Page 3 - North Korea

North Korea backing Russia's war goals confirms 'invincible' ties: Lavrov

Lavrov cited North Korean troop presence in Russia's Kursk region as proof of an "invincible brotherhood," noting Kremlin forces have largely repelled Ukraine's surprise incursion from last year

South Korea, US, Japan hold air drill to show strength against North Korea

Top South Korean, US and Japanese military officers urged North Korea to cease all unlawful activities that threaten regional security, as the three nations flew advanced warplanes for a joint exercise in a show of force against the North. The development came Friday as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was to travel to North Korea amid booming military and other cooperation between the two countries that have raised concerns among their neighbours. During their regular meeting in Seoul on Friday, the chairmen of the joint chiefs of staff from South Korea, the US and Japan discussed North Korea's deployment of troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine and Russia's potential transfer of military technology to North Korea in return. They urged the DPRK to immediately cease all unlawful activities to destabilise the Korean Peninsula, the Indo-Pacific, and beyond, and pledged to continue working together to respond to the DPRK's threats, the three top military officers sa

Russia's Lavrov to visit North Korea this week in an effort to boost ties

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will travel to North Korea for a three-day visit beginning Friday in the latest sign of the countries' deepening ties during Russia's war in Ukraine, state media reported. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said Lavrov was invited by the country's Foreign Ministry but did not immediately provide further details, including whether he would meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Lavrov's visit follows a June trip by Russia's top security official, Sergei Shoigu, who met Kim in Pyongyang before saying the North had decided to send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to Russia's Kursk region to help rebuild the war-torn area. An assessment by South Korea's spy agency said the dispatch will take place as early as during July or August. Kim has sent thousands of combat troops and large supplies of military equipment to help prolong Russia's war efforts against Ukraine, including artillery and ballistic missiles

US slaps sanctions on firms linked to North Korea's fake-tech-worker scheme

Thousands of North Korean workers have been posing as nationals from other countries to infiltrate companies in the US and around the world, said the US government

Trump puts pressure on Asian ally South Korea to pay more for its defence

The pressure from Trump comes as North Korea appears to be more emboldened through its growing partnership with Russia

US, Indo-Pacific partners agree to strengthen maritime cooperation

The United States. Australia, India and Japan have agreed to expand their cooperation on maritime security in the Indo-Pacific and further collaborate on supplies of critical minerals and rare earths that are key components of high-tech production. The foreign ministers of the four countries, known as the "Quad", met in Washington on Tuesday as the Trump administration seeks to expand US influence in the Indo-Pacific to compete with a rising China amid tensions with partners over trade and defense issues. In a joint meeting with his three colleagues, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Quad must be a vehicle for action that goes beyond statements of intent and stressed that commerce and trade will be critical to ensuring the group's relevance in the future. To that end, the four announced in a statement the creation of a Quad Critical Minerals Initiative that aims to strengthen economic security and collective resilience by collaborating on securing and diversifying critical ...

North Korea condemns US strike on Iran as violation of sovereign rights

United States and Israel are the culprits of the current tensions in the Middle East born out of Jerusalem's "ceaseless war moves and territorial expansion"

N Korea plans to send military construction workers, deminers to Russia

North Korea will send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to support reconstruction work in Russia's Kursk region, a top Russian official said Tuesday, the latest sign of expanding cooperation between the nations. North Korea has already supplied thousands of combat troops and a vast amount of conventional weapons to back Russia's war against Ukraine. In April, Pyongyang and Moscow said that their soldiers fought together to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk border region, though Ukraine has insisted it still has troops present there. Wrapping up a one-day visit to Pyongyang, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un decided to send 1,000 sappers to clear mines in the Kursk region and 5,000 military construction workers to restore infrastructure there, according to Russia's state news agency, Tass. Another Russian state news agency, RIA Novosti, carried a similar report. Following the expulsion of ..

Top Russian security official in Pyongyang to meet NK leader: Russian media

A top Russian security official travelled to Pyongyang for the second time this month for another meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Russian state media reported Tuesday, the latest display of the countries' deepening ties amid President Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine. Russia's Tass news agency said Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu arrived in the North Korean capital on an unspecified special mission from Putin and was expected to meet with Kim. North Korean state media didn't immediately confirm the visit. Kim has supplied Russia with thousands of troops and large shipments of military equipment, including artillery and ballistic missiles, to support its military operation in Ukraine. Washington and Seoul have expressed concern that, in return, Kim may seek Russian technology transfers that could enhance the threat posed by his nuclear-armed military. In April, Pyongyang and Moscow officially confirmed North Korean troops' deployment to Russia for t

South Korea halts propaganda broadcasts along border to ease tensions

South Korea's military shut down loudspeakers broadcasting anti-North Korea propaganda along the inter-Korean border on Wednesday, marking the new liberal government's first concrete step toward easing tensions between the war-divided rivals. The South resumed the daily loudspeaker broadcasts in June last year following a years-long pause in retaliation for North Korea flying trash-laden balloons toward the South in a psychological warfare campaign. South Korea's Defense Ministry said the move, ordered by President Lee Jae-myung, was part of efforts "to restore trust in inter-Korean relations and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula." Kang Yu-jung, Lee's spokesperson, described the decision as a "proactive step" to reduce military tensions and ease the burden for South Koreans residing in border areas, who have also been affected by North Korea's retaliatory loudspeaker broadcasts. North Korea, which is extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of its authoritarian leadership a

