Kim's China trip may have been more than economic event: unification ministerUnification Minister Chung Dong-young said Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's trip to China last week may have been more than an economic event, given the makeup of his delegation. "The fact that both sides fielded their diplomatic and security teams deserves a close look," Chung said at a parliamentary audit, responding to a lawmaker's question about the meaning of Kim's surprise one-day trip to the Chinese border city of Dandong on Saturday. He noted the North Korean delegation was heavy with diplomatic and security officials, and that no economic officials were present at the newly opened bridge over the Amnok River, known in China as the Yalu River. Kim was joined by his sister Kim Yo-jong, a department director of the Workers' Party of Korea; Jo Yong-won, Ri Il-hwan and Kim Song-nam, secretaries of the party's central committee; Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui; and First Vice Premier Kim Tok-hun, among others. The Chinese side included Wang Huning, the fourth-ranking official in the Chinese Communist Party; Foreign Minister Wang Yi; Liu Haixing, head of the party's interna16h agoBy Yonhap
N. Korea opens annual trade fair amid sanctionsNorth Korea has opened its autumn trade fair in Pyongyang, state media reported Tuesday, in an apparent move to secure foreign earnings amid international sanctions. The 18th Pyongyang Autumn International Trade Fair opened at the Central Youth Hall in Pyongyang on Monday, under the theme of "Common development and prosperity," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. More than 130 companies from North Korea, China, Mongolia, Bangladesh and Thailand are showcasing over 10,000 products from electronics products and machinery to medicines, building materials and foodstuffs, according to the report. External Economic Relations Minister Yun Jong-ho attended the opening ceremony, alongside officials and exhibitors. In his opening speech, Yun vowed to "expand external economic relations" with countries and regions around the world on the principle of "complete equality and reciprocity," the report said. North Korea holds trade fairs each spring and fall to attract foreign investment and boost trade amid international sanctions.21h agoBy Yonhap
N. Korea's Kim vows to deepen ties with Vietnam in reply to its leader LamNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has pledged to deepen his country's ties with Vietnam in a reply to President To Lam, Pyongyang's state media said Tuesday. Lam sent a letter to Kim on Sept. 9 to mark the 78th anniversary of North Korea's national founding. "The traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries, which entered a new development period after our Pyongyang meeting last October, will further expand and develop in the common interests of the two peoples," Kim wrote in his reply sent Monday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Lam, in his last month's letter, said relations had strengthened steadily since the summit and that both sides had carried out the leaders' agreements. Vietnam, he added, was ready to work with North Korea for regional and global peace and stability. Ties between the two countries have warmed since Lam's October visit, the first by a top Vietnamese leader to the North in 18 years. In May, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung met his North Korean counterpart, Choe Son-hui, in Pyongyang. The following month, t23h agoBy Yonhap
Woman in military custody over unauthorized entry into restricted front-line border areaKorean authorities are questioning a woman in her 30s after she made an unauthorized entry into a civilian restricted area near the inter-Korean border, a military official said Monday. The individual, whose identity has been withheld, was taken into custody Sunday after illegally entering the Civilian Control Line (CCL) south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the front-line border region of Cheorwon, about 80 kilometers northeast of Seoul, a Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) official said. "We have in custody an unidentified individual who, without authorization, approached military surveillance facilities in an area south of the general outpost and north of the CCL, and are investigating the exact circumstances with relevant agencies," a JCS official said. She is suspected of crossing the CCL on Saturday and reaching a front-line general outpost, where she attempted to damage military surveillance installations, including tampering with fiber-optic security sensors along the border fences on Saturday and Sunday, according to officials with knowledge of the matter. The CCL was establi1d agoBy Yonhap
Unification ministry hopes Kim's Dandong trip revives dialogueThe unification ministry said Monday it hopes North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's one-day trip to the Chinese border city of Dandong last week will lead to the resumption of dialogue with neighboring nations. Kim made a surprise visit to Dandong on Saturday, where he met with Wang Huning, China's fourth-highest-ranking official, as North Korea and China are seeking to deepen their traditional ties. "We hope the visit will contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and lead to the resumption of dialogue with neighboring countries," Yoon Min-ho, the ministry's spokesperson, said at a regular briefing. Responding to speculation that Kim's trip could be linked to a potential summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, Yoon said the government was "watching closely" and would do what it could in the event of such a meeting. On Kim's visit to a bus factory in Dandong, he said the ministry would watch developments without drawing conclusions, since North Korea had not specified the purpose of the visit. The factory stop was seen as a sign that Pyongyang wants to expand cooperation with1d agoBy Yonhap
