Leaked cables reveal Kim Jong-un’s orders to oppose human rights pressure at UN

South Korea's Unification Ministry on Tuesday released key details from 12 leaked diplomatic cables, revealing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's direct orders -- transmitted through the Foreign Ministry to overseas missions -- to counter increasing international scrutiny and pressure on human rights, especially at the United Nations. This marks the first public release of diplomatic telegrams -- confidential communications from North Korea’s Foreign Ministry to its embassies and

Nov. 12, 2024

N. Korea's Kim finalizes defense pact with Russia

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has signed off a defense pact with Russia, the North's state media reported Tuesday, as Pyongyang sent its troops to Russia in support of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. The treaty on "comprehensive strategic partnership" between North Korea and Russia was ratified the previous day as a decree from the North Korean leader, the North's Korean Central News Agency reported. The report noted that the treaty will take effect from the day both si

Nov. 12, 2024

Ukraine reveals intercepted radio communications of NK soldiers in Russia

Ukraine's defense intelligence agency has released an audio clip of what it claims to be intercepted radio communications between North Korean soldiers in Russia speaking in coded military terms. The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine uploaded a post on Sunday (local time) of what it claimed to be intercepted radio transmissions of a group of North Korean soldiers deployed in Russia's western Kursk region to support Russia's war against Ukraine. In the audio, the soldiers exchange co

Nov. 11, 2024

Putin finalizes N. Korea defense deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed off on a landmark defense pact with North Korea, a deal that comes amid reports that Pyongyang has dispatched thousands of troops to fight against Ukraine. Putin struck the deal during a visit to North Korea in June, but it had to pass through Russia's parliament and signed by the Kremlin leader to come into force. The Kremlin published the signed law ratifying the treaty on its website on Saturday evening. The agreement formalizes months of deepe

Nov. 10, 2024

N. Korea's World Cup-winning footballers get heroes' welcome home

North Korea's Under-17 Women's World Cup-winning footballers received a heroes' welcome back in the capital Pyongyang, AFP footage showed on Sunday, with hundreds of people on the streets to celebrate their success. They had defeated Spain on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the U17 World Cup final in the Dominican Republic a week ago. Remarkably it was the second global title in two months for secretive North Korea -- largely closed off to the outside world -- they also lifted the

Nov. 10, 2024

N. Korea jams GPS signals, affecting ships, civilian aircraft: JCS

North Korea staged GPS jamming attacks for the second consecutive day Saturday, affecting several ships and dozens of civilian aircraft, South Korea's military said. The jamming attacks were conducted in the North's Haeju and Kaesong areas, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, warning vessels and civilian aircraft operating in the Yellow Sea to beware of the attacks. Military operations and equipment were not affected, according to the JCS. "North Korea should immediately halt the GPS provocatio

Nov. 9, 2024

Over 3,700 N. Koreans visited Russia in Q3 for 'studies': RFA

More than 3,700 North Koreans visited Russia during the third quarter this year for "study" purposes, marking the highest quarterly figure since 2010, a United States news outlet reported Saturday. US broadcaster Radio Free Asia said a total of 5,263 North Korean nationals visited Russia during the July-September period, citing data from Russia's Federal State Statistics Service. The number is comparable to the 5,591 recorded during the same period in 2019, after which it dropped

Nov. 9, 2024

Yoon says S. Korea-US alliance will immediately strike NK if it attempts nuclear attack: Newsweek

President Yoon Suk Yeol said a nuclear-based alliance between South Korea and the United States will immediately strike if North Korea attempts a nuclear attack against the South, according to an interview published Friday. Yoon made the remark during an interview with US magazine Newsweek to address growing concerns over North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats. "I believe that it would be irrational for them to decide to wage a nuclear attack against the Republic of Korea a

Nov. 8, 2024

Presidential office says hacking attacks increased following NK's troop deployment to Russia

The presidential office said Friday cyber attacks by pro-Russian hacking groups against South Korea have increased following North Korea's troop deployment to Russia in support of its war in Ukraine. The National Security Council (NSC) held an emergency intra-agency meeting on Thursday after several government websites, including those of the defense ministry and courts, suffered distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks earlier this week. The NSC said the cyber attacks, mostly DDoS, by

Nov. 8, 2024

Poster of Kim Jong-un behind bars launches S. Korean groups' anti-NK campaign in Geneva

