea remains unresponsive to the Lee Jae Myung administration's overturAug 5, 2025By Yonhap
No signs of N. Korea removing border loudspeakers against S. Korea: militaryNorth Korea has yet to show any signs of taking down its loudspeakers along the border with South Korea, the South's military said Tuesday, a day after Seoul began dismantling its border loudspeakers for anti-Pyongyang broadcasts. On Monday, the South Korean military started removing fixed loudspeaker facilities installed along the heavily fortified border, in what it called a "practical measure" to ease inter-Korean tensions without affecting the military's readiness posture. "As of Tuesday, there had been no movements by the North Korean military to dismantle their loudspeakers. Only daily activities were detected," Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Col. Lee Sung-jun said in a regular press briefing. South Korea's decision to dismantle the border loudspeakers came less than two months after President Lee Jae Myung ordered the suspension of loudspeaker broadcasts in front-line areas as part of efforts to mend strained ties with the North. North Korea has long bristled against the military's loudspeaker broadcasts as well as leaflets sent by activists over fears of outside information tAug 5, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korean delegation of prosecutors heads to Russia amid cooperationA North Korean delegation of prosecutors has departed for Russia, the North's state media reported Tuesday, as the two nations have deepened cooperation in various fields. Yun Kwang-won, vice director of the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office, departed Pyongyang the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency said, without disclosing other details, including the purpose of the trip. North Korea and Russia have been bolstering cooperation in the military, economy and other areas since the North's leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a mutual defense treaty in June last year. In July 2024, Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov visited North Korea for the first time. The two nations agreed to cooperate on fighting against crimes related to digital currency and other information technology, according to Russia's media reports.Aug 5, 2025By Yonhap
Unification minister asks for Buddhist community's role in improving inter-Korean tiesUnification Minister Chung Dong-young met with the leader of the largest Buddhist sect Monday and requested the religious community to play a role in improving inter-Korean ties. Chung made the call during a meeting with Ven. Jinwoo, leader of the Jogye sect, at Jogyesa Temple in central Seoul, amid Seoul's ongoing efforts to engage North Korea in talks aimed at easing tensions and improving relations. "The lessons and ideas of Buddhism are powerful forces that can bring the two Koreas to peaceful coexistence again," Chung told the Jogye leader. "I will appreciate it if the Buddhist community could play a significant role." Ven. Jinwoo gave a positive assessment of the government's ongoing outreach to North Korea, suggesting that "an approach through culture could make it more natural and smooth (for the two Koreas), and play a role in quickly fostering a reconciliatory mood." The Buddhist leader also cited proposals for joint Buddhist events with North Korea at Mount Kumgang, a North Korean mountain recently added to the UNESCO World Heritage list, as an example of cultural inter-KoreanAug 4, 2025By Yonhap
N. Korea slams Japan's reported move to deploy upgraded anti-ship missiles in KumamotoNorth Korea on Monday lambasted Japan over a reported move to deploy upgraded surface-to-ship missiles in western coastal Kumamoto Prefecture near China as Tokyo continued to strengthen its defense posture. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) issued the criticism following a recent Japanese news report that the country's defense ministry is finalizing a plan to deploy locally produced Type-12 anti-ship missiles at Camp Kengun in Kumamoto during the current fiscal year that runs through March 31. The missile has a range of 1,000 kilometers and is capable of reaching China's coastline. The planned deployment is intended as a deterrence to China, and the ministry is also considering deploying the missiles in Okinawa Prefecture, the report said. The KCNA claimed the deployment is intended to secure Japan's preemptive strike capabilities, aimed at realizing its ambition for the imperial-era "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere," rather than deterring any specific threat. "Through military buildup and reorganization, as well as schemes for force modernization, Japan is approaching a situaAug 4, 2025By Yonhap
