Page 6 - North Korea

Soldiers from North in Ukraine, show no desire to defect: South Korea's NIS

South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers on Monday that two North Korean soldiers who were captured by Ukrainian forces while fighting alongside Russian forces in Russia's Kursk border region haven't expressed a desire to seek asylum in South Korea. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on the social media platform X that he's willing to hand over the soldiers to North Korea if the country's authoritarian leader, Kim Jong Un, arranges for an exchange with Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia. Zelenskyy added that there may be other options for North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return home, and a video released by his government indicated that at least one of the captured soldiers expressed a desire to remain in Ukraine. In a closed-door briefing at South Korea's National Assembly, the National Intelligence Service confirmed its participation in the questioning of the North Korean soldiers by Ukrainian authorities. The agency said the soldiers haven't expressed a request

N Korean troops in Ukraine gain experience, cementing alliance with Russia

For weeks, Ukrainian troops braced for an unfamiliar enemy: North Korean soldiers sent to bolster Moscow's forces after Ukraine launched a lightning-fast incursion and seized territory in Russia's Kursk region over the summer. Their arrival marked a new and alarming phase in the war. And while initially inexperienced on the battlefield, North Korean troops have adapted quickly a development that could have far-reaching consequences as they gain combat knowledge in the war against Ukraine. Unlike the Russian troops Ukraine has been battling for nearly three years, Kyiv's forces were uncertain about what to expect from this new adversary, drawn into the war after Moscow and Pyongyang signed an agreement pledging military assistance using all means if either were attacked. One Ukrainian soldier who has witnessed North Koreans in battle described them as disciplined and highly methodical, saying they were more professional than their Russian counterparts. The soldier spoke to The ...

Ukraine captures 2 North Korean soldiers in Kursk region, says Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy further expressed gratitude to the soldiers of Tactical Group No. 84 of Ukraine's Special Operations Forces and paratroopers for successfully capturing the North Korean military personnel

North Korea announces successful test of new intermediate-range missile

KCNA reported that the hypersonic glide vehicle atop the IRBM reached its first peak at an altitude of 99.8 kilometres and a second at 42.5 kilometres, successfully completing a 1,500-kilometre path

Antony Blinken warns of Russia-North Korea cooperation in space technology

The remarks by Blinken came as North Korea fired a suspected hypersonic missile into the East Sea

North Korea fires suspected ballistic missile as Blinken visits Seoul

South Korea's military said the missile was launched eastward at around noon (0300 GMT) shortly after Blinken met with South Korean Acting President Choi Sang-mok

Zelenskyy says Russia suffered losses, including North Korean soldiers

US, Ukrainian and South Korean intelligence estimates indicate that the number of North Korean soldiers in Russia are between 11,000 to 12,000, some of whom have already engaged in combat operations

North Korea's Kim targets US in new 'hardline strategy' announcement

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he will implement the toughest anti-US policy, less than a month before Donald Trump takes office as US president, the country's state media reported Sunday. Trump's return to the White House raises prospects for high-profile diplomacy with North Korea. During his first term, Trump met Kim three times for talks on the North's nuclear programme. Many experts however say a quick resumption of Kim-Trump summitry is unlikely as Trump would first focus on conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. North Korea's support for Russia's war against Ukraine also poses a challenge to efforts to revive diplomacy, experts say. During a five-day plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party that ended Friday, Kim called the US the most reactionary state that regards anti-communism as its invariable state policy. Kim said that the US-South Korea-Japan security partnership is expanding into a nuclear military bloc for aggression." This reality clearly shows to whi

North Korea can produce ballistic missiles for Russia to use in Ukraine war

North Korea demonstrated this year that it could produce ballistic missiles and supply them to Russia for use against Ukraine in a matter of months, the head of a research organisation that traces weapons used in the war said on Wednesday. Jonah Leff told the UN Security Council that researchers on the ground examined remnants of four missiles from North Korea recovered in Ukraine in July and August, including one that had marks indicating it was produced in 2024. "This is the first public evidence of missiles having been produced in North Korea and then used in Ukraine within a matter of months, not years," he said. Leff also had briefed the Security Council in late June, telling members that the organisation he heads, Conflict Armament Research, had "irrefutably" established that ballistic missile remnants found in Ukraine early this year were from a missile manufactured in North Korea. The UK-based organisation, which was established in 2011 to document and trace weapons used in

US sanctions target North Korea and Russia over military cooperation

The sanctions, which list North Korean banks, generals and other officials, as well as Russian oil shipping companies, are the latest US measure aimed at disrupting North Korea's support to Russia

