North Korea on Monday denounced South Korea and the United States for staging joint military drills, calling it a "futile" provocative act that will only hasten the South's destruction. Citing joint military exercises that Seoul and Washington have carried out since late October, the Rodong Sinmun, the North Korean main newspaper, reported that South Korea is recklessly running amok to stage war on the Korean Peninsula. "Having the US on its back, the puppet group is pursuing

North Korea denounced the United States on Sunday for vetoing a U.N. Security Council Resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, state media reported. The U.N. Security Council voted on the resolution Friday, but it failed to pass due to the veto by the U.S., one of the five veto-wielding powers of the 15-member council. Kim Son-kyong, North Korea's vice foreign minister for international organizations, accused Washington of abusing its veto right, calling the c

North Korea has increased activities in the truce village of Panmunjom after effectively scrapping an inter-Korean military tension reduction agreement last month, Swedish and Swiss military generals overseeing the armistice said. Maj. Gen. Lena Persson Herlitz and Maj. Gen. Ivo Burgener of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission made the remark in an interview with Yonhap News Agency, expressing concern the scrapping of the Comprehensive Military Agreement could increase the risks of militar

The national security advisers of South Korea, the United States and Japan reaffirmed Saturday that North Korea is obliged under UN Security Council resolutions to abandon its nuclear weapons program and refrain from military cooperation, Seoul's adviser said. National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong made the remark during a joint press briefing with his US and Japanese counterparts, Jake Sullivan and Takeo Akiba, following trilateral talks in Seoul. "We reaffirmed North Korea's obl

The British Embassy and the British Association of Seoul (BASS) celebrated the annual Mince Pie Morning at the residence of British Ambassador Colin Crooks in Seoul on Thursday. The event featured traditional English mince pies — a sweet pastry filled with a delectable mixture of fruit, spices, and suet — marking the spirit of the holiday season in English-speaking traditions. “BASS is an important part of the vibrant expat community here in Seoul. It was, as always, a pleasure

National mothers' meeting may be move to build legitimacy for Ju-ae's succession, say experts

North Korea has held a meeting to hand out gifts to participants in the latest national conference of mothers, state media reported Wednesday, in an apparent move to secure their loyalty amid a declining birth rate. The central committee of the ruling Workers' Party provided the participants with significant gifts "associated with the meticulous paternal affection" of leader Kim Jong-un. Kim did not attend Tuesday's event, but the Korean Central News Agency said he made sure

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for measures to prevent a decrease in the country's birth rate in the first national meeting of mothers in 11 years, state media reported Monday. Kim said he has thought about North Korean mothers whenever he faced difficulties in steering state and party affairs, and stressed the role of mothers in such various fields as helping resolve "non-social" problems and promoting the unity of society. "There are also issues of preventing th

Official media says war on peninsula ‘not matter of if, but when’

North Korea will hold a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party later this month to discuss this year's state policies and policy goals for next year, its state media said Saturday. The ninth plenary meeting of the eighth Central Committee of the WPK will be convened late in December to "review the execution of the Party and state policies in 2023," the Korean Central News Agency said in an English-language dispatch. The decision was made during a politburo meeting on Fr

The U.N. World Food Program has extended its food assistance plan for North Korea by another year to the end of 2024, according to an updated document on its website Saturday. The revision extends the one-year duration of the interim country strategic plan for North Korea until Dec. 31, 2024, the document showed. The amount of budget for the project has also increased to US$247.7 million from $214.9 million. The revised assistance plan is expected to benefit some 5.2 million North Korean people,

The national security advisers of South Korea, Japan and the United States will meet in Seoul next week, government sources said Friday, amid escalating threats from North Korea following its launch of a military satellite. The three-way meeting is set to be held for two days starting next Friday, they added. It will be held between South Korea's Cho Tae-yong, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Japan's National Security Secretariat Secretary-General Takeo Akiba. Ch

The United Nations Command said Friday it is monitoring the situation on the Korean Peninsula amid escalating tensions in the region, including the rearmament of North Korean soldiers in the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas. "The Joint Security Area remains a neutral ground for dialogue and de-escalation," the UNC said, noting its intent is to maintain "peace" and "security" in the area. The UNC added its mission has remained unchanged for 70 years

In an unprecedented move, South Korea, the United States, Australia and Japan collectively and consecutively declared the imposition of unilateral sanctions on North Korea on Thursday and Friday. The united front is a direct response to North Korea's launch of a purported "military reconnaissance satellite" on Nov. 21, highlighting the coordinated efforts of like-minded countries in the face of a notable absence of actions at the United Nations Security Council. South Korea has im

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called on the air force to enhance its combat posture to immediately respond to military threats by enemies, Pyongyang's state media reported Friday. Kim's remarks came amid fresh tension on the Korean Peninsula following the launch of a North Korean military spy satellite. South Korea partially suspended a 2018 inter-Korean military tension reduction deal in response to the satellite launch, condemned as a violation of U.N. Security Council resoluti