N. Korean officials pay tribute to fallen Chinese soldiers at Friendship TowerNorth Korean officials have paid tribute at the Friendship Tower in Pyongyang in honor of fallen Chinese soldiers, state media reported Monday, after leader Kim Jong-un's surprise day trip to China's Dandong last week. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said senior officials laid wreaths at the monument Sunday to mark the 76th anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteers' entry into the 1950-53 Korean War. Among them were Kim Hyong-sik, vice chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly standing committee, and Vice Foreign Minister Kim Myong-su. They were joined by Chinese embassy officials, including Qi Han, charge d'affaires ad interim, and a Chinese delegation led by Hong Zongming, vice minister of China's veterans affairs ministry. Wreaths were also laid at cemeteries and graves of Chinese soldiers in Anju, Hoechang County, Onsong County and Kaesong. The Chinese side hosted a reception later Sunday to mark the anniversary, the report added. The North Korean leader traveled to the Chinese border city of Dandong on Saturday, a trip meant to showcase the decades-old alliance with China1d agoBy Yonhap
NK sends letter to UNSC calling DMZ mine blast S. Korean fabricationNorth Korea has sent a letter to the president of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) calling last month's land mine blast near the border an incident "fabricated" by South Korea, Pyongyang's state media reported Monday. The North's move came less than a week after South Korea sent to the council its own letter calling on North Korea to apologize for the Sept. 21 mine blast that injured three South Korean soldiers and take responsibility for its violation of the Armistice Agreement. The letter, sent Sunday by Pyongyang's permanent representative to the United Nations, said Seoul "fabricated" the mine blast in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) as a "sinister" attempt to "impede" the North's border fortification work, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The North described the fortification a "legitimate and just exercise of its sovereignty going in strict conformity with the U.N. Charter and international law as it is a self-defensive measure to defend its territorial security from outside threat of aggression." It also accused the South Korean military of firing warning shots at1d agoBy Yonhap
COVER STORY Kim Jong-un's China trip reaffirms 'blood ties' as Beijing watches MoscowNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s trip to the Chinese border city of Dandong, made days before the anniversary of Chinese troops entering the 1950-53 Korean War, was aimed at reaffirming the historic blood ties between the two countries at a moment when Pyongyang’s alignment with Moscow has drawn Beijing’s attention, experts said. North's state-run Rodong Sinmun on Sunday reported Kim's visit to the Memorial Hall of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea in Dandong the previous day. The state media repeatedly emphasized Kim's paying tribute to fallen Chinese troops, remembering their shared history of fighting alongside North Korean forces and preserving ties forged in blood. Kang Dong-wan, a professor of North Korean studies at Dong-A University, said the focus on China’s role in the war was deliberate, coming after a period in which the Beijing relationship had weakened relative to Pyongyang’s deepening partnership with Moscow, including the North’s troop deployment to Russia. "Kim's decision to visit the Memorial Hall among other possible destinations appears to2d agoBy Kim Bo-kyoung
NK leader vows to advance ties with China during surprise Dandong visitNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited China and vowed to promote the two countries' longstanding relationship forged in blood, state media reported Sunday. The report confirmed earlier accounts from South Korean government sources, who said Saturday that Kim visited the Chinese border city of Dandong, where he met with Wang Huning, China's fourth-highest-ranking official and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. According to the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim visited Dandong on Saturday, accompanied by senior party and government officials, including Jo Yong-won, a member of the ruling Workers' Party's Presidium; Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui; and Kim Yo-jong, his sister and a party department director. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other senior Chinese officials were also present. Saturday's visit marked Kim's first known trip to China since September 2025, when he traveled to Beijing to attend events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and held talks with Chinese President Xi JingpiOct 25, 2026By Yonhap
N. Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits China to inaugurate a new cross-border bridgeNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited China on Saturday, inaugurating a new bridge that connects the two countries and saying he hoped to expand cooperation with his powerful neighbor. Kim’s visit to China is his latest move in an increasingly assertive foreign policy as he seeks to align Pyongyang with Beijing and Moscow in a united front against the United States under what he portrays as a “new Cold War.” It's his first visit in a year. Kim arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong Saturday after crossing the newly opened bridge , according to South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles affairs related to North Korea, and China's official Xinhua News Agency. Both sides promised to strengthen cooperation He met with Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of China’s Communist Party. The two toured a car factory, and promised to strengthen the bilateral relationship. Kim said his country “stands ready to work with China to carry forward their historical friendship and expand practical cooperation, thereby delivering tangible benefits to the peoples of bothOct 25, 2026By AP
