North Korea condemns Australia's nuclear submarine deal with US

The leaders of Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. attend a ceremony for the security pact between the three countries, known as AUKUS, at a naval base in San Diego, in this file photo from March 2023. Reuters-Yonhap SEOUL, February 20 (AJP) - North Korea has criticized Australia's plan to acquire nuclear-powered submarines from Washington through its trilateral security pact with the U.S. and U.K. In a commentary on Thursday, the official Korean Central News Agency condemned Australi

February 20, 2025

Travel agencies in China to resume tours to North Korea

SEOUL, February 19 (AJP) - Travel agencies in China have begun selling group tours to North Korea this month. If realized, it would mark the first such trips in five years, though it remains to be seen whether the isolated country will fully reopen its borders. Zhixing Heyi, a Beijing-based travel agency, is currently offering a three-night, four-day tour to Rason, North Korea's easternmost border region, departing on Feb. 24. The agency said it had received an official notic

February 19, 2025

Kim Jong-un visits mausoleum on father's birth anniversary

SEOUL, February 17 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a mausoleum to pay tribute to his late father on the anniversary of his birth, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Monday. His sister Yo-jong and other high-ranking officials accompanied him on his visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang where his father and grandfather's embalmed bodies lie in state. According to KCNA, Kim "expressed his solemn commitment to dedicating himself to

February 17, 2025

North Korea 'poised to mass-produce ICBMs,' US commander says

SEOUL, February 14 (AJP) - North Korea is likely to soon begin mass production of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, a U.S. military commander speculated on Thursday. In a written statement to the Senate Committed on Armed Services, Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, claimed North Korea "probably can deliver a nuclear payload to targets throughout North Americ

February 14, 2025

North Korea 'begins dismantling inter-Korean facility at Mt. Kumgang'

SEOUL, February 13 (AJP) - North Korea has begun dismantling an inter-Korean facility at Mt. Kumgang, the Unification Ministry said on Thursday. Once a symbol of inter-Korean cooperation, the facility, used for reunions of families separated by the Korean War at the scenic resort, is the last remaining one among those built by the South for inter-Korean projects amid a thaw in relations between the two Koreas in the early 2000s. "North Korea's unilateral demolition of th

February 13, 2025

North Korea condemns arrival of US nuclear-powered sub in Busan

SEOUL, February 11 (AJP) - North Korea on Tuesday condemned the arrival of a U.S. nuclear-powered submarine in Busan the previous day. The USS Alexandria, a Los Angeles-class attack submarine, docked at a naval base in the southern port city to resupply and provide rest for its crew. Commissioned in 1991, the Alexandria is making its first visit to South Korea. "We express grave concern over the U.S. dangerous hostile military act that can lead the acute military confront

February 11, 2025

North Korea vows to further bolster nuclear arsenal

SEOUL, February 9 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reaffirmed his determination to further develop the country's nuclear weapons program and vowed to strongly respond to the "threats" the country faces. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Sunday that the U.S.-led trilateral security alliance, along with South Korea and Japan, poses "a grave challenge to the security environment" of North Korea, quoting its leader as saying. D

February 9, 2025

Number of North Korean defectors slightly increases despite tighter border controls

A group of North Korean defectors arrive in Seoul, in this file photo from April 2016. Courtesy of the Ministry of Unification SEOUL, February 7 (AJP) - The number of North Korean defectors here reached 236 last year, up 20.4 percent from the previous year. The uptick was partly due to those who had been stranded in third countries during the coronavirus pandemic finally making their way to the South. According to the Ministry of Unification on Tuesday, some 26 of them were men, wh

February 7, 2025

Rampant human rights violations continue in North Korea, fresh report reveals

SEOUL, February 6 (AJP) - Despite international pressure and condemnation, human rights violations remain rampant in North Korea, a recent UN report reveals. Based on testimonies from 175 North Korean defectors between November 2022 and October 2024, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) disclosed its findings on Wednesday, ahead of the upcoming UN session in Geneva later this month. More than half of them said that they had suffered various forms

February 6, 2025

Russia to 'build bridge connecting North Korea across Tumen River by late next year'

SEOUL, February 4 (AJP) - Russia is moving ahead with plans to build a road bridge linking its border with North Korea, aiming for completion by late next year, according to a Russian media report. Interfax reported on Monday that Sochi-based construction firm TonnelYuzhStroi has been "designated as the sole contractor" of the project connecting Russia and North Korea in the estuary the Tumen River, also known as the Duman River here. The bridge, slated for completion b

February 4, 2025