North Korea

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Russian President Vladimir Putin is making a rare trip to North Korea today as he deepens an anti-West bond with leader Kim Jong Un. It is Putin's first trip to the country in more than two decades and the first time another world leader has been invited into the isolated capital of Pyongyang since the Covid-19 pandemic. The US, South Korea and other countries have accused North Korea of providing substantial military aid to Russia's war effort in Ukraine, while observers have raised concerns that Moscow may be violating international sanctions to aid North Korea's development of its nascent military satellite program. It also comes as tensions remain high on the Korean peninsula after Kim Jong Un scrapped a longstanding policy of seeking a peaceful reunification with South Korea.

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North Korea sent another wave of balloons purportedly filled with waste and trash into South Korea overnight, reigniting a tit-for-tat exchange as tensions on the Korean Peninsula continue to heighten. More than 1,000 such balloons from the North have made it into South Korean territory since May, according to a CNN tally. North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un has said the balloons were a "responsive act" to the South's years-long practice of flying leaflets that contain materials critical of his regime. The latest balloon salvo comes as inter-Korean diplomacy remains at an impasse. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a defense agreement with North Korea last week as talks on its denuclearization efforts have stalled, and Kim has vowed to expand his country's nuclear arsenal.

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North Korea

 

New intelligence indicates North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's daughter, Kim Ju Ae, is secretly undergoing succession training to prime her for taking control of the secretive country. She is believed to be 10-12 years old and is the second child of the North Korean leader. There is historical precedent for Kim to identify his successor so early on because that's what his father, Kim Jong Il, did with him, according to analysts. The Kim family's rule in North Korea stretches back to 1948 when Kim Il Sung came to power in the aftermath of World War II. South Korea's National Intelligence Service also believes Kim's health may have deteriorated, with reporters saying he has been showing symptoms of high blood pressure and diabetes.

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North Korea gives a glimpse of a secretive uranium enrichment facility North Korea disclosed a uranium enrichment facility to produce weapons-grade uranium for the first time since 2010, as state media reported Friday that leader Kim Jong Un visited the area and called for stronger efforts to “exponentially” increase its number of nuclear weapons. Read more.

Why this matters: While the latest unveiling is likely an attempt to apply more pressure on the U.S. and its allies, the images released could provide outsiders with a valuable source of information for estimating the amount of nuclear ingredients that North Korea has produced.   South Korea’s Unification Ministry said it strongly condemned North Korea’s unveiling of the facility and Kim’s vows to boost his country’s nuclear capability. Kim said North Korea needs greater preemptive attack capabilities because “anti-(North Korea) nuclear threats perpetrated by the U.S. imperialists-led vassal forces have become more undisguised and crossed the red line,”  the official Korean Central News Agency reported.   Some U.S. and South Korean experts speculate North Korea is covertly running at least one other uranium-enrichment plant. Analysts also say North Korea could conduct nuclear test explosions or long-range missile tests ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November with the intent to influence the outcome and increase its leverage in future dealings with the Americans.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ South Koreans are divided on North Korea’s nuclear threats   North Korea’s Kim vows to make his nuclear force ready for combat with US   Leaders of South Korea and New Zealand strongly condemn expanding North Korea-Russia military ties

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North Korea

North Korea's army said today it will take the "substantial military step" of completely cutting off roads and rail links to South Korea. Since January, Pyongyang has fortified its heavily armed border, laying landmines, building anti-tank traps and removing railway infrastructure. North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un has also ramped up his fiery rhetoric against the South, referring to it as the North's "primary foe and invariable principal enemy." Kim's latest escalation comes as inter-Korean hostilities have simmered this year as North Korea appears to have intensified its nuclear production efforts and strengthened ties with Russia, deepening widespread concern in the West over the isolated nation's direction.

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Officials say North Korea has sent troops to Russia. What would that mean for the war with Ukraine?

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — American and South Korean officials said Wednesday that there’s evidence North Korea has dispatched troops to Russia in a potential escalation of the nearly 3-year-old war with Ukraine.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-north-korea-war-735ab717dcf92a718adcb68bfbddc653?

North Korean soldiers

At least 3,000 North Korean soldiers arrived in eastern Russia this month, the White House said Wednesday, and while it remains unclear what exactly they will do, it is a "highly concerning probability" that they will join the fight against Ukraine. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin became the first senior US official to confirm the development on the record as North Korea and Russia have forged increasingly friendly ties since Moscow began its invasion. The US does not believe the North Korean troops have reached Ukraine, but the movements have generated deep concern as a potentially serious escalation in the conflict. Also on Wednesday, the White House announced the US and Western allies are moving forward with a $50 billion loan package to Ukraine backed by the profits of frozen Russian assets.

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North Korea

North Korea said it conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile test today, a launch believed to have achieved the longest flight time yet for a North Korean missile. Japanese authorities reported the missile flew for about 86 minutes and to a possible altitude of 4,350 miles before falling into the sea outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, public broadcaster NHK said. The test comes just days ahead of the US presidential election and follows warnings from South Korea's intelligence agency that Pyongyang was planning to launch an ICBM, testing its reentry technology around the time of the US election. The test also comes as North Korea appears to have intensified its nuclear production efforts and strengthened ties with Russia, deepening widespread concern in the West over the isolated nation's direction.

