Page 4 - North Korea

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

Kim Jong Un supervises North Korea missile tests simulating nuclear strikes

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised tests of short-range ballistic missile systems that simulated nuclear counterstrikes against US and South Korean forces, state media said Friday, as the North continued to blame its rivals for escalating tensions through their joint military exercises. The report came a day after South Korea's military detected multiple launches from North Korea's eastern coast and assessed that the tests could also be related to the country's weapons exports to Russia during its war in Ukraine. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said Thursday's tests involved a mobile ballistic missile system apparently modelled after Russia's Iskander, as well as 600-millimetre multiple rocket launchers that South Korean officials classify as ballistic due to their self-propulsion and guided flight. Both are part of a growing lineup of weapons systems that the North says could be armed with "tactical" nuclear weapons for battlefield use. KCNA said the tests

North Korea fires multiple missiles towards eastern waters: South Korea

North Korea on Thursday fired several ballistic missiles towards its eastern waters, South Korea's military said, adding to a run of weapons tests that have raised animosity in the region. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the weapons fired from an area around the eastern port city of Wonsan were presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles. The South's military didn't immediately say how far they flew. The Joint Chiefs said the military has strengthened surveillance while sharing the launch information with the United States and Japan. It was the North's first known ballistic activity since March 10, when it fired several ballistic missiles hours after US and South Korean troops began an annual combined military exercise, and the country's sixth launch event of the year. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have escalated in recent months as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to accelerate the development of his nuclear and missile programme and supply weapons and troops

Kim Jong Un urges more artillery output as North Korea deepens Russia ties

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for his munitions industry to boost the production of artillery shells, state media said Wednesday, as the country continues to supply arms and troops to support Russia's war on Ukraine. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said that Kim, during recent visits to unspecified munitions and machinery factories, praised modernisation efforts that the agency claimed enabled the facilities to double their annual shell production capacity. Kim urged workers to further accelerate artillery shell production, calling it crucial to strengthening the fighting efficiency of his armed forces, and also called for the development of more advanced machinery to boost munitions output. KCNA did not mention any comments from Kim regarding his support for Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Recent South Korean intelligence assessments suggest that North Korea has sent about 15,000 soldiers to Russia, and that nearly 5,000 of th

North Korea, Russia begin building first road link to boost growing ties

North Korea and Russia have begun building their first road link, the two countries announced, hailing the construction of a bridge over a border river as a major development that will further expand their booming ties. Russia's Tass news agency reported Wednesday that the bridge would be 1 kilometre long and its construction is expected to take 1 years, and North Korea's Korean Central News Agency said the bridge would expand cross-border travel of people, tourism and circulation of commodities. Relations and exchange programmes between the two countries have been flourishing in recent years, with North Korea supplying ammunitions and troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine. One railway bridge and air service already connect North Korea and Russia, and in June 2024, the two countries agreed to construct a bridge for automobiles over the Tumen River, which runs along North Korea's borders with Russia and China. On Thursday, North Korea and Russia simultaneously held a ...

4,700 North Korean soldiers killed or wounded fighting for Russia: S Korea

An estimated 4,700 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded while fighting alongside Russia against Ukrainian forces, South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers Wednesday. The assessment came two days after North Korea confirmed for the first time that it had sent combat troops to help Russia recapture parts of the Kursk region, which it lost control of to a surprise Ukrainian incursion last year. In a closed-door parliamentary committee briefing, South Korea's National Intelligence Service said North Korea had suffered 4,700 casualties, including 600 deaths, on the Russia-Ukraine battlefronts, according to Lee Seong Kweun, one of the lawmakers who attended the meeting. Lee told reporters the NIS said that 2,000 injured North Korean soldiers were repatriated to North Korea by air or train between January and March. He cited the NIS as saying the dead North Korean soldiers were cremated in Russia before their remains were sent back home. In January, the NIS said about 300 Nort

North Korea test-fires missiles from its new destroyer, eyes naval boost

North Korea said Wednesday leader Kim Jong Un observed the first test-firings of missiles from a newly launched destroyer and called for accelerating efforts to boost his navy's nuclear attack capabilities. North Korea last week unveiled the 5,000-ton warship equipped with what it called the most powerful weapons built in its warship industry. Kim said it was a significant advancement toward his goal of expanding the operational range and preemptive strike capabilities of his nuclear-armed military. The official Korean Central News Agency said Wednesday that Kim watched the tests of the destroyer's supersonic and strategic cruise missiles, anti-aircraft missile, automatic guns and electronic jamming guns earlier this week. He appreciated the ship's combination of powerful strike weapons and conventional defences and set tasks to speed the nuclear-arming of his navy, the report said. During the ship's launching ceremony, Kim said the destroyer will be deployed early next year. He sa

Russian Prez Putin thanks North Korea for sending troops to fight Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korean troops for fighting Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk region, after North Korea on Monday confirmed the deployment for the first time. In a statement Monday from the Kremlin, Putin hailed the heroism and dedication of the North Korean fighters, who he said shoulder to shoulder with Russian fighters, defended our Motherland as their own. Russia on Saturday said its troops have fully reclaimed the Kursk region that Ukrainian forces seized in a surprise incursion last year. Ukrainian officials denied the claim. US, South Korean and Ukraine intelligence officials have said North Korea dispatched 10,000-12,000 troops to Russia last fall in its first participation in a major armed conflict since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. But North Korea hadn't confirmed or denied its reported troop deployments to Russia until Monday. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un decided to send the combat troops to Russia under a mutual defence treaty he

N Korea confirms troop deployment to Russia for first time amid Ukraine war

North Korea's Central Military Commission said the decision to join the war was in line with the two countries' mutual defence treaty sealed last year