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  About 1 in 4 NK defectors show chromosomal anomalies; no proven radiation link SEOUL, March 23 (AJP) - Roughly one in four North Korean defectors who lived near the country’s main nuclear test site has shown signs of chromosomal abnormalities potentially consistent with radiation exposure, the Unification Ministry said Monday, while stressing that no causal link has been established. The findings are based on 2024 tests conducted by the National Radiation Emergency Medical Center under the Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences. The study e March 23, 2026
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  NK assembly reaffirms Kim Jong-un as head of state, watched for Iran response SEOUL, March 23 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was reappointed as head of state at the opening session of the new Supreme People’s Assembly, closely watched for Pyongyang's rhetoric on inter-Korean relationship, U.S., and nuclear amid U.S.-led attacks on Iran over Tehran's nuclear ambitions. The Korean Central News Agency said the first session of the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly opened in Pyongyang and “again highly elevated Comrade Kim Jong-un March 23, 2026
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  North Korea conducts military drill with new battle tanks SEOUL, March 20 (AJP) - North Korea conducted an "offensive tactical drill of infantrymen and tankmen's sub-units," state media reported on Friday. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), its leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the drill featuring "new-type main battle tanks" the previous day. Kim was quoted as saying the tanks, which made their debut demonstrating their "remarkable combat efficiency," are "highly superi March 20, 2026
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  North Korea warns of 'destruction' as Japan moves to lift lethal arms export ban SEOUL, March 20 (AJP) - North Korea's state news agency, the Korean Central News Agency, denounced a legislative push in Tokyo to dismantle decades of restrictions on the export of lethal weaponry through a formal commentary on Friday. The media outlet characterized the move by the Liberal Democratic Party and Japan Innovation Party as a final abandonment of the "exclusively defense-oriented" posture Japan adopted following its defeat in World War II. The proposal re March 20, 2026
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  NK launches development plan to turn Pyongyang into a "world-class" city SEOUL, March 18 (AJP) - North Korea has launched a new phase of its ambitious housing construction and urban redevelopment plan to transform its capital of Pyongyang into a “world-class city,” state media reported. Top officials, including the newly-appointed ruling Workers' Party of Korea construction chief Kim Jong-gwan, held a launch ceremony and exhibition of equipment Tuesday to mark the start of the fifth phase of the Hwasong district development in the capital March 18, 2026
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  GULF CRISIS: Iran war gives Kim Jong-un more reason to cling to nuclear arms SEOUL, March 18 (AJP) - The war in Iran — marked by the killing of top leaders and relentless airstrikes since the United States launched Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28 — will be watched closely by one man in particular: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Among the states once grouped by President George W. Bush in the “axis of evil,” only one regime remains intact: Pyongyang. Saddam Hussein, who ruled Iraq for nearly a quarter century, was toppled in the March 18, 2026
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  North Korea conducts 'firepower strike drill,' with leader hinting at more drills to come SEOUL, March 15 (AJP) - North Korea conducted a "firepower strike drill," attended by its leader Kim Jong-un, state media reported on Sunday. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the drill "involved twelve 600mm-caliber ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies," with Kim quoted as referring to it as "aimed at making the army do what it should do." Photos released later also showed he was accompan March 15, 2026
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  North Korea fires over 10 ballistic missiles despite Trump's outreach SEOUL, March 14 (AJP) - North Korea launched more than 10 ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Saturday, South Korea’s military said. “Our military detected more than 10 unidentified ballistic missiles launched toward the East Sea from the Sunan area near Pyongyang today at around 1:20 p.m.,” the JCS said in a statement. The military added that it has strengthened surveillance and vigilance in preparation for additional launches while closely sharing rela March 14, 2026
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  North Korea-China passenger train resumes service ahead of Trump's visit to Beijing SEOUL, March 13 (AJP) - A passenger train linking North Korea and China arrived in Beijing on Friday, resuming service for the first time in six years shortly after Pyongyang closed its border due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The train, which departed Pyongyang at around 10:30 a.m. the previous day, arrived at a railway station in Beijing the next morning after its lengthy journey of about 25 hours. Another passenger train from Beijing to Pyongyang also departed at a March 13, 2026
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  Photos show North Korean leader and daughter firing pistols during on-site inspection SEOUL, March 12 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a munitions factory producing light weapons such as pistols, state media reported on Thursday. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, Kim visited the factory the previous day to "learn about the munitions production." He was quoted as urging officials to "expand the factory's production capacity in a far-sighted way and raise the level of modernization of the production li March 12, 2026