North Korea

South Korean President mulls apology to North over allegations of drone use

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday he's weighing a possible apology to North Korea over suspicions that his ousted conservative predecessor intentionally sought to raise military tensions between the war-divided rivals in the buildup to his brief martial law declaration in December 2024. Speaking to reporters on the first anniversary of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's ill-fated power grab, Lee a liberal who won a snap presidential election following Yoon's removal from office in April stressed his desire to repair ties with North Korea. But asked about North Korea's yearslong detentions of several South Korean nationals, Lee said he wasn't aware of the issue, drawing criticism from relatives who call for their safe return. A special prosecutor last month indicted Yoon and two of his top defense officials over allegations that he ordered drone flights over North Korea to stoke tensions. South Korean media also reported Monday that South Korea's military under Yoon'

Seoul is facing a more brazen North Korea amid rising border tensions

South Korea's new president is under pressure to act. In the last 12 months there have been repeated border breaches by North Korean troops, which have at times drawn warning shots from the South

US nod for S Korea's nuke submarines will lead to 'nuclear domino': N Korea

Seoul has sought to secure enrichment and spent fuel recycling rights as part of efforts to address concerns about energy security and growing stockpiles of nuclear waste

S Korea's ousted leader Yoon indicted for flying drones over North Korea

South Korea's ousted conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol faces more criminal charges on Monday as prosecutors allege that he flew drones over North Korea in a deliberate bid to stoke tensions and justify his plans to declare martial law. Yoon set off the most serious political crisis in South Korea's recent history when he imposed martial law on Dec. 3, 2024 and sent troops to surround the National Assembly. He was later impeached and removed from office, and is in jail, standing trial on charges including masterminding a rebellion. His successor and liberal rival, President Lee Jae Myung, approved legislation that launched independent investigations into Yoon's martial law stunt and other criminal allegations involving his wife and administration. On Monday, Yoon and two of his top defence officials were charged with benefitting the enemy and committing abuse of power over their alleged drone flights, which happened about two months before the declaration of martial law, according

South Korea seeks greater Chinese efforts to bring N Korea back to talks

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to make greater efforts to persuade North Korea to return to talks, as the two leaders on Saturday agreed on a set of agreements to expand their economic and other ties. Their one-on-one meeting came hours after they and other Asia-Pacific leaders wrapped up their annual summit in South Korea with a joint statement pledging stronger economic cooperation. The two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in the city of Gyeongju took place a day after Xi and US President Donald Trump agreed to dial back earlier steps and de-escalate their trade war. During his meeting with Lee, Xi called for Seoul to work with Beijing to practice genuine multilateralism, according to Chinese state media, as he continued to position Beijing as the defender of the global trade order upended by Trump's sweeping tariffs. Xi, Lee discuss North Korea --------------------------------- Chinese state media reports on the Xi-Lee meeting didn'

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

Latest missile tests demonstrate new hypersonic systems, says North Korea

North Korea said Thursday that its latest missile tests involved new hypersonic systems aimed at strengthening its nuclear war deterrent, as leader Kim Jong Un continues to build up weapons designed to overwhelm South Korea's missile defenses. The report by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency came a day after South Korea's military said it detected the North firing multiple missiles from an area south of the capital, Pyongyang, and said they flew about 350 kilometers (217 miles) northeast before falling on land. The tests came days before world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, are expected to gather in rival South Korea for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings. KCNA said the launches involved two hypersonic projectiles that accurately struck a land target in the country's northern region. It described the system as strategic, implying that they were designed to be armed with nuclear warheads. KCNA didn't

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

China's Premier to visit North Korea in highest-level visit since 2019

China's Premier Li Qiang will go to North Korea this week in the highest-level visit by a Chinese leader since 2019. Li will lead a government delegation from Thursday to Saturday to attend events marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of North Korea's ruling party, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. China has long been the North Korean government's most important ally and source of support, though North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sought to balance that in recent years by building ties with Russia. He has sent troops to help Moscow in its war against Ukraine. Russia is sending former President Dmitri Medvedev to this week's anniversary celebrations, North Korea's official KCNA news agency said Monday. A statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry called China and North Korea traditional friends and neighbours" and said it is an unswerving strategic policy of the Chinese government and the ruling Communist Party to maintain, consolidate and develop relations with No

North Korea vows to keep nuclear weapons, cites balance of power at UNGA

A senior North Korean diplomat reiterated at the UN Monday that his country won't give up its nuclear weapons despite numerous demands to do so, calling them crucial to keeping a balance of power with South Korea. We will never talk away from this position, he said. Under the spotlight of the General Assembly's annual meeting of world leaders, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong amplified his country's longstanding complaints about US-led military exercises with South Korea and Japan. Complaining that the US and its allies are mounting a growing threat of aggression, he portrayed his own country's arsenal as the reason the balance of power on the Korean Peninsula is ensured. Still, his address was more tempered, especially toward the United States, than many of his country's prior remarks on the world stage and elsewhere. While Kim lambasted without naming names hegemonic forces and an indiscriminate tariff war, there were no personal insults, and there was more sternness than ...

North Korean, Chinese FMs agree to deepen ties, resist US dominance

The foreign ministers of North Korea and China agreed to deepen bilateral ties and resist hegemonism or unilateralism, a likely reference to their pushbacks against the United States. Their meeting in Beijing on Sunday came about three weeks after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first summit in more than six years and pledged mutual support and enhanced cooperation. Kim and Xi earlier attended a massive Beijing military parade marking the end of the World War II, with other world leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin. The joint appearance of Kim, Xi and Putin, the first of its kind, displayed a potential three-way unity against the United States, though it's unclear how far China would go in such an anti-US partnership. In a meeting with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui cited Kim as saying that further bolstering ties with China is North Korea's unwavering position. Choe expressed an

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 Korean hackers used ChatGPT to help forge deepfake military ID

The group responsible for the attack, which researchers have dubbed Kimsuky, is a suspected North Korea-sponsored cyber-espionage unit previously linked to other spying efforts against South Korea

US, South Korea, Japan launch joint air, naval drills in show of strength

The United States, South Korea and Japan opened an air and naval exercise off a South Korean island Monday in their latest joint drill condemned by North Korea as a "reckless show of strength." The exercise called Freedom Edge is aimed at strengthening the countries' combined operational capabilities in the sea, air and cyberspace and is necessary to counter North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats, South Korea's defence ministry said. The US Indo-Pacific Command said the exercise will include US Marine and Air Force aerial assets and feature enhanced ballistic-missile and air-defence drills, medical evacuations and maritime operations training, making it "the most advanced demonstration of trilateral defense cooperation to date." The exercise off South Korea's southern Jeju Island runs through Friday. The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un earlier condemned the drills in state media, saying they show the countries' confrontational stance toward the ...

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