South Korean troops fire warning shots as North Korean soldiers cross MDL

SEOUL, August 24 (AJP) - South Korean troops fired warning shots after more than 30 North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on Aug. 19, the United Nations Command (UNC) confirmed Sunday. The MDL, drawn under the 1953 armistice, runs through the center of the DMZ, a 250-kilometer-long buffer separating the two Koreas. Unauthorized crossings are unusual and are considered serious violations of the armistice. Accord

August 24, 2025

US think tank spots another secret missile base in North Korea

SEOUL, August 21 (AJP) - Another North Korean missile base has been spotted near Chinese border, U.S.-based think tank reveals. According to a report released on the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)'s Beyond Parallel website, the "undisclosed" missile base, believed to produce intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, is located in Sinpung, North Pyongan Province near the border with China. "The base is one o

August 21, 2025

Kim Jong-un's sister throws another tantrum against South Korea

SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, Yo-jong, has again criticized South Korea, saying it is not even a "partner" in diplomatic relations. South Korea "cannot be a diplomatic partner of the ," she said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday. She added that Seoul, as its "most hostile state," is "not serious, weighty, or honest." Snubbing South Korean Pr

August 20, 2025

North Korea condemns South Korea's joint exercise with US

SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - North Korea on Tuesday denounced South Korea's ongoing joint military exercise with the U.S. which began the previous day, calling it a "clear expression" of its hostile stance toward Pyongyang, state media reported on Tuesday. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim lambasted the exercise, saying it revealed the South's "intention to remain most hostile and confrontational" toward the North, despite the

August 19, 2025

Pyongyang denies removal of propaganda loudspeakers along border

SEOUL, August 14 (AJP) - North Korea on Thursday reiterated that it has no intention of restoring ties with South Korea. "We have clarified on several occasions that we have no will to improve relations with the ," said Kim Yo-jong, the sister of the isolated country's leader Kim Jong-un, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Her remarks came as she denied recent claims by South Korean military authorities that the North had begun dism

August 14, 2025

North Korea 'embraces nascent mobile payment services'

SEOUL, August 8 (AJP) - North Korea appears to have embraced nascent mobile payment and digital wallet services. More and more North Koreans are making payments using mobile phones, with cash transactions "becoming increasingly rare," the Choson Sinbo, a mouthpiece for Pyongyang in Japan, reported on Thursday. According to the daily published by the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan or Chongryon, residents in Pyongyang are now able to use their mobile dev

August 8, 2025

Washington remains 'open' to talks with North Korea despite snub

SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump remains 'open' to reengaging in talks with North Korea, Reuters reported on Monday. Citing a White House official, it said, Trump "remains open to engaging with to achieve a fully denuclearized North Korea." The response came shortly after Kim's sister, Yo-jong, snubbed Trump's repeated overtures for rapprochement with the isolated country. In a statement carried by t

July 29, 2025

North Korea shuts the door on dialogue, brushes off Lee Jae-myung's outreach

SEOUL, July 28 (AJP) - North Korea has flatly rejected South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's recent gestures of reconciliation, accusing Seoul of political insincerity and declaring there is "no issue to be discussed" between the two sides. The statement, released Monday by Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, underscores Pyongyang's decision to sever what little remained of inter-Korean communication. To understand the b

July 28, 2025

US sanctions more North Korean workers over illicit overseas schemes

SEOUL, July 25 (AJP) - More North Korean firms and workers involved in illicit schemes abroad have been sanctioned by the U.S. The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Thursday sanctioned North Korean trading company Sobaeksu and three IT workers as "part of a collaborative effort" with the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and State, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations to counter North Korea's "wide-ranging r

July 25, 2025

North Korea lures foreign tourists with huge discounts for next year's marathon event

SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) - North Korea appears to be eager to earn hard currency, as it has already started offering deals for its annual marathon event for next spring. According to ads on Tuesday by Koryo Tours, a Beijing-based agency specializing in travel to the isolated country, early-bird discounts of 50 percent are available until Sept. 1 for those who sign up for the Pyongyang International Marathon, which is scheduled for April next year. Without detailed itineraries and oth

July 22, 2025