North Korea held a Politburo meeting on Wednesday to discuss leader Kim Jong-un's recent visit to Russia and subsequent actions required to put the trip's outcomes into effect, state-run media reported Friday. Kim made his first public appearance following his extensive 10-day overseas trip by participating in a Political Bureau meeting at the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang. During the meeting, Kim Song-nam, the director of the In

North Korea Sept. 22, 2023

The South Korean government on Thursday handed out the world's first unilateral sanction on North Korea's defense minister, who had accompanied North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on his recent trip to Russia. The financial sanctions also targeted other individuals and entities allegedly involved in illicit arms and financial transactions with third party countries, most notably Russia. The announcement of sanctions appears to be a tit-for-tat response to indications of illicit military tr

Foreign Affairs Sept. 21, 2023

South Korea will consider imposing unilateral sanctions as a viable course of action should concrete evidence of illicit military cooperation between North Korea and Russia be confirmed, Seoul's vice foreign minister said Thursday. Vice Foreign Minister Chang Ho-jin emphasized that Russia's potential transfer of technologies to enhance North Korea's weapons of mass destruction would constitute a "serious violation of UN Security Council resolutions" if confirmed. "T

Foreign Affairs Sept. 21, 2023

North Korean state-run media on Wednesday broadcast a documentary that featured North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's motorcade in Russia, notably escorted by vans manufactured by South Korea's auto giant, Hyundai Motor. The state-controlled Korean Central Television, which primarily targets the North's domestic audience, unveiled an hour-and-a-half-long documentary titled "A Historical Moment: Setting a New Milestone in North Korea-Russia Relations," providing a comprehensi

North Korea Sept. 21, 2023

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was on his way back to Pyongyang on Sunday, wrapping up a six-day trip to the Russian Far East that focused on military cooperation with Moscow amid blistering criticism from the international community for defying sanctions. As his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin stoked fears across the West and its allies over a potential arms deal, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said the military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow is "illegal and

North Korea Sept. 17, 2023

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to visit North Korea, following their high-stakes summit where they mutually committed to strengthening their alignment against perceived "imperialists’ military threats." Kim extended the invitation to Putin after the reception of their summit at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur region of Russia's Far East on Wednesday, asking him to visit "at his convenience," Nor

North Korea Sept. 14, 2023

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin met at Russia's primary spaceport, the Vostochny Cosmodrome, in the Russian Far East on Wednesday, signaling a closer alignment between the two increasingly isolated countries. Kim and Putin emphasized their shared commitment to supporting each other's internationally prohibited actions, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and North Korea's weapons development, expressing their determination to elevate bi

North Korea Sept. 13, 2023

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, publicly flanked by a cadre of key military officers, has entered Russia via his armored private train following a lengthy journey from Pyongyang for a high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Russian Far East. Putin's announcement on Tuesday that he will visit the Vostochny Cosmodrome space launch center in the region also suggests that the location is the likely venue for the meeting. The move strongly signals that the focus of the i

North Korea Sept. 12, 2023

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has embarked on a train journey on Monday, government sources confirmed to The Korea Herald, strongly indicating the possibility of a forthcoming meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Russia. The move comes amid blistering criticism of talks between the two leaders on arms trade, which has raised concerns about potential support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The armored train, presumably carrying Kim, was slowly advancing toward the northeastern border

North Korea Sept. 11, 2023

The leaders of South Korea and Indonesia on Friday agreed to enhance bilateral economic and defense cooperation across a broad spectrum of areas, which includes collaborative efforts in developing an electric vehicle ecosystem and a fighter jet. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Indonesian President Joko Widodo convened for an in-person summit at the presidential palace in Jakarta on the final day of President Yoon's four-day visit to Indonesia. "Both discussed forward-looking and su

Foreign Affairs Sept. 8, 2023

North Korea has unveiled its first-ever operational submarine, purportedly capable of launching nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, while the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, has urged for intensified efforts to expeditiously arm the Navy with nuclear weapons against the evolving nature of military actions by adversaries. But South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff have dismissed the claim, assessing that the submarine does not seem to be capable of normal operation. North Korea conducted a ceremony t

North Korea Sept. 8, 2023

A high-level Chinese delegation, led by Vice Premier Liu Guozhong, is set to visit North Korea to participate in events commemorating the 75th anniversary of the country's foundation, North Korean state media said Thursday. But all eyes are fixed on the reasoning behind China's decision to send a seemingly lower-ranking delegation compared to the previous occasion to commemorate North Korea's Sept. 9 anniversary. In September 2018, General Secretary Xi Jinping dispatched Li Zhansh

North Korea Sept. 7, 2023

A potential meeting between the leaders of Russia and North Korea has raised the possibility of an arms deal, with speculations swirling over Moscow providing cutting-edge technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines to Pyongyang in exchange for weapons against Ukraine in the ongoing war. US officials have revealed the possibility of this meeting taking place during the Eastern Economic Forum, scheduled to run from Sept. 10 to 13 in the far-eastern Russian port city of Vladivostok. I

Foreign Affairs Sept. 6, 2023

North Korean state media's ongoing efforts to spotlight Kim Ju-ae, the daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, primarily serve to underscore Pyongyang's commitment to upholding fourth-generation hereditary succession, rather than indicating her formal designation as the heir apparent, South Korea's Unification Ministry said Tuesday. The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea that mainly targets North Korean audiences, reported a total of 15 public

North Korea Sept. 5, 2023

CAMP HUMPHREYS, Gyeonggi Province — Despite seven decades having passed since the armistice, the countries that once valiantly deployed their combat forces in defense of South Korea in the 1950-53 Korean War still provide steadfast support for the security of the Korean Peninsula. The United Nations Command was founded in July 1950, one month after North Korea's surprise illegal invasion of South Korea, under UN Security Council Resolutions 82, 83 and 84. The situation marked the firs

Defense Sept. 5, 2023