N. Korea, Russia to resume passenger train service next month

SEOUL, June 27 (AJU PRESS) - North Korea and Russia are set to resume passenger train services next month, amid deepening ties between the two countries. At the opening ceremony of an expo in Vladivostok early this week, Oleg Kozhemyako, the governor of Russia’s Primorsky Krai, announced the impending resumption. The development follows a recent summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang, where they agreed to strengthe

June 27, 2024

N. Korea claims 'successful launch of multi-warhead missile'

SEOUL, June 27 (AJU PRESS) - North Korea Thursday claimed that it had "successfully" conducted a missile test, contradicting South Korea's assessment that the ballistic missile, fired near Pyongyang the previous day, appeared to have "failed." According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the launch, aimed at testing the individual operation of mobile warheads including a decoy, was a "success." It hailed the achievement as a signifi

June 27, 2024

N. Korea's ballistic missile explodes shortly after launch

SEOUL, June 26 (AJU PRESS) - North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea early Wednesday morning, but the missile exploded in mid-air shortly after liftoff, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The JCS said the missile was launched at around 5:30 a.m. from an area near Pyongyang, but it is "believed to have failed." The South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are conducting further analysis. The missile launch follows Pyongyang'

June 26, 2024

N. Korea, Russia forge new defense alliance, raising concerns about further military cooperation

SEOUL, June 19 (AJU PRESS) - North Korea leader Kim Jong-un and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin signed a pact for a comprehensive strategic partnership after a bilateral summit in Pyongyang on Wednesday. During a joint press conference after 90-minute talks followed by a two-hour one-on-one meeting, the two leaders agreed to elevate their bilateral relationship to the level of alliance through a new treaty. They also vowed to provide mutual assistance in case of aggression ag

June 19, 2024

Inter-Korean tensions rise as S. Korea resumes propaganda broadcasts

SEOUL, June 10 (AJU PRESS) - Inter-Korean tensions are escalating as South Korea resumed propaganda broadcasts near the border with North Korea on Sunday in a tit-for-tat action after North Korea re-launched balloons carrying trash and garbage southwards. As Pyongyang has shown histrionics toward the propaganda broadcasts, some have warned of potential local skirmishes or clashes in the demilitarized zone (DMZ). According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the broadcasts went

June 10, 2024

South Korea to resume military drills near border with N. Korea

SEOUL, June 04 (AJU PRESS) - South Korea’s military will resume artillery firing and other training exercises near the border with North Korea, following the government’s suspension of the Sept. 19, 2018 inter-Korean military agreement. The move came in response to a series of North Korean provocations, including last November’s launch of a military spy satellite and recent landings of trash-carrying balloons in South Korea. The resumption of military drills

June 4, 2024

S. Korea mulls resuming propaganda broadcasts along border

SEOUL, June 03 (AJU PRESS) - South Korea is considering resuming loudspeaker broadcasts in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) as a countermeasure against North Korea's balloons carrying garbage and feces, the presidential office said on Sunday. A high-ranking official said that Seoul is not ruling out the possibility of resuming psychological warfare using loudspeakers to respond to North Korea's garbage balloons and is preparing for it. "We will come up with a measure soon

June 3, 2024

N. Korea fires barrage of short-range missiles into East Sea

SEOUL, May 30 (AJU PRESS) - North Korea fired a barrage of missiles into the East Sea, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Thursday. According to the JCS, North Korea launched about 10 projectiles, presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs), from Sunan near Pyongyang at around 6:14 a.m. (2114 GMT) on Thursday. The missiles flew approximately 350 kilometers (217 miles) before crashing into the sea. South Korea's military authorities speculated that

May 30, 2024

N. Korea's attempt to launch another spy satellite fails

SEOUL, May 28 (AJU PRESS) - North Korea's attempt to launch a space rocket carrying a military spy satellite ended in failure, the renegade country said Tuesday. The attempt came just several hours after Pyongyang informed of its plan to launch a satellite into orbit by June 4. "The launch of the new satellite carrier rocket failed when it exploded in mid-air during the flight of the first stage," the North's state-run Korean News Agency reported. Earlier,

May 28, 2024

N. Korea to launch another satellite this week

SEOUL, May 27 (AJU PRESS) - North Korea is poised to launch a space rocket carrying a military spy satellite sometime this week, Japan's news agency Kyodo News and public broadcaster NHK reported Monday, citing the Cabinet Secretariat of Japan. The launch plan came just hours before President Yoon Suk Yeol is about to hold a trilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Seoul on Monday. Japan has confirmed that North Korea inf

May 27, 2024