NK News |
Matched Keyword: nuclear weapons
South Koreans perceive U.S.-China rivalry as a bigger threat to their country than North Korea’s nuclear weapons, a new survey suggests, while expressing caution about the direct involvement of U.S. troops on the peninsula in a Taiwan contingency. The nationwide survey published by the East Asia Institute (EAI) also found that ROK citizens increasingly believe […]
NK News |
Matched Keyword: humanitarian
South Korea says it will repatriate four North Koreans who crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the East Sea (Sea of Japan) last month, though whether Pyongyang will accept them remains unclear given an ongoing freeze in communication. Seoul’s unification ministry told NK News it would repatriate the individuals “quickly and safely on humanitarian […]
NK News |
Matched Keyword: defectors
“Ask a North Korean” is an NK News series featuring interviews with and columns by North Korean defectors, most of whom left the DPRK within the last few years. Readers may submit their questions for defectors by emailing ask@nknews.org and including their first name and city of residence. Today’s question asks: What are the characteristics […]
NK News |
Matched Keyword: diplomacy
This week, Balazs Szalontai returns to the podcast to explore the overlooked history of North Korea’s relationship with countries across the Middle East and North Africa. The expert discusses how Pyongyang navigated ideological contradictions, opportunistic diplomacy and shifting global alliances throughout the Cold War, touching on the DPRK’s ties with Iran, Egypt, Algeria, Iraq and […]
NK News |
Matched Keyword: propaganda
North Korea turned off border loudspeakers broadcasting noise toward South Korea on Thursday, according to the ROK military, a day after President Lee Jae-myung ordered the suspension of the South’s own propaganda broadcasts. “There have been no reports of North Korean loudspeaker noise broadcasts heard today,” the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced […]
NK News |
Matched Keyword: propaganda
A top Russian state TV host has floated the idea of inviting 1 million North Koreans to support Moscow’s war effort and economy in retaliation for U.S. sanctions — a proposal that, however outlandish in practice, points to Russian propaganda’s willingness to brandish a dangerous partnership that has reached unparalleled levels thanks to the invasion […]
NK News |
Matched Keyword: propaganda
South Korea has halted propaganda broadcasts into North Korea from border loudspeakers, Seoul’s defense ministry announced Wednesday, ending a yearlong campaign that the previous administration launched amid heightened inter-Korean tensions last year. The suspension comes just a week after the election and inauguration of new President Lee Jae-myung, who sharply criticized impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol […]
NK News |
Matched Keyword: denuclearization
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung sought Beijing’s support for advancing peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula during his first phone talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Tuesday, following recent calls with U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba that touched on security issues related to North Korea. During Tuesday’s call, […]
NK News |
Matched Keyword: food
Russia-North Korea trade hit a “record” $34 million in 2024 thanks to Moscow’s fuel deliveries and food exports, a Russian trade insider announced on Tuesday, speaking at an event aimed at boosting business ties with the DPRK. But experts emphasized that the minuscule figure reflects limited opportunities for commercial cooperation between the two countries, while […]
NK News |
Matched Keyword: drone
Russia is helping North Korea domestically produce its knockoff version of Iran’s Shahed attack drones, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief said, warning the tech could pose a threat to South Korea in DPRK hands. The allies are slated to push forward production of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) like the Geran, a Russian copy of the Iranian […]
NK News |
Matched Keyword: sanctions
The U.K. has deployed a vessel near Japan to help monitor North Korea’s suspected maritime sanctions evasion, marking its latest effort to enforce U.N. restrictions amid concerns about Pyongyang’s weapons programs and illegal ship-to-ship transfers. The Royal Navy’s HMS Spey offshore patrol vessel “conducted monitoring and surveillance activities against illicit maritime activities, including ship-to-ship transfers […]
NK News |
Matched Keyword: defectors
A North Korean defector who stole a bus in an attempt to return to the DPRK has received a suspended prison sentence in South Korea, highlighting the harsh realities some escapees face after resettlement and sparking debate over how the country supports defectors struggling to adapt. The man in his 30s was sentenced to two […]
NK News |
Matched Keyword: propaganda
North Korea’s leading university is seemingly inviting applications for two English-language doctoral research positions for foreigners, but amid several inconsistencies and the absence of official confirmation, doubts have arisen about the legitimacy of Pyongyang’s apparent courting of international students. According to an announcement posted on Chinese social media last month, Kim Il Sung University’s Faculty […]
NK News |
Matched Keyword: sanctions
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a complaint on Thursday seeking the forfeiture of over $7.74 million in cryptocurrency that North Korean IT workers allegedly laundered to fund the country’s weapons programs while evading American sanctions. The civil forfeiture complaint targets funds connected to a broader scheme in which North Korean IT workers obtained illegal […]
NK News |
Matched Keyword: diplomacy
In this episode, NK News welcomes back Professor Moon Chung-in, one of South Korea’s most influential scholars of inter-Korean relations to assess the landscape on the peninsula today and what prospects remain for diplomacy. He discusses why he believes North Korea has officially abandoned unification in its current form, how inter-Korean engagement has become increasingly […]
NK News |
Matched Keyword: defectors
Lee Jae-myung’s victory in the snap election to replace impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol has ushered in a new era in South Korean politics, potentially setting up major changes in Seoul’s policy toward North Korea. But as Lee pledges to pursue “dialogue, communication and coexistence” with Pyongyang, some defectors fear that the new administration will push […]
NK News |
Matched Keyword: drone
Ukraine’s stunning June 1 drone strikes deep inside Russia should serve as a stark wake-up call for Kim Jong Un, demonstrating that not even distance guarantees protection in an era of advanced drone warfare. Operation “Spider’s Web” saw Ukrainian intelligence services destroy dozens of strategic bombers at airfields up to 4,300 kilometers (2,700 miles) from […]
NK News |
Matched Keyword: air defense
Russia has provided North Korea with advanced air defense equipment, anti-aircraft missiles and electronic warfare systems to North Korea in return for its extensive military support for Moscow’s war against Ukraine, according to a new report by a team seeking to succeed U.N. sanctions monitors. The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), created in Oct. 2024 […]
NK News |
Matched Keyword: sanctions
North Korea has long been at the center of South Korean politics, with past presidential elections shaped by debates about leader-level summits, international sanctions, preemptive strike capabilities and inter-Korean cooperation. But in the lead-up to this year’s snap election, the DPRK has arguably never been further from the domestic political zeitgeist. While major candidates have […]
NK News |
Matched Keyword: security council
Russian security chief Sergei Shoigu lauded North Korea for sharing the “same trench” in the fight to build a new global order, thanking DPRK troops who defended the Kursk region against Ukraine’s incursion “as if it was their own motherland.” The secretary of Russia’s Security Council made the remarks during a meeting with DPRK State […]