Donald Trump open to talks with North Korea's Kim Jong Un: White House

The renewed call for dialogue comes as US ally South Korea seeks to reduce tensions on the Korean peninsula following the inauguration of new liberal President Lee Jae-myung last week

North Korea raises capsized destroyer upright as it continues repairs

North Korea said Friday it had righted a capsized destroyer and moored it at a pier in the northeastern port of Chongjin as it continues to repair the new warship leader Kim Jong Un has described as a significant asset for his nuclear-armed military. The report by North Korean state media aligned with South Korean military assessments and recent commercial satellite images. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said experts will closely examine the ship's hull before beginning the next phase of restoration, which will take place at a dry dock at the neighbouring port of Rajin and is expected to last seven to 10 days. Satellite images taken Thursday by Planet Labs PBC analysed by The Associated Press showed the stricken destroyer upright and floating. It wasn't immediately clear from the image just how much damage had been done to the vessel, which had been in the water for days after the failed launch. However, the ship did not appear to be noticeably listing, meaning ..

Will 'unconditionally support' Russia's war against Ukraine: Kim Jong Un

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told a visiting top Russian official that his country will unconditionally support Russia's war against Ukraine, the North's state media reported Thursday, the latest sign of expanding cooperation between the two nations. In April, the two countries officially confirmed North Korean troops' deployment to Russia for the first time, saying that soldiers of the two countries were fighting alongside each other to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk border region. At the time, Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korea's participation in the war and promised not to forget their sacrifices. In a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang on Wednesday, Kim affirmed that North Korea will unconditionally support the stand of Russia and its foreign policies in all the crucial international political issues including the Ukrainian issue, the official Korean Central News Agency said. The two discussed how to .

Russia has lost over 1 million troops in Ukraine war, CSIS report estimates

The CSIS report calls the Russia-Ukraine war one of the slowest offensives in modern times, with staggering losses on both sides and Kyiv surviving due to vital international support

North Korea gaining military edge as Russia seeks war-time supplies

North Korea is rapidly modernising its military with Russian support, gaining advanced weapons, battlefield experience, and strategic leverage. This has raised concerns about regional security

North Korea's growing military support to Russia flagged in report

Last year North Korea transferred to Russia at least 100 ballistic missiles, which were subsequently launched into Ukraine to destroy civilian infrastructure

US, allies accuse N Korea, Russia of violating UN sanctions in arms deals

The United States and 10 allies on Thursday said the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea flagrantly violates UN sanctions and has helped Moscow increase its missile strikes on Ukrainian cities. They made the accusations in their first report since joining forces to monitor sanctions against North Korea after Russia vetoed a resolution in March 2024 to continue the monitoring by a UN Security Council panel of experts. It had been issuing reports of Pyongyang's sanctions violations since 2010. The 29-page report produced by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team -- comprising the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea and the United Kingdom -- said the evidence it gathered demonstrates that North Korea and Russia have engaged in myriad unlawful activities explicitly prohibited by UN sanctions resolutions. It said North Korea has transferred arms and related materiel by sea, air and rail, including artillery,

Donald Trump's Golden Dome risks 'space nuclear war,' says North Korea

Last month, Trump said he plans to reach out to North Korea "at some point" and reiterated that he has a "very good relationship" with leader Kim Jong Un

North Korea detains 3 officials over failed launch of naval destroyer

North Korean authorities have detained three shipyard officials over the recent failed launch of a naval destroyer, an incident that leader Kim Jong Un said was caused by criminal negligence, state media said Sunday. The 5,000-tonne-class destroyer was damaged Wednesday when a transport cradle on the ship's stern detached early during a launch ceremony attended by Kim at the northeastern port of Chongjin. Satellite imagery on the site showed the vessel lying on its side and draped in blue covers, with parts of the ship submerged. The vessel is North Korea's second known destroyer. The failed launch was subsequently an embarrassment to Kim, who is eager to build greater naval forces to deal with what he calls US-led military threats. North Korea launched its first destroyer, also a 5,000-tonne-class ship, with massive fanfare last month. The ship is North Korea's largest and most advanced warship and state media reported it is designed to carry various weapons including nuclear ...

New North Korean warship damaged during launch attended by Kim Jong Un

A new 5,000-ton destroyer key to North Korea's naval advancement was damaged during its launching ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un, state media reported Thursday. The ship slid off the ramp and became stuck after the flatcar failed to move alongside it, throwing off its balance and crushing parts of the ship's bottom, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The accident at Wednesday's ceremony at the northeastern port of Chongjin was an embarrassing setback for Kim, who has emphasized naval advancement as key to his nuclear-armed military. Kim blamed military officials, scientists and shipyard operators for what he described as a serious accident and criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism, and called for a ruling Workers' Party meeting to address their irresponsible errors, KCNA said. The agency reported separately that a plenary meeting of the party's powerful Central Committee was scheduled for late June. South Korea