A group of South Koreans held a campaign denouncing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in front of the North’s permanent mission to the United Nations in Geneva on Wednesday, one of its organizers said Thursday. The campaign, organized jointly by the South Korean civic group People for Successful Corean Reunification and the Seoul-based advertising agency Jeski Social Campaign, was initiated at the plaza in front of the United Nations Office building where a session of the UN Human Rights Cou

Nov. 7, 2024

‘Trump may seek surprise NK deal at expense of Seoul’

With Donald Trump positioning himself for a second term in the White House, he and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may renew summit talks, potentially reaching a deal that sidelines South Korea’s key interests, Seoul-based analysts warned. Observers caution that Trump could, for instance, tactically acquiesce to North Korea's nuclear weapons possession in exchange for a freeze on the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of targeting the US mainland -- a concessio

Nov. 7, 2024

Yoon, Trump agree to meet 'at early date' in 12-minute call

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday that he and US President-elect Donald Trump agreed to “meet at an early date” to discuss possible resolutions on North Korean provocation and the prosperity of the alliance, in a 12-minute phone call held early in the day. "We talked for some 10 minutes on the phone at 8 a.m. I, of course, offered him my congratulations first and discussed several (issues) including (the need) to build strong solidarity and partnerships in the A

Nov. 7, 2024

North Korean leader may seek another summit with Trump, but chances for deal seen as slimmer

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may seek another summit over its nuclear program with US President-elect Donald Trump following his second-term win, but the chances for a meaningful deal appear to be lower, given the North's enhanced nuclear capabilities, analysts said. During his first term, Trump hosted the first-ever summit between American and North Korean leaders with Kim in Singapore in 2018, followed by another summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, the next year. But they failed to produce a dea

Nov. 6, 2024

From Bush to Biden: How North Korea sees US elections

The timing and manner in which North Korea’s state-controlled media covers US presidential election results have long served as key indicators of Pyongyang’s stance toward an incoming US president. According to South Korea’s Unification Ministry, close attention should be paid to the timing, approach and intended audience of North Korea’s reporting on US election results. Furthermore, the timing of Pyongyang’s first official message to the incoming US administration

Nov. 6, 2024

Ukraine's Zelenskyy confirms first combat engagement with N. Korean troops

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed the Ukrainian military's first combat engagement with North Korean troops, saying it opened a new chapter of instability in the world. Zelenskyy, in a video address posted on the Ukrainian president's official website Tuesday, said, "The first battles with North Korean soldiers open a new page of instability in the world." "I want to thank everyone in the world who reacted to the deployment of North Korean soldiers in

Nov. 6, 2024

Russia says N. Korea's missile tests were 'legitimate' defensive measures: TASS

MOSCOW (Yonhap) -- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said Tuesday that North Korea's missile tests were "legitimate" defensive measures in response to what he described as the United States' "provocations," Russia's state-run news agency reported. Rudenko reiterated the stance of Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, who has defended North Korea's ballistic missile activities, which are prohibited under UN Security

Nov. 5, 2024

Harris, Trump face off as North Korea tests US on Election Day

On the day of the US presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, North Korea fired a salvo of ballistic missiles on Tuesday in an apparent message to Washington -- a continuation of its unrelenting saber-rattling, which included the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile last week. Escalating tensions further, Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, released a forceful English-language statement on US Elec

Nov. 5, 2024

Putin meets N. Korean FM Choe: TASS

Russian President Vladimir Putin has met North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui at the Kremlin in Moscow, TASS reported, amid growing concerns over Pyongyang's troop deployment to Russia to support its war in Ukraine. Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Putin received Choe in the presidential complex as Pyongyang's top diplomat was on a working visit to Russia, according to Russia's state-owned news agency on Monday. Choe conveyed North Korean leader Kim Jong-

Nov. 5, 2024

As many as 10,000 N. Korean troops are in Kursk, could join combat in 'coming days': State Dept.

As many as 10,000 North Korean troops are in Russia's western front-line Kursk region and could engage in combat in the "coming days," a State Department spokesperson said Monday, amid growing concerns that their involvement could expand Moscow's war in Ukraine. Matthew Miller, the spokesperson, made the remarks as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video message earlier that there are already 11,000 North Korean troops in the Kursk region. "We now assess

Nov. 5, 2024

South Korea and Central Asia set stage for first summit

South Korea and five Central Asian countries -- all former Soviet republics -- are gearing up for their first-ever summit, aiming to forge a synergistic partnership that leverages shared strengths and foster regional peace amid escalating tensions fueled by illicit military cooperation between Russia and North Korea. South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul convened the 17th Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum in Seoul on Monday, bringing together foreign ministers, vice foreign ministe

Nov. 4, 2024