North Korea said Friday it successfully test-fired the new Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) the previous day, with its leader Kim Jong-un saying the country has secured an "irreversible" status of developing delivery means of nuclear weapons. Guided by Kim, North Korea carried out a "crucial" missile test that set milestones in "perpetuating the absolute superiority" of the country's armed forces, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

As many as 8,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia's western front-line Kursk region and are expected to enter into combat "in the coming days," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday, warning that they would become "legitimate" military targets. Blinken made the remarks during a press conference after he, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun held their "two-plus-two&q

South Korea's military said Thursday it staged airstrike drills against a mock mobile missile launcher earlier this week in an apparent warning against North Korea's latest firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The drills took place Wednesday at a training ground in Taebaek, 181 kilometers east of Seoul, as part of the ongoing Freedom Flag air exercise with the US, a day before North Korea launched an ICBM into the East Sea. Hours after the launch, the Joint Chiefs

Children under 10 make up 11.5 percent of enforced disappearance cases

China’s silence on NK troop deployments draws US criticism at UNSC meeting

North Korea fired a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile on a lofted trajectory toward the East Sea on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, hours after the defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States jointly condemned the North's troop deployment to Russia. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the launch at about 7:10 a.m. from the North's Pyongyang area. "North Korea's ballistic missile appears to be an ICBM fired on a lofted trajectory," t

North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile toward the East Sea on Thursday, South Korea's military said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff gave no further details, saying an analysis is under way. The launch came just hours after the defense chiefs of South Korea and the United States condemned North Korea's troop deployment to Russia with "one voice" in the "strongest" terms during the allies' annual defense talks at the Pentagon on Wednesday. North Korea last fired multipl

North Korea's foreign minister will hold strategic consultations with her Russian counterpart in Moscow, a news report showed Wednesday, amid concerns that the North's troops deployed to Russia may soon join combat in its war against Ukraine. Choe Son-hui, the North's top diplomat, will arrive in Moscow to hold talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russia's TASS news agency reported, citing a spokesperson at the foreign ministry. Other details, including the da

National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik on Wednesday lambasted North Korea as the "worst rogue group" for dispatching its troops to Russia, vowing to come up with "all possible" response measures based on South Korea's alliance with the United States. Shin made the remark during a conference in Seoul as South Korea has confirmed some North Korean forces have arrived in western Russia, near the border with Ukraine, raising concerns they could soon join combat in the Russia

North Korea's state-sponsored cyberunit, comprising some 8,400 hackers, has mounted over 10,000 attacks against South Korea this year, South Korea's cyber operation command said Wednesday. The Cyber Operations Command revealed these findings during a parliamentary audit session, according to Rep. Lee Seong-kweun of the ruling People Power Party and Park Sun-won of the main opposition Democratic Party. The North Korean hacking group has intensified its cyberattacks on South Korea's

A joint exhibition aimed at promoting information technology exchanges between North Korea and Russia has opened in Pyongyang, the North's state media said Wednesday, marking their first such event in 18 years. The exhibition, held at the People's Palace of Culture, opened Tuesday, according to the Korean Central News Agency, as international attention has focused on North Korea's troop deployment in Russia in apparent support for Moscow in its war with Ukraine. With no mention of

NK's top diplomat visits Moscow for strategic talks with troops edging closer to Ukraine

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui has departed for Russia for an official visit, the North's state media reported Tuesday, in a visit that comes as the United States said the North sent about 10,000 soldiers to train in eastern Russia. The visit by Choe to Russia is expected to include discussions about a potential visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to Moscow amid deepening military ties between the two countries. Choe left Pyongyang International Airport on Monday, the Korea

North Korea has sent around 10,000 troops to eastern Russia, which will likely augment Russian forces near Ukraine "over the next several weeks," a US National Security Council official said Monday, as President Joe Biden called the deployment "very dangerous." A NSC spokesperson made the remarks after North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed that North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia's western front-line Kursk region --

S. Korean government delegation to visit Ukraine to share intelligence, discuss cooperation measures