South Korea to repatriate six North Koreans rescued at sea

SEOUL, July 7 (AJP) - Six North Koreans who were rescued after drifting into South Korean waters earlier this year are expected to be repatriated to North Korea soon. The Ministry of Unification here said on Monday that it plans to send them back to the North as early as this week, as they have expressed their willingness to return to their country. "They have expressed their strong desire to return to North Korea, so we decided to repatriate them promptly from a humanitaria

July 7, 2025

N. Korea steps up tribute efforts ahead of Kim Il-sung's 31st death anniversary

SEOUL, July 07 (AJP) - North Korea is ramping up memorial activities ahead of the 31st anniversary of founding leader Kim Il-sung's death on July 8, with state media reinforcing his legacy and ideological vision. In a two-page article titled "Only for the people, relying on the people," published by the ruling Workers' Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun on Monday, Kim was hailed as a "peerless great man" whose life was guided by the principle of Iminwi Cheon,

July 7, 2025

North Korea denounces Quad's demand for denuclearization

SEOUL, July 4 (AJP) - North Korea on Friday slammed the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad over its "coercive" demand for the isolated country's complete denuclearization, calling it a "provocation" that infringes on its sovereignty. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) accused the informal alliance, which was formed among Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. to counter China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region, of "reckl

July 4, 2025

N. Korea reaffirms nuclear status and blasts S. Korea and US for joint drills

SEOUL, July 3 (AJP) - North Korea issued a sharp rebuke on Thursday to the United States over joint military exercises with South Korea and the deployment of strategic assets in the region, calling them “provocative acts” that aggravate tensions on the Korean Peninsula. In an editorial carried by the state-run Rodong Sinmun, Pyongyang claimed that the U.S. has “repeatedly staged acts of provocation” through combined military drills since the end of the Kore

July 3, 2025

FBI on hunt for disguised North Korean IT workers in crypto theft scheme

SEOUL, July 2 (AJP) - U.S. federal investigators have been searching for four North Koreans allegedly involved in an IT scheme to steal cryptocurrency from blockchain firms and launder the illicit proceeds of their thefts. According to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), they were placed on a wanted list on Tuesday with a reward of up to US$5 million for information leading to their capture. "Kim Kwang Jin, Kang Tae Bok, Jong Pong Ju, and Chang Nam Il are wanted

July 2, 2025

North Korea's massive coastal tourist zone opens after epic delay

SEOUL, July 2 (AJP) - North Korea has opened its long-awaited tourist zone in the eastern coastal area of Kangwon Province after years of construction delays, state-run media reported on Wednesday. According to the country's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the "magnificent tourist attraction which is unparalleled in the world" was opened to the public the previous day with "many guests" on the first day of its grand opening. Located in the so

July 2, 2025

Trump may seek meeting with Kim Jong-un at Panmunjom during October APEC visit, says Victor Cha

SEOUL, July 01 (AJP) - United States President Donald Trump may attempt to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at Panmunjom during his expected visit to South Korea for the APEC summit in October, according to Victor Cha, Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Speaking during a CSIS webinar held on June 30 (local time), Cha said a Trump and Kim meeting could be on the table, especially given the president's history of pursuing bold diplomati

July 1, 2025

N. Korean leader Russian culture minister, pushes for stronger cultural ties

SEOUL, June 30 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova in Pyongyang on Sunday, highlighting growing cultural cooperation between the two countries. The visit marked one year since the signing of the North Korea-Russia Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which took place during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Pyongyang in June last year. The meeting was held at the headquarters of the Workers' Party of

June 30, 2025

Kim Jong-un's wife surfaces for first time in about 18 months

SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's wife appeared at an event for the grand opening of a coastal tourist zone, state media reported on Thursday. According to the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim attended a ceremony on Tuesday marking the completion of the Wonsan and Kalma tourist zone in Kangwon Province, one of his pet projects, as he apparently aims to boost the country's tourism industry as a source of hard currency for hi

June 26, 2025

Railway services connecting Pyongyang and Moscow resume after pandemic halt

SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - Railway services linking Pyongyang and Moscow have resumed after being halted for five years amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to Russian state media. The Kremlin's state-run news agency TASS reported that a passenger train that departed the North Korean capital last week arrived at Moscow's Yaroslavsky railway station on Wednesday after a journey of about eight days. But the first train that departed from Pyongyang on June 17 had "no pa

June 26, 2025