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Russia, N. Korea developing joint tourism programs: report
North Korea and Russia are jointly developing new tourism programs, a Russian news agency reported Friday, citing Russia's natural resources minister. "We are working on the development of new tourism programs. I am confident that we will also move on to joint projects to create tourism infrastructure," RIA Novosti quoted Minister Alexander Kozlov as saying. Kozlov currently co-chairs the North Korea-Russia Intergovernmental Committee for Cooperation in Trade, Economy, Science and Technology. Ko
Dec. 26, 2025 -
Seoul takes first step to open access to North Korean materials
The Lee Jae Myung administration is preparing to take a first step toward easing long-standing restrictions that have kept North Korean publications entirely out of public reach in South Korea. Six ministries and government agencies responsible for handling “special materials” met Friday afternoon to discuss the shift. They agreed on measures that would partially open access to the print edition of Rodong Sinmun — the official newspaper of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party and its most widely
Dec. 26, 2025 -
As N. Korean defector arrivals drop, Seoul opts to merge Hanawon resettlement centers
The Unification Ministry has decided to consolidate its government-run resettlement centers for North Korean defectors into a single facility, as new arrivals have fallen sharply in recent years to well below pre-COVID-19 levels. The ministry said it is reviewing an expedited merger of the main Hanawon resettlement center in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, and its branch in Hwacheon County, Gangwon Province. “We are reviewing a plan to integrate Hanawon in Anseong and the branch facility in Hwacheon
Dec. 26, 2025 -
Kim Jong-un approves modernization plans for munitions plants for party congress
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ratified plans to modernize the country's major munitions factories, which will be submitted at the forthcoming key Party Congress — a step deemed essential to bolstering its "war deterrence," state media reported Friday. The announcement came during recent visits by Kim to unspecified “major munitions industry enterprises,” where he was briefed on fourth-quarter missile and artillery shell production, the Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the Workers' Party, reporte
Dec. 26, 2025 -
N. Korea's Kim calls for expanding missile, shell production capacity
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has unveiled a plan to build new munitions factories to expand the production capacity of missiles and shells, stressing that raising their production is critical in bolstering the war deterrent, state media reported Friday. The report came a day after the North's state media said Kim had inspected an 8,700-ton "nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine" under construction. The North's leader ordered expanding the production capacity of missiles and shell
Dec. 26, 2025 -
Spy agency considers giving Koreans wider access to NK media
Access to North Korean media and websites may be widened in South Korea, with the country’s spy agency “positively” reviewing proposed changes to related regulations. “Fully taking into account the bills’ aims, such as ensuring the public’s right to know, the National Intelligence Service will support the legislation process and positively review (opening) access to North Korean websites,” the spy agency said in a written response to ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s Rep. Youn Kun-young on Wedn
Dec. 25, 2025 -
North Korea’s nuclear submarine drive to deepen uncertainty on peninsula
The Korean Peninsula may be headed toward more uncertainty as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un accelerates the development of nuclear-powered submarines and advanced missile systems — moves that experts say are fundamentally reshaping regional security dynamics and driving instability across Northeast Asia. Kim, who has steered the country away from direct engagement with Seoul while taking an ambiguous stance on talks with US President Donald Trump, has taken to directly criticizing Seoul's nucl
Dec. 25, 2025 -
North Korea's Kim warns Seoul's nuclear-powered submarine plan will 'worsen instability'
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said South Korea's plan to build nuclear-powered submarines will "worsen the instability" in the region, calling Seoul's move a threat to the North's national security, according to state media Thursday. Kim made the remarks during an on-site inspection of an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine under construction, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The North Korean leader referred to Seoul's plan to build nuclear-powered subma
Dec. 25, 2025 -
2 N. Korean POWs in Ukraine express desire to defect to S. Korea in letter: activist
Two North Korean soldiers who were captured in Ukraine while fighting for Russia have written a letter expressing their desire to defect to South Korea, an activist in Seoul said Friday. Jang Se-yul, head of a North Korean defectors' group in the South, said the two North Korean captives in their 20s wrote such a letter in October when they met a South Korean documentary producer at a prisoner-of-war camp near Kyiv. The letter was delivered to the group via the producer earlier this month. "We'v
Dec. 24, 2025 -
North Korea underscores ‘right to space development'
North Korea on Wednesday highlighted the legitimacy of space development under international law, prompting speculation that the regime could resume its suspended military reconnaissance satellite program as early as next year. In an article published Wednesday by the North’s official daily Rodong Sinmun, Pyongyang pointed to growing global competition in space development, stressing that many countries are actively expanding their space capabilities amid rising international interest in the sec
Dec. 24, 2025 -
N. Korea ramps up opening of regional factories ahead of key party congress
North Korea has been ramping up the opening of new regional factories, including one in the northeastern county of Kilju, where a nuclear test site is located, ahead of next year's key party congress, according to state media Wednesday. North Korea held a ceremony the previous day to inaugurate a light industry factory in Kilju, attended by senior party, military and government officials, the Korean Central News Agency reported. Kilju County in North Hamgyong Province is home to the Punggye-ri n
Dec. 24, 2025 -
Seoul needs upgraded maritime security to counter evolving NK threat: report
South Korea should strengthen maritime capabilities and international cooperation as North Korea now views the seas as a “core strategic space” that goes beyond military activities, the Asan Institute for Policy Studies said in a report. According to the report, the North now views the seas as a “multifaceted strategic space for survival and development,” and will likely expand its maritime policies into its own Indo-Pacific strategy that requires a matching response from Seoul. As North Korea’s
Dec. 23, 2025 -
JCS confirms 'farther south' MDL rule
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed Monday that frontline units received a revised internal guideline on how to determine Military Demarcation Line violations, amid a recent rise in North Korean troop incursions inside the Demilitarized Zone. The guideline circulated in September allows the military to apply a line drawn farther south in cases where South Korean military maps and United Nations Command standards do not align. At a regular Defense Ministry briefing, JCS spokesperson Col
Dec. 22, 2025 -
With daughter in tow, N. Korean leader attends factory openings for 2nd straight day
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended ceremonies to open new factories for the second straight day, state media reported Sunday, highlighting his push for regional development as he appeared alongside his daughter. The Korean Central News Agency said Kim toured factories in the eastern coastal city of Sinpho on Friday, a day after he cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony for a plant in the western county of Jangyon. While the KCNA article did not mention her by name, Kim's daughter, Ju-a
Dec. 21, 2025 -
Unification ministry seeks sanctions relief; Foreign Ministry cautious
South Korea’s Unification Ministry on Friday put sanctions relief for inter-Korean and multilateral cooperation projects on its agenda for 2026, drawing a reserved response from the Foreign Ministry. In its 2026 annual policy plan, the Unification Ministry said it would seek to "pierce a needle hole through the wall of severed inter-Korean ties" and "boldly push preemptive and practical steps" to make 2026 "the first year of peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula." As part of that push, th
Dec. 19, 2025