Xi to visit North Korea for summit next week SEOUL, June 5 (AJP) - Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea next week for a summit with the reclusive country's leader Kim Jong-un, state media in both countries reported on Friday. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Xi will pay a state visit to North Korea from June 8 to 9 at Kim's invitation. China's International Department of the Communist Party also confirmed the visit, saying Xi would travel to North Korea at the request o June 5, 2026

North Korea snubs Quad's call for denuclearization SEOUL, May 28 (AJP) - North Korea said Thursday it will "never give up its nuclear weapons," denouncing a joint statement by the foreign ministers of Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. earlier this week that called for the North's complete denuclearization. In a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, a spokesperson for the country's Foreign Ministry said the denuclearization of North Korea will "never happen." North Ko May 28, 2026

North Korea 'conducts tests of major weapons' SEOUL, May 27 (AJP) - North Korea "conducted tests of newly-developed lightweight multi-purpose missile launching system and multiple tactical cruise missile weapon system," state media reported on Wednesday. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), its leader Kim Jong-un inspected the previous day's "tests of major weapons" which were part of the country's five-year plan for "modernizing the artillery and missile armed forces&qu May 27, 2026

N. Korea tests mixed-fire tactics as Xi's possible Pyongyang trip looms SEOUL, May 26 (AJP) - North Korea fired several close-range ballistic missiles and artillery rockets into the Yellow Sea on Tuesday, South Korea’s military said, amid speculation that Chinese President Xi Jinping could visit Pyongyang soon. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected various types of projectiles, including close-range ballistic missiles, fired from the area of Jongju, North Pyongan Province, toward waters off the North’s west coast at around 1 p.m. The May 26, 2026

North Korea to convene party plenum and may harden 'two-state' line SEOUL, May 25 (AJP) - North Korea will convene a key Workers’ Party meeting in late June to review first-half policy implementation and discuss its agenda for the rest of the year, state media reported Monday, in what could offer clues to Pyongyang’s next steps after formally erasing unification from its constitution. The ruling party’s Political Bureau adopted a decision on Sunday to call the second plenary meeting of the ninth Central Committee in late June, th May 25, 2026

North Korean football club's South visit unlikely to thaw inter-Korean ties: report SEOUL, May 23 (AJP) - North Korean women’s football club Naegohyang FC’s recent visit to South Korea is unlikely to lead to a broader thaw in inter-Korean relations, a South Korean state-run think tank said Friday. A recent report by the Institute for National Security Strategy said the visit should be viewed not as a signal of reconciliation but as “a limited form of contact between two states through an international sporting event,” according to researcher May 23, 2026

State media breaks silence to cover North Korea's win over South Korea in women's football SEOUL, May 21 (AJP) - North Korea advanced to the final of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League after beating South Korea, state media reported on Thursday. Breaking its silence over the reclusive country's footballers' trip to South Korea last weekend, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported briefly that its Naegohyang Women's Football Club beat its rival 2–1 in a semifinal match in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province May 21, 2026

North Korean footballers get hero's welcome home after record fifth Asian Cup title SEOUL, May 20 (AJP) - Young North Korean footballers received a hero's welcome as they returned home after winning the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-17 Women's Asian Cup, state media reported on Wednesday. North Korea beat Japan 5-1 in the final in Jiangsu, China last Sunday to win the biennial tournament for a record fifth time, successfully defending the title it won in Indonesia in 2024. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the players May 20, 2026

North Korean leader orders 'strengthening of front-line units along border with South Korea' SEOUL, May 18 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the strengthening of front-line units along the border with South Korea and called for turning the area into an "impregnable fortress," state media reported on Monday. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim convened a meeting with military and defense officials the previous day to outline plans for "remodeling the military organizational structure and strengthening the first May 18, 2026

N. Korean women's football team arrives in S. Korea ahead of historic inter-Korean clash SEOUL, May 17 (AJP) - A North Korean women's football team arrived in South Korea on Sunday to compete in the Asian Football Confederation Women's Champions League semifinals, setting the stage for a rare and highly anticipated inter-Korean match. The Naegohyang Women's FC delegation, consisting of 27 players and 12 staff members, landed at Incheon International Airport at approximately 2:20 p.m., according to South Korea's Ministry of Unification. The team is s May 17, 2026