Kim Jong Un

North Korea test-fires cruise missiles while Trump visits South Korea

North Korea said Wednesday its recent test-firings of sea-to-surface cruise missiles were successful, in another display of its growing military capabilities as US President Donald Trump visits South Korea. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said the missiles fired Tuesday flew for more than two hours before accurately striking targets in its western waters. It said the weapons would contribute to expanding the operational sphere of the country's nuclear-armed military. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military had detected the North Korean launch preparations and that the cruise missiles were fired in the North's northwestern waters at around 3 pm on Tuesday. The joint chiefs said South Korea and the United States were analysing the weapons and maintaining a combined defense readiness capable of a dominant response against any North Korean provocation. The North Korean report came hours before an expected summit between Trump and South Korean President Le

Trump 'open' to meeting North Korea's Kim Jong Un during Asia visit

The US president also suggested he was open to officially recognising North Korea as a nuclear power over the objections of allies including Seoul

North Korea shows new long-range missile at parade celebrating Kim Jong Un

At a massive military parade attended by foreign leaders, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rolled out his nuclear-armed military's most powerful weapons, including a new intercontinental ballistic missile he may be preparing to test in coming weeks. The parade, which began Friday night and marked the 80th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party, highlighted Kim's growing diplomatic footing and his relentless drive to build an arsenal that could viably target the continental United States and his rivals in Asia. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said the parade featured a new, yet-to-be-tested intercontinental ballistic missile called the Hwasong-20, which it described as the most powerful nuclear strategic weapons system. Other weapons on display included shorter range ballistic, cruise and supersonic missiles, which the North previously described as capable of delivering nuclear strikes against targets in rival South Korea. In a speech at the parade

South Korea has asked Trump to be 'peacemaker' with North Korea: FM Hyun

South Korea's president has asked President Donald Trump to become a peacemaker and use his leadership to get North Korea to talks to reduce military tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the South's top diplomat said Friday. Trump welcomed the request from President Lee Jae-myung and he expressed his willingness to be engaged with North Korea again, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said in an interview with The Associated Press. There was no immediate word from the White House. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met three times as North Korea was building a nuclear weapons stockpile, which Kim views as key to the country's security and his continued rule of the northeast Asian country. There were two summits in Singapore in June 2018, and in Vietnam in February 2019, where Trump and Kim disagreed about US-led sanctions against the North. A third meeting that year at the border between the two Koreas failed to salvage their nuclear talks -- and Kim has since shunned any diplomacy with t

Kim Jong Un recalls good memories with Trump, urges US to drop nuke terms

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says he still has good memories of US President Donald Trump and urged Washington to drop its demand the North surrender its nukes as a precondition for resuming long-stalled diplomacy. Speaking to Pyongyang's rubber-stamp parliament on Sunday, Kim stressed that he has no intention of ever resuming dialogue with rival South Korea, a key U.S. ally that helped broker Kim's previous summits with Trump during the American president's first term, according to a speech published by state media on Monday. Kim suspended virtually all cooperation with the South following the collapse of his second summit with Trump in 2019 over disagreements about US-led sanctions against the North. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have worsened in recent years as Kim has accelerated his weapons buildup and aligned with Russia over the war in Ukraine. Kim's comments came as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung prepares to depart for New York to attend the United Nations Genera

Kim Jong Un calls AI-powered drone development top military priority

Kim inspected weapons, surveillance vehicles and multipurpose drones at North Korea's Unmanned Aeronautical Technology Complex

North Korea's Kim Jong Un oversees test of new rocket engine for ICBMs

North Korea said Tuesday that leader Kim Jong Un supervised a test of a new rocket engine designed for intercontinental ballistic missiles, the latest step in his effort to build an arsenal that poses a viable threat to the continental United States. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said Monday's event marked the ninth and final ground test of the solid-fuel rocket engine built with carbon fibre and capable of producing 1,971 kilonewtons of thrust, more powerful than past models. The report came a week after Kim visited the research institute that developed the engine, which North Korea then said will be used for future ICBMs, including a system called Hwasong-20. North Korea in recent years has flight-tested a variety of ICBMs that demonstrated potential range to reach the US mainland, including those with built-in solid propellants that are easier to move and conceal and can be prepared for launch more quickly than the North's previous liquid-fuel missiles. Kim h

China's Xi, North Korea's Kim pledge deeper ties during meeting in Beijing

Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged mutual support and enhanced cooperation during talks in Beijing after a commemoration of the end of World War II, the countries' state media said. Xi and Kim, along with top officials from their countries, met at Beijing's Great Hall of the People, a day after Kim attended a Chinese military parade alongside other foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kim is making a rare trip outside North Korea. Xi highlighted the traditional friendship between China and North Korea and pledged to consolidate and boost relations, according to a readout of their statements published by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Thursday. This position will not change regardless of how the international situation evolves, Xi told Kim, according to CCTV. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said on Friday that the leaders discussed increasing high-level visits and contacts as well as strengthening ..

