"Pyongyang's possession of nuclear weapons serves as hindrance to unification"

South Korea and the United States discussed bolstering steps to curb North Korean cyberattacks that the two allies say are meant to bankroll the isolated country’s nuclear and missile programs. The two-day meeting that ended Tuesday in Washington focused on coordinating policy on sharing information about tactics Pyongyang has been using, such as deploying its overseas information technology workers. They work remotely through freelance platforms to steal cryptocurrencies, among other hack

South Korea, the United States and Japan have agreed to hold a meeting of defense chiefs to discuss coordinating responses in the face of escalating missile and nuclear threats posed by North Korea, officials at South Korea's Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday. The defense ministerial meeting has been planned to coincide with the visit of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to Seoul for the Security Consultative Meeting, an annual bilateral defense discussion with South Korea, schedu

The new US envoy for North Korean human rights issues pledged efforts Monday to shine a light on the "inextricable" connection between Pyongyang's rights abuses and its security threats. Ambassador Julie Turner made the remarks at a forum, underscoring that the "repressive political climate" in the North allows the recalcitrant regime to divert a large share of public resources to its weapons development programs. Her remarks came as a debate lingers over whether the res

North Korea on Sunday said military cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan has entered a "very dangerous stage" that could drive the Korean Peninsula into the brink of a nuclear war. No one can ensure the military campaign between the three is not leading to "a nuclear war and the third world war," the Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, said on Sunday. "We have established the strongest response strategy by arming ourselves with nuclear weap

North Korea appears to be diversifying its cybercrimes to offset the declining value of cryptocurrencies it steals to fund its nuclear and missile programs, a report said Saturday. According to the report by Kim Bomi, a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Strategy, North Korea stole some $340 million worth of cryptocurrencies in the first three quarters of the year, which amounts to 29.6 percent of the total damage reported in the world, but is still less than the unprecedente

North Korea said Friday that it will carry out efforts to step up its military deterrence and take military action, following a US intercontinental missile test late last month, in a commentary released by the official Korean Central News Agency. An Air Force Minuteman III ICBM exploded over the Pacific Ocean following its launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. An anomaly was detected, the US Air Force said without elaborating further. South Korean defense officials attended the

North Korea lambasted the United States on Friday for its recent test of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile as it vowed to respond to "reckless" provocations with "prompt, overwhelming and decisive counteraction." The US test-launched an unarmed ICBM at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, with a defense delegation led by Deputy Minister for Defense Policy Heo Tae-keun in attendance. It marked the first such observation by a South Korean delegation in se

The unification ministry said Thursday it has decided to recognize family members of long-term South Korean detainees in North Korea as victims of abductions by the isolated country. The decision came three months after civic groups dedicated to resolving the issue requested Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho in August to grant such family members the status specified in South Korea's law on supporting victims of North Korean abductions. The recognition will make the family members eligible f

North Korea might have provided Russia with short-range ballistic missiles and portable anti-aircraft missiles in addition to artillery rounds for its war in Ukraine, a senior South Korean military official said Thursday. The Joint Chiefs of Staff made the assessment amid concerns over increasing military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow following the rare summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in September. Military officials estimated about

North Korea's national carrier appears to have resumed regular flights connecting Pyongyang and Beijing, a website showed Thursday, as the reclusive regime reopened its border following more than three years of border lockdown. The move comes after an Air Koryo flight landed in Beijing on Aug. 22, the first resumption of commercial flights since the North closed its border in January 2020 to fend off COVID-19. The Beijing Capital International Airport's website showed that a flight dep

Chinese President Xi Jinping told North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that he is "willing to make bigger contributions" to "defend the region's peace, stability, development and prosperity," Pyongyang's state media said Thursday. Xi made the remarks as he replied to Kim's congratulatory message marking the 74th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China. In the Oct. 1 letter, Kim pledged to "strive to consolidate" their bilateral relation

Difficulties in earning illicit foreign currencies via overseas missions may have led to shutdown, experts suggest

North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday dismissed a recent report on the Hamas militant group's alleged use of North Korean weapons in its war against Israel as "groundless rumors." Speaking at a UN General Assembly session, Ambassador Kim Song commented on the report by "some mass media belonging to the US administration," accusing Washington of seeking to shift the blame for the war in the Middle East to a third country. Last week, the US-funded

North Korea’s imports of luxury goods from China reached $28.5 million last year, despite pandemic border control and international sanctions, data from China’s customs office showed. Except for a temporary dip during the pandemic in 2021, the aggregate value of luxury goods imported from China to North Korea showed an upward trend, having risen from $22.8 million in 2020 to $40.6 million as of July 2023, according to the data from the General Administration of Customs of the People&