news highlight

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  North Korean leader sends congratulatory letter for Xi's birthday SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a congratulatory message along with a flower basket to Chinese President Xi Jinping on his birthday, state media reported on Monday. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim delivered his wishes for Xi's "good health" in the message sent last Sunday, while praising his "great achievements" on the occasion of Xi's 73rd birthday. It comes after Xi visited Pyo June 16, 2026
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  South Korean president offers olive branch in Vatican despite Pyongyang's snub SEOUL, June 14 (AJP) -South Korean President Lee Jae Myung used a Vatican peace gathering on Sunday to renew his offer of dialogue and reconciliation with North Korea, insisting that the "ember of hope" for inter-Korean cooperation remains alive despite Pyongyang's continued refusal to engage with Seoul. Speaking at a special Mass for peace and solidarity at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, Lee framed his administration's North Korea policy a June 14, 2026
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  North Korea reaffirms to treat South as enemy state upon Korea-EU summit SEOUL, June 14 (AJP) -North Korea blasted South Korea and the European Union's recent summit statement condemning Pyongyang's military cooperation with Russia, accusing President Lee Jae Myung of abandoning his peace rhetoric and insisting it will continue to regard Seoul as a permanent hostile state. In a statement carried Saturday by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, a spokesperson for the North Korean Foreign Ministry said South Korea remains "an invariable June 14, 2026
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  North Korea's nuclear spending rises as global focus on denuclearization fades SEOUL, June 10 (AJP) - North Korea spent an estimated $656 million on its nuclear weapons program last year, according to a new report that underscores Pyongyang's steady advance toward a larger nuclear arsenal as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, along with intensifying great-power rivalry, push denuclearization further down the global agenda. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, or ICAN, said in its latest report that the world's nine nuclear-armed sta June 10, 2026
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  North Korean state media highlights Xi's visit with extensive front-page coverage SEOUL, June 10 (AJP) - North Korean state media gave extensive coverage to Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Pyongyang earlier this week, highlighting close ties between the two traditional allies. In its Wednesday edition, the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper devoted four of its six pages to Xi's two-day visit and his summit with leader Kim Jong-un. Along with more than 50 photos, it carried detailed accounts of Xi's itinerary in Pyongyang, from his arrival on June 10, 2026
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  North Korea returns to international headlines amid renewed China-Russia rivalry SEOUL, June 09 (AJP) - North Korea's young ruler Kim Jong-un, who once dominated international headlines through his unprecedented courtship with U.S. President Donald Trump during the latter's first term, is back on front pages – this time under the arms of the elder strongmen of a resurgent authoritarian axis. During his latest visit to Pyongyang — his first in seven years — Chinese President Xi Jinping called for expanded exchanges with North Korea in June 9, 2026
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  Chinese state media provide lavish coverage of Xi's trip to Pyongyang SEOUL, June 9 (AJP) - Chinese state media on Tuesday gave extensive coverage to Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to North Korea, as he began his first trip to the reclusive country in about seven years the previous day. Highlighting a friendly atmosphere between the two traditional allies, China's state-run People's Daily devoted its front pages to stories on Xi's trip, packed with images of Xi and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un smiling, shaking hands at their June 9, 2026
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  Chinese president drops denuclearization from North Korea summit agenda SEOUL, June 09 (AJP) - Chinese President Xi Jinping completely excluded references to denuclearization and the Korean Peninsula during his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang on Monday. The omission marks a fundamental realignment in how Beijing treats its neighbor, pivoting from managing regional security to utilizing the country as an active strategic asset against South Korea and its allies. This strategic shift dismantles the long-standing framework for p June 9, 2026
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  Experts urge 'peaceful coexistence' strategy at timely forum as Xi visits Pyongyang SEOUL, June 8 (AJP) - "South Korea should become a country that designs the agenda and conditions that force North Korea and the United States to meet again, rather than a country waiting for a North Korea-U.S. summit." A forum hosted by a South Korean parliamentary research group, which coincided with Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Pyongyang on Monday, called for Seoul to pursue a strategy of "peaceful coexistence" with North Korea amid the June 8, 2026