Suspicious border activities in N. Korea suggest growing instability amid elite defections

SEOUL, July 23 (AJU PRESS) - North Korea has been building walls and digging holes along the border with South Korea, recent satellite images suggest. An analysis of satellite photos from American earth-imaging company Planet Labs shows newly-elected structures resembling walls along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), an area already heavily-fortified with landmines and high fences. Construction of these structures seemed to have started early this year, as they were not seen until at l

July 23, 2024

N. Korean athletes arrive in Paris for first Olympic appearance in 8 years

SEOUL, July 22 (AJU PRESS) - North Korean athletes arrived in Paris on Sunday, about a week ahead of the Summer Olympics in the French capital. Upon arrival at the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, about two dozen North Koreans, including sports officials, avoided media encounters by using separate gates while the French police kept onlookers from approaching them. The isolated country's Olympic participation marks its return after eight years, following its absence from the

July 22, 2024

S. Korea unwilling to stop activist groups from sending propaganda leaflets to N. Korea

SEOUL, July 19 (AJU PRESS) - The Unification Ministry said on Friday that it has no plans to stop activist groups from sending propaganda leaflets to North Korea to guarantee their freedom of speech. The ministry cited a September 2023 ruling by the Constitutional Court of Korea, which struck down a 2020 law that defined sending such leaflets to the North as "criminal activity." Sending balloons over the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is a decades-old practice. South Korean ac

July 19, 2024

Trump speaks on Kim Jong-un in acceptance speech

SEOUL, July 19 (AJU PRESS) - Former U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the current White House's foreign policy on North Korea on Thursday, boasting about his ties with the isolated country's leader Kim Jong-un. In a lengthy, off-script speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin accepting his official GOP nomination for the upcoming presidential election in November, Trump said, "I get along with him, he'd like to see me back too. I thi

July 19, 2024

UN report condemns forced labor in N. Korea

SEOUL, July 17 (AJU PRESS) - North Korean has committed grave human rights abuses by subjecting its people to a "controlled and exploited" system of forced labor, according to a fresh U.N. report released on Tuesday. Based on 183 interviews conducted between 2015 and 2023 with victims and witnesses of such labor system, UN Human Rights Office highlighted the renegade country's serious human rights violations in the report. "The testimonies in this repor

July 17, 2024

Russia dismisses S. Korea's warning amid strained relations

SEOUL, July 9 (AJU PRESS) - Russia has responded with diplomatic rhetoric, dismissing Korea's recent warning "not to make any mistakes" that could harm bilateral relations. According to Russia's state-run news agency Ria Novosti, Russia's presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said Monday that the Kremlin does not agree with Seoul's approach. "We are supporters of building good relations with all states in the region -- both with [North Kor

July 9, 2024

N. Korea marks 30th anniversary of regime founder's death amid tensions with S. Korea

SEOUL, July 8 (AJU PRESS) - North Korea appears to be in a festive mood on Monday, marking the 30th anniversary of regime founder Kim Il-sung's death. The North's state-run Rodong Sinmun Sunday fervently praised his achievements, calling him "a devoted leader" who ruled the renegade country for nearly half a century. All eyes are now on whether the current North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will visit his grandfather's mausoleum. Since he came into power in 201

July 8, 2024

N. Korea says it successfully test-fired new tactical ballistic missile

SEOUL, July 2 (AJU PRESS) - North Korea successfully test-fired a new tactical ballistic missile, state media reported Tuesday. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the previous day that two projectiles were fired eastwards from a launch site in South Hwanghae Province at around 5:00 a.m. (2000 GMT) and traveled about 600 kilometers (372 miles) and 120 kilometers, respectively. Pyongyang's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the missile, codenamed "H

July 2, 2024

N. Korea fires two ballistic missiles after trilateral exercise in S. Korea

SEOUL, July 01 (AJU PRESS) - North Korea fired two ballistic missiles eastward early Monday morning, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. A short-range ballistic missile was launched from an area near South Hwanghae Province at around 5:00 a.m. and another some 15 minutes later. They flew about 600 kilometers and 120 kilometers, respectively. Monday's launch occurred just two days after a trilateral miliary exercise involving South Korea, the U.S., and Japan

July 1, 2024

S. Korea to keep eye on possible dispatch of N. Korean engineering forces to Ukraine

SEOUL, June 28 (AJU PRESS) - Following a series of news reports that North Korea could send engineering forces to Ukraine, South Korea's Ministry of Unification said Friday that it is keeping an eye on further developments. Last week, cable channel TV Chosun, citing an anonymous government official, reported that Pyongyang is likely to dispatch engineering forces to Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast, currently occupied by Russian forces, to engage in reconstruction projects there as

June 28, 2024