WASHINGTON -- The United States and five other countries called on North Korea to cease its missile tests and engage in denuclearization negotiations on Monday. The joint call came shortly before the UN Security Council was set to hold a meeting behind closed doors on North Korea's missile test that Pyongyang claims to have involved a newly developed hypersonic missile. "We stand today unified in our condemnation of the DPRK's most recent missile launch, which the Security Council will di

WASHINGTON -- North Korea's latest missile test is in violation of UN Security Council resolutions regardless of whether it involved a hypersonic missile as claimed by the North, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Monday. Kirby said the US was still assessing the details of last week's missile test. "We don't have any updates to an assessment ... with more specificity as to what was fired. We've called it a ballistic missile, and we're still assessing the details of it," he tol

North Korea on Tuesday test-fired an unidentified projectile(s) toward its east coast, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, without further details. Tuesday’s launch came less than a week after North Korea on Jan. 5 test-fired what it claimed to be a “hypersonic missile.” This marks Pyongyang’s second weapons test this year. The consecutive show of force is noteworthy given that Pyongyang on Jan.1 announced the country‘s policy direction for the

A total of 20 North Koreans who defected to the South have migrated to other countries over the past five years, the Ministry of Unification said Monday. The living conditions of North Korean defectors here have drawn keen attention, especially since a defector who fled the North in late 2020 reportedly crossed the heavily-fortified inter-Korean border again earlier this month to return home. "The number of North Korean defectors who have emigrated over the recent five years (from 2016-20

South Korea's unification ministry said Monday it's closely watching a possible change in North Korea's anti-coronavirus policy, such as the lifting of its strict border closure, after Pyongyang's main newspaper said the country will shift to more "advanced" antivirus measures from the current control-focused approach. "We need to move to a better advanced, people-oriented epidemic work from one that focused on control measures," the Rodong Sinmun newspaper said. It did not

  The UN Security Council is expected to meet behind closed doors on Monday to discuss North Korea’s missile launch, but a joint statement after the session appears to be less likely. 　 Diplomatic sources say the US, France and the UK -– three of the five permanent members on the council –- as well as Ireland and Albania, requested an emergency meeting to be held on Monday in the US to discuss the launch of what Pyongyang claims to be a hypersonic missile. 　 “We ca

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The South Korean government is preparing to launch a new team to step up support for North Korean defectors suffering from economic and psychological difficulties after resettlement here, officials said Thursday. The team -- which will comprise of officials from different government agencies, including the unification ministry and the police -- is expected to be set up by next month to provide defectors with tailored support in fields ranging from education and employment to living and psycholo

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned North Korea's latest missile test in his telephone conversation with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Wednesday. The two also discussed ways to achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, according to the state department. "Secretary Blinken condemned the DPRK's ballistic missile launch and stressed US commitment to the defense of Japan remains ironclad," department spokesperson Ned Price said of the call

North Korea held a major outdoor rally in Pyongyang earlier this week, with a number of citizens and some top officials in attendance, in support of decisions from a recent key party meeting, according to state media Thursday. Wrapping up a year-end Workers' Party plenary session last week, the North outlined its policy priorities for the new year on developing the national economy and bolstering anti-virus efforts. "In order to thoroughly accomplish the decisions of the 4th Plenary Meeti

The United States on Wednesday condemned North Korea's missile launch as a violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and a threat to the international community. "The United States condemns the DPRK's ballistic missile launch. This launch is in violation of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions and poses a threat to the DPRK's neighbors and the international community," a state department spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency in an email. DPRK stands for the Democratic

South Korea's unification ministry on Wednesday urged North Korea to respond to calls for dialogue after the North launched what appears to be a ballistic missile toward the East Sea in its latest show of force. The North fired the missile at around 8:10 a.m. from the northern province of Jagang where it claimed to have fired a hypersonic missile in September last year, according to the South Korean military. The missile launch came hours before President Moon Jae-in attended a groundbreaking

N. Korea fires suspected ballistic missile toward east coast, JCS says