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North Korea

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North Korea suspected of planting nearly 100 mines along DMZ
North Korea suspected of planting nearly 100 mines along DMZ SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) -North Korea has planted nearly one million land mines in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) over the last two years, the South Korea military reported during the parliamentary hearing period. The military estimated that North Korean troops had laid about 960,000 mines during the period, according to multiple lawmakers’ offices on the National Assembly’s intelligence and defense committees. Pyongyang has been reinforcing the frontier after redefin October 23, 2026
  • Loudspeakers to be on standby, North Korean leaders sister says
    Loudspeakers to be 'on standby,' North Korean leader's sister says SEOUL, October 22 (AJP) - North Korea would place loudspeakers along the border with South Korea on standby within days, state media reported on Thursday. In a statement carried by the state-run will be in operation along the whole border.&q October 22, 2026
  • Seoul vows stern response if Pyongyang switches on loudspeakers
    Seoul vows stern response if Pyongyang switches on loudspeakers SEOUL, October 20 (AJP) - South Korea will respond sternly to any North Korean provocation along the inter-Korean border, which would violate the armistice agreement, military authorities here said on Tuesday. The warning came as Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) chief Jin Yong-sung visited a frontline military unit and ordered troops to respond decisively to any provocations by the North, a day after Pyongyang threatened to deploy more weapons along the border and consider resuming p October 20, 2026
  • North Korea touts test of AI-guided, super-speed torpedo
    North Korea touts test of AI-guided, super-speed torpedo SEOUL, October 17 (AJP) - North Korea has tested a new underwater torpedo equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) technology, state media reported on Saturday. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the test of a "new-type super-speed precisely guided torpedo weapon," dubbed the Zam-2.0, took place earlier in the week to verify technical improvements to the weapon, calling it a "significant step" toward strengthening the country's nav October 17, 2026
  • Ukraine POW disclosure complicated Seouls diplomacy: US experts
    Ukraine POW disclosure complicated Seoul's diplomacy: US experts SEOUL, October 16 (AJP) - Ukraine's public disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea has complicated President Lee Jae Myung's efforts to restore dialogue with Pyongyang and improve relations with Moscow, U.S. experts said Thursday. The assessment came during a discussion hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where former U.S. officials and Korea specialists examined the diplomatic fallout from Ukrainian Pre October 16, 2026
  • New bridge linking North Korea and China opens at last to boost trade
    New bridge linking North Korea and China opens at last to boost trade SEOUL, October 15 (AJP) - A long-delayed bridge linking China's northeastern city of Dandong with North Korea's border city of Sinuiju has officially opened, providing a new route for trade and exchanges between the two traditional allies, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday. The two sides held a joint opening ceremony, with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and North Korean Cabinet Premier Pak Thae-song sending video messages to mark the occasion. Li des October 15, 2026
  • North Korea gains firsthand drone-making experience in Russia: CSIS
    North Korea gains firsthand drone-making experience in Russia: CSIS SEOUL, October 15 (AJP) -North Korea’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine could yield a dangerous dividend closer to home as workers sent to build attack drones acquire expertise that could strengthen Pyongyang’s own arsenal, according to a new joint report by two U.S. policy institutes. The concern extends beyond the troops and ammunition North Korea has supplied Moscow. Its involvement in Russia’s drone industry could give the isolated state access to October 15, 2026
  • North Korea tests cruise missiles as US surveillance aircraft fly over peninsula
    North Korea tests cruise missiles as US surveillance aircraft fly over peninsula SEOUL, October 15 (AJP) - North Korea test-fired two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles in the East Sea on Wednesday as U.S. reconnaissance aircraft were tracked flying over the Korean Peninsula on the same day. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Thursday that the country's Missile Administration conducted the tests on Oct. 14, without providing further details on the launch location or flight performance. Kim Jong-sik, first vice department October 15, 2026
  • North Korea claims testing of submarine-launched missiles
    North Korea claims testing of submarine-launched missiles SEOUL, October 15 (AJP) -North Korea on Wednesday had tested two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles in the East Sea the previous day, marking its second reported missile test this week, according to a state mouthpiece account Thursday. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the Missile Administration conducted the tests to assess the readiness of underwater combat systems and improve the Navy’s ability to carry out strategic missions. The report did n October 15, 2026
  • Bridge linking North Korea with China to open 12 years after completion
    Bridge linking North Korea with China to open 12 years after completion SEOUL, October 14 (AJP) - A bridge linking the North Korean border city of Sinuiju with China's Dandong is set to open later this week after lying idle for more than a decade, Chinese state media reported on Wednesday. According to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency, a joint opening ceremony for the four-lane New Yalu River Bridge is scheduled for Thursday. The 3,026-meter-long bridge was completed in October 2014, three years after construction began, but remained clos October 14, 2026