North Korea

SEOUL, Jan. 26 (Yonhap) -- Senior diplomats of South Korea and Russia talked over the phone Wednesday to discuss North Korea's recent missile launches and the security situation on the Korean Peninsula, the foreign ministry said. Noh Kyu-duk, speci

SEOUL, Jan. 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Unification Minister Lee In-young expressed hope Wednesday that the two Koreas will meet each other during a World Forestry Congress session slated for May, saying it could offer a chance to work together on fore

SEOUL, Jan. 26 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has decided to upgrade its agricultural ministry to a state commission, according to Pyongyang's media Wednesday, as the country has tapped agricultural development as one of its top policy priorities for the new

(ATTN: UPDATES with remarks from state department spokesperson Price in paras 2-6, 13-15, minor edits throughout; CHANGES lead; ADDS photo) By Byun Duk-kun WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 (Yonhap) -- The United States remains committed to the complete denucleariza

By Byun Duk-kun WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 (Yonhap) -- The United States remains committed to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through diplomacy and dialogue, a state department spokesperson said Tuesday. The renewed U.S. offer to enga

SEOUL, Jan. 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Unification Minister Lee In-young met Tuesday with a group of foreign envoys here and emphasized the urgency of resuming dialogue with North Korea, citing a host of looming uncertainties linked with major polit

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details from 3rd para; MODIFIES headline; ADDS byline) By Song Sang-ho SEOUL, Jan. 25 (Yonhap) -- North Korea seems to have test-fired at least two cruise missiles from an inland area, a South Korean official said, in what woul

SEOUL, Jan. 25 (Yonhap) -- North Korea seems to have test-fired at least two cruise missiles from an inland area, a South Korean official said, in what would be Pyongyang's fifth known round of missile launches this year. "We still need to conduct a

SEOUL, Jan. 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has detected no signs of North Korea trying to restore underground tunnels at its purportedly demolished Punggye-ri nuclear test site despite indications of maintenance work there, a Seoul official said Tuesday.

By Byun Duk-kun WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- The United States continues to call on North Korea to stop its provocations and instead return to dialogue to find ways to de-escalate tension, U.S. Department of Defense Press Secretary John Kirby said M

SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's minister in charge of inter-Korean relations will brief foreign ambassadors and international organizations on the government's policy direction on North Korea later this week, a ministry official said Monday,

By Choi Soo-hyang SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's unification ministry said Monday it is keeping tabs on North Korea's nuclear and missile activities after Pyongyang hinted last week at lifting its self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-

Analysis: Kim Jong-un’s pressure on Joe Biden has so far elicited only fresh sanctions. Pyongyang has now signalled it may resume nuclear and ICBM testsNorth Korea has already conducted four test launches of ballistic missiles this year, but they could be a mere precursor to more serious provocations, as Kim Jong-un’s regime attempts to break the […]

South Korean military says Pyongyang launched two ballistic missiles, which Tokyo says threaten its ‘peace and security’North Korea has launched two suspected ballistic missiles, in the fourth test this month, drawing condemnation from Japan and adding to pressure on the US.South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said Monday’s launch appeared to involve […]

Guardian Australia’s summer round-up of compelling reads selected by our lifestyle editor Alyx GormanSign up to receive Five Great Reads as an emailGood morning, happy Monday, and apologies to those who’ve returned from holidays today. You’ve found yourself a moment of reprieve with Five Great Reads, a weekday summer wrap of worthwhile writing […]

South Korea is no promised land for escapees from a brutal regime – loneliness and poverty are common fatesNo one knows what awaited Kim Woo-joo when he arrived back in North Korea, just over a year after he had fled the world’s most oppressive regime for a life of freedom in the South.Earlier this month, the 29-year-old former gymnast approached the […]

Freight train marks first time during pandemic that North Korea is known to have opened land borderA North Korean cargo train has reportedly pulled into a Chinese border town in what would be the first confirmed crossing since its anti-coronavirus border lockdowns began.North Korea has not officially reported any Covid-19 cases and has imposed strict […]

Two tactical guided missiles hit their target, state media said, hours after Pyongyang accused US of ‘provocation’North Korea’s third weapons test this month involved the firing drill of a railway-borne missile, state media KCNA has said.South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said it had detected what it presumed were two short-range ballistic missiles […]

South Korean military says projectile was fired into the sea, and comes after US imposed further sanctions on regime officialsNorth Korea has fired a possible ballistic missile, Japan’s Coast Guard said on Friday, which would be the country’s third such launch in two weeks.South Korea’s military said an unidentified projectile had been launched into […]

The regime has launched at least seven cyber-attacks on cryptocurrency platforms, say blockchain expertsNorth Korea has launched at least seven attacks on cryptocurrency platforms that extracted nearly $400m worth of digital assets last year, one of its most successful years on record, according to a new analysis.“From 2020 to 2021, the number of North […]

Kim Jong-un personally oversaw test, state media reports, and confirms South Korean belief that launch was more advanced than last week’sNorth Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un personally oversaw the successful test of a hypersonic missile, state media reported on Wednesday, the second such launch by the nuclear-armed nation in less than a week.Tuesday’s […]

Second launch in less than a week designed to put pressure on US and follows condemnation at UNNorth Korea has test-fired a suspected ballistic missile that may be an improved version of a “hypersonic missile” it launched only last week, in a move designed to increase pressure on the US amid stalled nuclear talks and mounting economic problems for the […]

Launch was detected by militaries in the region, and was criticised by South Korea, Japan and the USNorth Korea test fired a “hypersonic missile” this week that successfully hit a target, state news agency KCNA reported on Thursday, as the country pursues new military capabilities amid stalled denuclearisation talks.The launch on Wednesday was the first […]

Regime conducts first such launch of the year, with South Korea’s military saying the missile appears to have landed in the seaNorth Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile early on Wednesday, the first such test by Pyongyang of the new year, drawing condemnation from Japan and calls for talks from South Korea.The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff […]

Man’s decision raises questions about treatment of defectors in South Korea with many said to face discriminationA North Korean defector who made a daring return to his home country at the weekend had reportedly struggled to build a new life in South Korea since his arrival just over a year ago.The man, who has not been named, crossed the heavily armed […]

Seoul defence ministry says it is in the process of verifying facts about incident at the weekendA man observed crossing the heavily fortified border from South Korea into North Korea last week is believed to be a North Korean who previously defected to the South in 2020 in the same area, Seoul’s defence ministry has said.South Korea’s joint chiefs of […]

The fate of the defector is unknown after they crossed the heavily fortified border between the two KoreasA South Korean has crossed the heavily fortified border in a rare defection to North Korea, South Korea’s military has said.Years of repression and poverty in North Korea have led more than 30,000 people to flee to the South in the decades since […]

Kim’s focus on food and factories rather than nuclear weapons or US underscores country’s economic crisisThe North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, has capped off his 10th year in power with a speech that made more mention of tractor factories and school uniforms than nuclear weapons or the United States.North Korea’s main goals for 2022 will be […]

Video from Pyongyang shows North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un looking dour as he attends the memorial service to mark the 10th anniversary of his father's death. As part of the national memorial, North Koreans have reportedly been banned from showing any sign of happiness. According to Radio Free Asia's Korean service, restrictions include an explicit ban […]

After his father’s death, he was propelled to the top of the totalitarian dynasty. How has he been allowed to last so long?How do tyrants survive? History is littered with examples of cruel dictators and despots who dominated their countries for years, oppressing millions of “subjects”, and were never forcibly deposed. Joseph Stalin famously died in […]