Kim Jong-un invited to Russia: Russian deputy foreign min SEOUL, September 25 (AJP) - Russia has invited North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to visit the country, with the timing to be arranged through diplomatic channels, as Moscow and Pyongyang deepen a relationship that has evolved from political alignment into a military alliance. “Kim Jong-un has been invited to visit our country. Russia will always be glad to welcome the leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rude September 25, 2026

Lee regrets Kyiv breaking confidentiality over N. Korean POW transfer SEOUL, September 25 (AJP) -South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, still on a state visit to Mexico, expressed regret over Ukraine’s public disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea and pushed back against opposition claims that his government had improperly concealed the sensitive operation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed in his U.N. General Assembly speech that two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting for Russia h September 25, 2026

North Korea vows "irreversible" nuclear-state status SEOUL, September 24 (AJP) -North Korea vowed Thursday to keep its nuclear weapons “forever,” rejecting a renewed denuclearization push by South Korea, the United States and Japan as Seoul seeks to revive long-stalled dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang. Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said Pyongyang's nuclear status was irreversible and would remain unchanged for “a hundred or a thousand years,” according to a statement carried by the state-run Korean September 24, 2026

Seoul does not deny Zelensky's claim 2 North Korean POWs sent to South Korea SEOUL, September 24 (AJP) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed at the United Nations that two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting for Russia have been transferred to South Korea, an announcement Seoul stopped short of confirming but did not deny. “Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea,” Zelensky said in his address to the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Wednesday. He gave no details on when or how the t September 24, 2026

North Korea stays mum on missile launches over the weekend SEOUL, September 21 (AJP) - North Korea on Monday still made no mention of its launches of ballistic missiles over the weekend, breaking with its usual practice of publicizing such tests the following morning through its state-run Korean Central News Agency. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, it detected a missile fired from Wonsan, Kangwon Province at around 3 p.m., followed roughly three hours later by another missile. The first missile traveled approximately 450 kilometers September 21, 2026

Former envoy says Trump could propose Pyongyang summit SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said President Donald Trump could propose a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China in November, with Pyongyang potentially emerging as a venue despite slim prospects for an immediate diplomatic breakthrough. Speaking at the West Coast Exchange conference hosted by Korea Risk Group in Incheon on Thursday, Biegun said North Korea's re September 18, 2026

North Korea's nuclear tests reactivated dormant faults, study finds SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - North Korea's underground nuclear tests reactivated dormant faults beneath Mt. Mantap, triggering years of seismic activity, a new study published Thursday in the U.S. academic journal Science found. Researchers led by Kim Kwang-hee, a professor of geological sciences at Pusan National University, and Xingli Fan of Chengdu University of Technology analyzed 17 years of continuous seismic data collected in South Korea and northeastern China. In an ex September 18, 2026

North Korean leader's sister lashes out again at US-led drills SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, again criticized a U.S.-led multinational military exercise in the Asia-Pacific, accusing Washington and its allies of escalating regional tensions and warning that Pyongyang could respond with stronger measures. In a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency on Friday, Kim condemned Pacific Vanguard, a two-week maritime exercise involving the U.S. and sever September 18, 2026

North Korean leader's sister reiterates 'absolute' nuclear-armed status SEOUL, September 17 (AJP) - Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday reiterated that Pyongyang's status as a nuclear-armed state is "absolute" and cannot be reversed by any means. In a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim dismissed renewed intonational calls for North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program, calling them "all noise." She added that no matter how " September 17, 2026

Court orders North Korea to compensate Seoul for blowing up liaison office SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday ordered North Korea to pay 44.63 billion won (US$33 million) in damages to South Korea for blowing up the inter-Korean liaison office building in the border town of Kaesong in 2020. The amount covers 10.25 billion won for the cost of the liaison office, which was built with South Korean money, and 34.45 billion for the annexes. The two Koreas opened the liaison office in September 2018 to facilitate int September 16, 2026