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North Korea tests exploding drones as Kim calls for mass production

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea tested exploding drones designed to crash into targets and leader Kim Jong Un called for accelerating mass production of the weapons, state media said Friday.

https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-suicide-drones-attack-south-korea-kim-jong-un-de54b69cae1b30408bf4d63fdd7c3848?

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North Korea says it tested hypersonic intermediate range missile aimed at remote Pacific targets

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Tuesday its latest weapons test was a new hypersonic intermediate-range missile designed to strike remote targets in the Pacific as leader Kim Jong Un vowed to further expand his collection of nuclear-capable weapons to counter rival nations.

https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-kim-jong-un-hypersonic-irbm-trump-2190733a5bdb63fa68b32d2620c924a4?

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North Korea has opened its doors to a group of international travelers for the 1st time in years

The trip by a small group of foreign tourists in the past week indicates North Korea may be gearing up for a full resumption of its international tourism to bring in much-needed foreign currency to revive its struggling economy, experts say. Read More.

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North Korea fires several ballistic missiles after the US and South Korea began military drills

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired several ballistic missiles into the sea Monday, South Korea’s military said, hours after South Korean and U.S. troops kicked off their large annual combined drills, which the North views as an invasion rehearsal.

https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-us-drills-freedom-shield-bombing-pocheon-d3e285e1b0a6a15cb9edbf2613013582?

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?? New North Korean job scams

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

North Korean IT workers are setting up front companies across China as part of their global operation to trick Western companies into hiring them, according to a new report shared first with Axios' Sam Sabin. Why it matters: Nearly every Fortune 500 company struggles with the problem of North Korea-based IT workers trying to get hired at their firms. Strider Technologies, a cyber intelligence platform, released a report today saying it has identified 35 China-based companies linked to North Korean IT worker operations. North Korean operations shifted from scams focused on salary money to gathering intelligence about the companies they're working for, including intellectual property and any other company secrets. Keep reading ...

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North Korea’s second naval destroyer is damaged in a failed launch attended by Kim

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s second naval destroyer was damaged in a failed launch this week, state media reported Thursday, sparking fury from leader Kim Jong Un, who wants bigger warships to deal with what he calls escalating U.S.-led threats against his country.

https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-kim-jong-un-destroyer-damaged-nuclear-9f66685ad8f34d5bef027750a0678370?

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Kim Jong-un calls failed North Korean warship launch a "criminal act"

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un responded with fury after watching a "serious accident" during the launch of a new warship Thursday that he described as a "criminal act," the state-run KCNA reported.

https://www.axios.com/2025/05/23/north-korea-destroyer-launch-kim-jong-un?

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14,000 troops, 100 ballistic missiles and millions of munitions: What North Korea has sent to Russia, report finds

North Korea has sent soldiers and millions of munitions, including missiles and rockets, to Russia over the past year, according to a new report by an international watchdog, which details the extent to which Pyongyang has helped Moscow “terrorize” Ukraine’s population over its three-year war.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/30/asia/north-korea-russia-ukraine-weapons-report-intl-hnk

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North Korea will open its biggest tour site next week, though it still largely blocks foreigners

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea next week will open a signature coastal tourist site that it says will usher in a new era in its tourism industry, though there is no word on when the country will fully reopen to foreign visitors.

https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-tourism-coast-kim-jong-un-c26f24ea0f149b7153ddcf98397c07b5?

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Kim’s sister says North Korea will never see the South as a diplomatic partner North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister yet again taunted South Korean efforts to improve ties, state media reported Wednesday, saying her country will never accept Seoul as a diplomatic partner. Read more.

Why this matters: Kim Yo Jong’s remarks fit a longstanding pattern of aggressive language during ongoing South Korea-U.S. military drills, which the North has repeatedly denounced as invasion rehearsals, but the comments also reflect a change in Pyongyang’s approach to its rival.   Her brother has shifted his focus to Moscow and last year declared North Korea was abandoning long-standing goals of a peaceful unification with South Korea. He ordered the constitution rewritten to declare the South a permanent enemy.   Lee Jae Myung, South Korea’s new liberal president, has pushed to revive dialogue between the Koreas since taking office in June.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ California man who admitted shipping weapons to North Korea is sentenced to 8 years in prison   South Korean and US militaries begin annual drills to cope with North Korean threats   US seeks shipbuilding expertise from South Korea and Japan to counter China

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Kim’s daughter visits family mausoleum, promoting her potential status as heir in North Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made her first known visit to a sacred family mausoleum, a step that experts say bolstered her status as her father’s potential heir.

https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-kim-daughter-532dafa13d925d44c507717992c64f52?

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Spy agency says Kim Jong Un’s daughter is close to being designated North Korea’s future leader

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers on Thursday that it believes the teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is close to being designated as the country’s future leader as he moves to extend the family dynasty to a fourth generation.

https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-kim-jong-un-daughter-c795f8c25177d45f1f4a8bf5af160007?

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North Korea conducts engine test for missile capable of targeting US mainland

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed a test of an upgraded solid-fuel engine for weapons capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, and called it a significant development boosting his country’s strategic military arsenal, state media reported Sunday.

https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-kim-missile-engine-test-us-bdc130f08bed4fd569bdd041ce2c67aa?

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• 🇰🇵 Speculation is rising that Kim Jong-un's teenage daughter, Kim Ju-ae, has been chosen to succeed him as North Korea's leader, The New York Times reports. Gift link.