SEOUL, March 10 (AJP) - North Korea fired multiple unidentified projectiles toward the West Sea, which appeared to be ballistic missiles, military authorities here said on Monday. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launch from North Korea's Hwanghae Province at around 1:50 p.m., but did not provide further details. The launch comes just hours after the renegade country vowed the "toughest anti-U.S. counteraction," threatening "undesirable cons

SEOUL, March 10 (AJP) - North Korea on Monday denounced South Korea's annual joint defense exercise with the U.S. as a "dangerous provocative act," calling it "an aggressive confrontational war rehearsal," in yet another protest, just days after a similar protest last week. The annual exercise dubbed "Freedom Shield," which kicks off on Monday, is "a dangerous provocative act of leading the acute situation on the Korean Peninsula, which may spa

SEOUL, March 6 (AJP) - Packaged tours to North Korea have been abruptly suspended, according to several travel agencies based in China. Koryo Tours, a British travel agency based in Beijing, said on Thursday that it was notified of a temporary halt to tours to the northeastern special economic zone of Rason, adding that it is looking into the situation. Other travel agencies such as Young Pioneer Tours, founded by a New Zealander in Beijing, and Spain-based KTG Tours, also said t

SEOUL, March 4 (AJP) - North Korea appears to be gradually reopening its borders to foreign tourists after closing off from the outside world in early 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Koryo Tours, a British travel agency based in Beijing, is currently offering a packaged program that includes participation in the annual Pyongyang International Marathon, along with a guided tour of the isolated country's capital. Those who want to compete in the annual spring race for ama

SEOUL, March 4 (AJP) - There are signs that North Korea is resuming operations at its nuclear facilities, according to Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). "There are indications that the uranium enrichment plants at Kangson and Yongbyon continue to operate," said the IAEA chief during a meeting of the agency's Board of Governors in Vienna, Austria on Tuesday. He also said the agency has spotted activities at Yongbyon'

SEOUL, March 4 (AJP) - North Korea has condemned the arrival of a U.S. aircraft carrier in South Korea, denouncing it as "political and military provocations," state media reported on Tuesday. "As soon as its new administration appeared this year, the U.S. has stepped up the political and military provocations against ," North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister Yo-jong said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). "H

SEOUL, March 03 (AJP) - The USS Carl Vinson, a nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier, arrived at a South Korean naval base on Sunday, marking the first visit by a U.S. carrier to the country since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January. The vessel, part of Carrier Strike Group 1, docked at the port in Busan, accompanied by the guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton and the Aegis-equipped destroyer USS Sterett. The South Korean military described the visit a

SEOUL, February 28 (AJP) - North Korea conducted an artillery drill earlier this week in waters off its west coast, North Korean state media reported on Friday. According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), several strategic cruise missiles were launched and "precisely hit their targets" during the drill, which was observed by its leader Kim Jong-un last Wednesday. The drill was aimed at demonstrating the North's "counterattack capability in any space and

SEOUL, February 27 (AJP) - North Korea is believed to have deployed additional troops to assist Russia's war in Ukraine, South Korea's spy agency said on Thursday. "North Korea has apparently sent its troops to Russia's frontline region of Kursk, a territory currently occupied by Ukraine, starting from the first week of February," the National Intelligence Service (NIS) here said in a press release. "We're assessing the exact number of the latest de