Some North Korean troops killed fighting alongside Russia, say Ukraine, US

Ukraine's military intelligence agency and the Pentagon said Monday that some North Korean troops have been killed during combat against Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk border region. These are the first reported casualties since the US and Ukraine announced that North Korea had sent 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia to help it in the almost 3-year war. Ukraine's military intelligence agency said around 30 North Korean troops were killed or wounded during battle with the Ukrainian army over the weekend. The casualties occurred around three villages in Kursk, where Russia has for four months been trying to quash a Ukrainian incursion, the agency, known by its acronym GUR, said in a public post on the Telegram messaging app. At least three North Korean servicemen went missing around another Kursk village, GUR said. Maj Gen Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, told reporters that some North Korean troops have died in combat in Kursk but did not have a specific number of those kill

North Koreans indicted for using IT workers to fund weapons programmes

Fourteen North Korean nationals have been indicted in a scheme using information technology workers with false identities to contract with US companies workers who then funneled their wages to North Korea for development of ballistic missiles and other weapons, the head of the FBI office in St. Louis has said. The scheme involving thousands of IT workers generated more than USD88 million for the North Korean government, Ashley T Johnson, special agent in charge of the St. Louis FBI office, said at a news conference on Thursday. In addition to their wages, the workers stole sensitive information from companies or threatened to leak information in exchange for extortion payments, Johnson said. Victims included defrauded companies and people whose identities were stolen from across the US, including Missouri, Johnson said. The indictments were filed Wednesday in US District Court in St. Louis. All 14 people face wire fraud, money laundering, identity theft and other charges. Most of .

Oppn tried to destroy country; I will fight to the end: South Korea's Prez

South Korean President said the opposition was "dancing the sword dance of madness" by trying to drag a democratically elected president from power

South Korean prosecutors seek to arrest ex-defence min over martial law

South Korean prosecutors are seeking to formally arrest the former defence minister alleged to have colluded with President Yoon Suk Yeol in imposing martial law last week, as both men are being investigated on rebellion and other charges. Martial law lasted only about six hours but was the first of its kind in more than 40 years and has caused a domestic firestorm and large street protests. Yoon and his associates face criminal investigations and impeachment attempts. The Justice Ministry has banned Yoon and eight others from leaving the country as authorities see them as key suspects in the martial law case. It's the first time that a sitting president in South Korea has received such a travel ban. The Seoul Central District Court said Tuesday it'll review prosecutors' request for a warrant to arrest former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, who has been accused of recommending martial law to Yoon and sending troops to the National Assembly to block lawmakers from voting on it. Eno

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declares emergency martial law

He did not cite any specific threat from the nuclear-armed North, however, instead focusing on his domestic political opponents

South Korea Parliament rejects President Yeol's martial law declaration

The South Korean parliament has voted to defy the country's president and immediately lift his martial law declaration. President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law late Tuesday, vowing to eliminate anti-state forces as he struggles against an opposition that controls the country's parliament and that he accuses of sympathising with communist North Korea. The surprising move harkened back to an era of authoritarian leaders that the country has not seen since the 1980s, and it was immediately denounced by the opposition and the leader of Yoon's own conservative party.

Kim Jong Un pledges steadfast support for Russia's war in Ukraine

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed his country will invariably support Russia's war in Ukraine as he met Russia's defence chief, the North's state media reported Saturday. A Russia military delegation led by Defence Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in North Korea on Friday, amid growing international concern about the two countries' expanding cooperation after North Korea sent thousands of troops to Russia last month. The official Korean Central News Agency said that Kim and Belousov reached a satisfactory consensus on boosting strategic partnership and defending each country's sovereignty, security interests and international justice in the face of the rapidly-changing international security environments in a Friday meeting. Kim said that North Korea will invariably support the policy of the Russian Federation to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity from the imperialists' moves for hegemony, KCNA said. North Korea has supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine, calling

Russian defence minister visits North Korea for talks to boost ties

Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in North Korea on Friday for talks with North Korean military and political leaders as the countries deepen their cooperation over Russia's war in Ukraine. In announcing the visit, Russia's Defence Ministry didn't say whom Belousov would meet or the purpose of the talks. North Korean state media didn't immediately confirm the visit. Belousov, a former economist, replaced Sergei Shoigu as defence minister in May after Russian President Vladimir Putin started a fifth term in power. Photos released by the Defense Ministry showed Belousov walking alongside North Korean Defense Minister No Kwang Chol on a red carpet at a Pyongyang airport. North Korean military officials were seen clapping under a banner that read, Complete support and solidarity with the fighting Russian army and people. Belousov noted after his arrival that military cooperation between the countries is expanding. He applauded a strategic partnership agreement signed by

Starbucks offers glimpse of North Korean life from new South Korea cafe

Starbucks Coffee Korea's new riverbank cafe at an observatory tower in South Korea's Gimpo city promises coffee aficionados a chance to gaze at normal village life in Gaepung county across border

Satellite images suggest North Korea expanding missile plant: Report

The facility, known as the February 11 plant, is part of the Ryongsong Machine Complex in Hamhung, North Korea's second-largest city, on the country's east coast