Kim Jong Un in Beijing: What history says about China-North Korea ties

Beijing remains Pyongyang's closest ally, with their allegiances dating back to their joint action during the Korean War in the early 1950s, but relations have been fraught with mistrust, too

Xi, Putin discuss 'immortality' at China's biggest military parade

Putin said development of biotechnology has helped transplant human organs vigorously helping people stay young and even achieve immortality

Putin meets North Korea's Kim Jong Un for bilateral talks in Beijing

The two leaders met formally at the Diaoyutai state guest house after attending a major military parade in the heart of the Chinese capital that marked the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Trump calls out Xi for hosting Kim, Putin: 'You conspire against US'

Donald Trump's comment comes as China hosted an extravagant military parade in Beijing, which was attended by Russia's Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

China's Xi hosts 'old friend' Putin, North Korea's Kim in challenge to West

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Beijing by train on Tuesday to attend a military parade with his Chinese and Russian counterparts, an event that observers say could potentially demonstrate three-way unity against the United States. Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin are among the 26 world leaders who will join China's President Xi Jinping at Wednesday's massive military parade in Beijing that commemorates the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and China's fight against Japan's wartime aggressions. It's set to be Kim's first time attending a major multilateral event during his 14-year rule, and the first time Kim, Xi and Putin, all key challengers of the US, have gathered at the same venue. None of the three countries have confirmed a private trilateral leaders' meeting. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said Kim was greeted at Beijing railway station by senior Chinese officials. Kim was cited as saying he was pleased to visit China and ...

Kim Jong Un crosses into China by train to attend parade with Xi, Putin

The train is expected to arrive in Beijing later in the day, Yonhap said, citing the Korean Central Broadcasting Station, the North's state-run radio service

Kim Jong Un's China trip signals shifting dynamics in nuclear diplomacy

For Kim, the visit will mark his debut on a multilateral diplomatic stage since taking power 14 years ago, showing his confidence backed by the partnership with Russia and his growing nuclear arsenal

Kim Jong Un to attend Xi's military parade in Beijing alongside Putin

The parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two is a major event on the political calendar for Chinese President Xi

Trump wants to meet North Korea's Kim this year, raises issues with South

Since Trump's January inauguration, Kim has ignored Trump's repeated calls to revive the direct diplomacy he pursued during his 2017-2021 term in office

North Korea's Kim slams US-South Korea military drills, vows nuke buildup

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un condemned South Korean-U.S. military drills and vowed a rapid expansion of his nuclear forces to counter rivals, state media said Tuesday, as he inspected his most advanced warship being fitted with nuclear-capable systems. Kim's visit to the western port of Nampo on Monday came as the South Korean and U.S. militaries kicked off their annual large-scale summertime exercise to bolster readiness against growing North Korean threats. The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield, which the allies describe as defensive, will mobilize 21,000 troops, including 18,000 South Koreans, for computer-simulated command post operations and field training. North Korea has long denounced the allies' joint drills as invasion rehearsals and Kim has often used them to justify his own military displays and testing activities aimed at expanding his nuclear weapons program. The Korean Peninsula remains in a technical state of war, divided by the Demilitarized Zone into North Korea and .

Kim's sister sees no US intent to resume talks on N Korea denuclearisation

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dismissed US intent to resume diplomacy on North Korea's denuclearization, saying Tuesday the North flatly opposes any attempt to deny its position as a nuclear weapons state. Since beginning his second term in January, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly bragged of his personal ties with Kim Jong Un and expressed hopes of restarting nuclear diplomacy between them. Their high-stakes nuclear diplomacy in 2018-19 unravelled due to disputes over U.S.-led sanctions. Kim has since performed a provocative run of weapons tests to modernize and expand his nuclear arsenal. In a statement carried by state media, Kim Yo Jong said that It is worth taking into account the fact that the year 2025 is neither 2018 nor 2019. Any attempt to deny the position of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state which was established along with the existence of a powerful nuclear deterrent and fixed by the supreme law reflecting the unanimous will of all

Kim Jong Un's sister rejects appeasement overture by S Korea's new prez

The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rebuffed an appeasement overture by South Korea's new liberal government, saying Monday that North Korea has no interests in talks with South Korea no matter what proposal its rival offers. Kim Yo Jong's comments suggest again that North Korea, now preoccupied with its expanding cooperation with Russia, has no intentions of returning to diplomacy with South Korea and the U.S. anytime soon. But experts said North Korea could change its course if it thinks it cannot maintain the same booming ties with Russia when the Russia-Ukraine war nears an end. We clarify once again the official stand that no matter what policy is adopted and whatever proposal is made in Seoul, we have no interest in it and there is neither a reason to meet nor an issue to be discussed with South Korea, Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by state media. It's North Korea's first official statement on the government of South Korean President Lee Jae ...