US military says it is aware of NK missile launch, reaffirms defense commitment to alliesThe U.S. military said Friday that it is aware of North Korea's missile launch this week and reaffirmed America's commitment to the defense of regional allies. U.S. Pacific Command released a statement shortly after South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that Pyongyang lobbed an unidentified projectile toward the East Sea. "We are aware of the recent missile launch and are consulting closely with our allies and partners," the command said in a statement posted on its website. "Based on current assessments, this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to our allies. The United States remains committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and our allies in the region," it added. The North's latest launch came a day after Seoul, Washington and Tokyo wrapped up their five-day trilateral Freedom Edge exercise in international waters off South Korea's southern island of Jeju.10h agoBy Yonhap
N. Korea fires multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCSNorth Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Saturday, South Korea's military said, just a day after South Korea, the United States and Japan wrapped up their trilateral military exercise. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected multiple ballistic missiles launched from the Wonsan area at around 5:20 a.m., adding that it is analyzing the exact specifications with the U.S. side. The missiles flew about 250 kilometers before coming down in the sea, the JCS said. South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities have monitored and shared the North's movements from the early stages, and shared relevant information with Japan, the JCS said. "Our military is closely monitoring North Korea's various movements under a firm South Korea-U.S. defense posture, and maintains the capabilities and readiness to overwhelmingly respond to any provocations," it added. The North appears to have fired its Hwasong-11 series of ballistic missiles and rounds from 600-millimeter multiple rocket launchers in successive order across several occasions, sources said. The lates10h agoBy Yonhap
NK leader thanks troops in overseas military operations, calls for patriotism on founding anniversaryNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has expressed special thanks to troops involved in overseas military operations and called on North Koreans to advance the country's development through patriotism, state media reported Thursday. Kim made the remarks at a ceremony marking the 78th anniversary of the country's founding held in Pyongyang the previous day, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Kim extended gratitude to workers, service personnel and overseas compatriots' organizations while expressing "special thanks and high tribute" to the commanding officers and soldiers of the army involved in overseas military operations, according to the report. He then emphasized the importance of patriotism and the contributions of the North Korean people. "Our ideal is being realized rapidly thanks to patriotism, voluntary service and devoted contributions by all citizens praying for the country's prosperity, and our fighting morale for reaching the goal has also been greatly boosted," he said. South Korea estimates that North Korea has sent more than 16,000 troops to Russia since 2024,2d agoBy Yonhap
North Korea builds new Yongbyon uranium enrichment facility, IAEA saysNorth Korea has built a new uranium enrichment facility at its main Yongbyon nuclear complex that could house up to 28 centrifuge cascades, and started operating an expanded annex at its Kangson enrichment site, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said. The Vienna-based nuclear watchdog said in a report the findings pointed to a steady expansion of North Korea's nuclear infrastructure at multiple locations. In the report, dated August 28, the IAEA said it relied on satellite imagery and open-source material, including photographs published by North Korean state media, to track Pyongyang's nuclear activities. The agency has had no inspectors in North Korea since 2009. It identified a new two-storey building at Yongbyon as the site's second uranium enrichment facility by comparing state media photographs of a June visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with satellite images taken during the building's construction. Photographs from the visit indicate gas centrifuge cascades are installed on both the upper and lower floors of the main building, the report said, adding the buildiSep 9, 2026By Reuters
N. Korean troops cross MDL more than 20 times in AugustNorth Korean troops have crossed the heavily fortified inter-Korean border on more than 20 occasions last month, military officials said Wednesday. North Korean soldiers crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) on the eastern front for the first time in mid-August, and they have since repeatedly engaged in border crossings, according to military officials. The number of the MDL crossings by North Korean troops in August surpassed a total of 17 reported cases for the whole of 2025. "Intrusions were detected as North Korean troops have conducted (border fortification) tasks in areas that are yet to be completed," a Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) official said. "The intrusion does not seem to constitute changes in North Korean troops' activities or indicate any unusual activity," the official added. Since 2024, North Korea has bolstered border fortification work by installing barbed-wire fences and landmines along the border. The move followed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's declaration of inter-Korean relations as those between "two hostile states" in late 2023. In response to the borderSep 9, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korean cadres, officials pay tribute to late former state leaders on