North Korea sends high-ranking delegation to UN for first time in seven years

SEOUL, September 26 (AJP) - North Korea's high-ranking official has left Pyongyang to attend the ongoing session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on Friday. Along with his entourage, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son-gyong arrived in Beijing on an Air Koryo flight the previous day, en route to New York, becoming North Korea’s first high-level official to attend the annual UN gathering in sev

September 26, 2025

North Korea now 'has 2,000 kg of highly enriched uranium'

SEOUL, September 25 (AJP) - North Korea is believed to possess up to 2,000 kg of highly enriched uranium (HEU), which could be used to produce nuclear weapons, Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young said on Thursday. "Estimates suggest that North Korea's HEU stockpiles are around 2,000 kg," he said during a press conference in Seoul, citing assessments from experts. If accurate, this would be enough for roughly 100 nuclear weapons, as 20 to 25 kg of uranium is suf

September 25, 2025

How Lee's new North Korea initiative differs from previous approaches

SEOUL, September 24 (AJP) - South Korean President Lee Jae-myung outlined a new phased approach to North Korea's denuclearization during a keynote speech at the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. Dubbed the "END" initiative, it reflects his vision for easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula through exchange, normalization, and denuclearization. "We must end the era of hostility and confrontation on the Korean Peninsula," said Lee, stressin

September 24, 2025

Can upcoming APEC summit offer breakthrough in inter-Korean relations with Xi and Trump in attendance?

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrive at a state reception in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2025, marking the 80th anniversary of China's "Victory Day." TASS-Yonhap SEOUL, September 23 (AJP) - With Chinese President Xi Jinping set to visit South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit late next month, experts are speculating on a possible breakthrough in inter-Korean relations. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung'

September 23, 2025

Kim Jong-un reaffirms closer ties with Xi Jinping in message through domestic newspaper

SEOUL, September 23 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reaffirmed his country’s commitment to strengthening ties with China, sending a reply letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping that was published on the front page of Rodong Sinmun on Tuesday. The letter was written in response to Xi’s earlier congratulatory message marking the 77th anniversary of North Korea’s founding. In the official English version of the message, provided by the Korean Central New

September 23, 2025

Seoul ready to play the mediator, but uninvited by NK and US

SEOUL, September 22 (AJP) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung offers to act as a mediator between the United States and North Korea in hopes to relive the historic scene of the leaders of two Koreas and U.S. standing side by side on Korean soil during the upcoming APEC summit in Gyeongju. In an interview with the BBC released Monday, Lee said he would accept a deal between Washington and Pyongyang under which North Korea freezes its nuclear weapons program, calling it a "

September 22, 2025

Kim Jong-un signals openness to US talks while rejecting S. Korea as partner

SEOUL, September 22 (AJP) - In a speech delivered at the Supreme People’s Assembly in Pyongyang on Sunday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he could meet with the United States if Washington abandoned its insistence on denuclearization, while ruling out dialogue or unification with South Korea, "I still personally have good memories of President Trump," Kim said, according to the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on September 22. "If

September 22, 2025

North Korean leader inspects test of tactical drones

SEOUL, September 19 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a test of tactical drones and instructed enhancements to their operational capabilities, state media reported Friday. The test demonstrated the "excellent combat effectiveness of the Kumsong-series tactical attack drones," with Kim expressing his satisfaction with the test results, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. It is the first time that North Korean media has mentioned the &q

September 19, 2025

S. Korea mulls renaming term for N. Korean defectors as integration deepens

SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said the government is studying the possibility of changing the widely used Korean term "Talbukmin" (탈북민, translated as defector) to refer to North Korean arrivals, reflecting a shift in perceptions as more North Korean-born residents take active roles in society. According to the Ministry of Unification on Tuesday, Chung's remarks were made during his opening speech session of the

September 16, 2025

North Korea vows nuclear weapons program to remain 'irreversible'

SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - North Korean state media on Monday condemned Washington for infringing on the country's sovereignty, citing a statement from its permanent mission to the U.N. in Vienna, where it reiterated that its status as a nuclear weapons state is "irreversible" under its constitution and vowed to "thoroughly oppose and reject" any attempt to change it. "We strongly denounce and reject the U.S. provocative act of revealing once again its

September 15, 2025