North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has received a commemorative medal from Russian President Vladimir Putin, state media reported Wednesday, amid the two countries' stepped-up efforts to strengthen their bilateral ties. The medal was granted on Tuesday "on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Russia's victory in the Great Patriotic War," the Korean Central News Agency said, referring to the end of World War II. Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora delivered the meda

WASHINGTON -- North Korea continues to view its nuclear program as "essential" to the protection of its regime, but may be willing to give up "some" nuclear and missile capabilities in exchange for sanctions relief and other gains, the nominee to be US director of national intelligence said Tuesday. John Ratcliffe's assessment suggests that North Korea is unlikely to completely dismantle its nuclear and ballistic missile programs as the US has insisted North Korea agreed to

North Korea's exports plunged in 2019 from four years earlier due to tougher international economic sanctions with its trade dependence on China hitting a record high, a report said Wednesday. The reclusive country's overseas shipments came to $261 million last year, down 20.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the report from the Korea International Trade Association. The figure also amounted to just one-seventeenth of the country's exports of $4.56 billion recorded in 2015. In cont

WASHINGTON -- North Korea appears to be nearing completion of a ballistic missile facility with the capacity to test-fire intercontinental ballistic missiles, an expert with a US think tank said Tuesday. The Sil-li Ballistic Missile Support Facility, which was "previously undisclosed," is approximately 17 kilometers northwest of Pyongyang and close to Pyongyang International Airport, Joseph Bermudez wrote in a report for the Center for Strategic and International Studies. His co

Days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un resurfaced in public, ending an absence that had triggered health rumors, the Wall Street Journal said Monday that Pyongyang’s denuclearization talks are unlikely to see progress, at least not ahead of the US presidential election in November. Kim’s return reaffirmed the status quo, meaning the isolated country would not reorient its uncompromising approach to nuclear talks or change its pattern of sporadic weapons tests, according to the W

The UN Security Council's committee on sanctions against North Korea has approved an application from a South Korean nongovernmental agency to conduct its aid program in the communist state, its website showed Tuesday. With the approval for the sanctions exemption, Green Tree International is to carry out its program for six months until Oct. 30. The program aims to support the rehabilitation process at the Korean Rehabilitation Center for Children with Disabilities in the North. The agency a

A North Korean propaganda outlet on Tuesday denounced "fake news" in South Korea, after media speculation here over North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's health was proved to be wrong following his resumption of public activities last week. The website, Meari, did not specifically mention the speculation, but its criticism appeared to target South Korean media that linked Kim's weekslong absence from the public eye to the possibility of his health problems. Kim resumed his public activi

North Korea's main newspaper on Tuesday touted the recent completion of a fertilizer factory as the first key outcome of its "frontal breakthrough" drive aimed at developing its economy crippled by international sanctions. The Sunchon Phosphatic Fertilizer Factory in Sunchon, north of Pyongyang, has drawn global attention as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a ceremony marking its completion Friday after a 20-day absence that fueled rumors of his failing health. "The whol

South Korea should sign a free trade deal with North Korea to accelerate reform in the communist nation and to help it integrate into the international market, a state-run think tank said Monday. The Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) made the suggestion in a report on inter-Korean economic cooperation, saying such an accord will create an environment for stable cross-border economic cooperation amid international sanctions on Pyongyang. "The new inter-Korean econom

North Korea's official newspaper on Monday highlighted the construction of a fertilizer plant after leader Kim Jong-un attended a ceremony for its completion last week in his first public activity following a weekslong absence that sparked speculation about his health. In its front page, the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North's ruling party, carried comments contributed by factory managers from diverse sectors who lauded the completion of the Sunchon Phosphatic Fertilizer Factory. "We

North Korea has not responded yet to South Korea's call for an explanation on Sunday's firing of several bullets that hit a South Korean guard post on the inter-Korean border, Seoul's defense ministry said Monday. On early Sunday, four bullets from the North hit the South's guard post in the central part of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, prompting South Korean troops to respond by firing 20 rounds of warning shots and issuing broadcast warnings, according to the Jo

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed gratitude to state propagandists, the country's main newspaper reported Monday, days after dispelling persistent rumors about his health with his first public appearance in about three weeks. "Comrade Kim Jong-un sent gratitude to exemplary instructors for carrying out their responsibility and role as basic propagandists, which have led workers to implement the party's policies," the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has renewed Washington's goal of denuclearizing North Korea and creating a "bright future" for its people after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's return to the public eye following his 20-day absence. In an interview with ABC News' "This Week" on Sunday, Pompeo also cast the two Koreas' recent exchange of gunfire, which was triggered by the North's gunshots, as "accidental" amid worries that the flare-up of ten

Cheong Wa Dae denies Kim had undergone a surgery

Gunfire broke out between North and South Korea early Sunday, when the North fired multiple gunshots toward a South Korean guard post in Cheorwon, inside the demilitarized zone, and South Korea shot back twice, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. “There were no injuries or facility damage and we’re on the communication lines to assess the situation and to prevent further incidents. We’re on readiness,” the military said, adding it had asked Pyo