founding anniv.North Korea's senior party and government officials have visited the mausoleum of late former state leaders to commemorate the national founding anniversary, state media said Wednesday. They visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang the previous day, where the embalmed bodies of state founder Kim Il-sung and his son Kim Jung-il lie in state, on the occasion of the country's 78th founding anniversary, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. "The participants made deep bows to them, praying for their immortality," the report said, adding they "pledged to work harder in the vanguard of historic struggle for the eternal dignity and prosperity of the motherland and happiness of the people." North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did not take part in the visit, but a flower basket from him was laid at the statues of the two late leaders, according to the report. On the same day, labor innovators and persons of merit were also "invited to the celebrations" of the anniversary and paid tribute, according to the KCNA. In a separate dispatch, the media reported high-ranking officials, incSep 9, 2026By Yonhap
Xi, Putin pledge closer 'strategic' ties with N. Korea in founding anniv. messagesChinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have sent congratulatory letters to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un marking the North's national founding anniversary, vowing to strengthen "strategic" relations with Pyongyang, North Korea's state media said Wednesday. The letters arrived as North Korea observed the 78th anniversary of its national founding on Sept. 9, 1948, by the current leader's late grandfather, Kim Il-sung, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Xi noted that Kim has achieved "a series of development successes" in recent years by focusing on "economic and social construction." "It is the consistent and steadfast policy of the Chinese party and government to successfully defend, consolidate and develop the China-DPRK relations," he wrote. DPRK is the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Referring to his visit to Pyongyang in June, Xi said the occasion opened up "a new chapter" in the development of the bilateral ties, vowing to work with Kim to accelerate the development of each side's partySep 9, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea accuses Japan of building war capability, warns of 'enormous misfortune'North Korea on Tuesday accused Japan of trying to build up "actual war capabilities" against Pyongyang, insisting its participation in a series of multilateral joint military exercises involving the United States is an attempt to secure such capabilities. The accusation came in an article by Kang Won-chol, an international security affairs analyst, carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The article especially took issue with the deployment of the U.S. Typhon missile system in Japan. "Japan, which has focused on deploying long-range strike means in recent years by lavishing a huge amount of money as military expenditure, resorts to bilateral and multilateral joint military exercises with the U.S. and its vassal forces more eagerly than ever," it said. "This is a manifestation of their sinister scheme to round off its real war capabilities against the DPRK and other neighboring countries." DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name. The article came one day after Pyongyang's defense minister issued a statement condemning the ongoing FreedSep 8, 2026By Yonhap
Pro-Pyongyang group in Japan calls cheering for N. Korean athletes 'patriotic' mission ahead of Asian GamesA pro-North Korea group in Japan has called for all-out cheering for the North Korean delegation at the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, describing the effort as part of a "patriotic" mission. North Korea will send some 100 athletes to compete in 14 sports, including football, weightlifting, table tennis and wrestling, at the 2026 Asian Games, to be run from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4. "Cheering for North Korean athletes is not merely a supporting work, but a popular patriotic business publicly showing off Chongryon and North Korean residents in Japan," an article carried by the Choson Sinbo, a Japan-based pro-North Korean newspaper, said Tuesday. Chongryon refers to the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan. The paper said the Asian Games will offer an opportunity to stir patriotism, pointing to what it called a hostile environment facing Chongryon and North Koreans living in Japan. It urged Chongryon members to take an active role in grassroots efforts to support the athletes, framing the campaign as a way to show the group's unity and strength to Japan. The paper reported the prevSep 8, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korea, Russia open 1st cross-border road bridge amid deepening tiesNorth Korea and Russia have opened a new road bridge over the Tumen River, Pyongyang's state media reported Tuesday, calling it key infrastructure to help "revitalize" multifaceted cooperation. The opening ceremony took place the previous day in Rason in North Korea and Khasan in Russia, virtually attended by North Korean Premier Pak Thae-song and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The construction began in April last year, following a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in June 2024 in Pyongyang. The bridge would "ensure the safe passage of various kinds of vehicles and personnel traffic," the KCNA said, offering "a guarantee for building up and reinforcing an important infrastructure for economic cooperation between the two countries and revitalizing multi-faceted cooperation including human exchange, tourism and commodity circulation." Calling the bridge a "new symbol" of friendship between the two countries, Pak said it adds "a new dynamic movement to the overall bilateral coopeSep 8, 2026By Yonhap
