The statement follows South Korea’s pledge to clear mines south of the border if Pyongyang does not remove them itself

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun tells lawmakers that South Korea is weighing recall of ambassador to Kyiv

Satellite images show large new launch prep facility and upgrades at observation area, pointing to more regular testing

Increasing number of fake Western components in DPRK weapons points to effectiveness of sanctions controls

Launch of intermediate-range capability underscores DPRK’s push to develop range of maneuverable payloads

South Korea’s military has concluded that plastic, North Korean anti-personnel mines “deliberately buried” south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) caused the Sept. 21 blasts that injured three ROK troops, announcing the final results of a joint investigation with the U.N. Command (UNC). At a briefing on Monday, the ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) […]

President Donald Trump on Saturday touted his relations with nuclear-armed nations, specifically North Korea, as the U.S. State Department reaffirmed his willingness to diplomatically engage with the DPRK. Speaking at a 2026 midterm election campaign rally in Ohio, Trump said he got “along great with Kim Jong Un” and that it was important to maintain […]

Russia has agreed to finance training programs for North Korean first responders in Vladivostok for the next five years, according to a government decree, following an agreement last year to exchange drone and rescue tactics. The Russian government instructed the Emergencies Ministry (EMERCOM) to organize the “training of specialists from the national emergency service of […]

North Korea’s Foreign Ministry has denounced a new U.N. report on human rights abuses in the country, accusing U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres of following “hostile forces” that distort the facts about its record. In a statement released by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Friday, a ministry spokesperson condemned the report as a […]

North Korea’s 2026 Asian Games campaign was a study in contrasts: Its 29-medal haul fell short of its previous performances, but a dominant weightlifting team delivered all seven of the country’s gold medals and proved the DPRK remains a force to be reckoned with in the sport. North Korea ranked 12th in the overall medal […]

A North Korean military official met a Taliban counterpart on the sidelines of a Russian military exercise and weapons expo last week, where the DPRK joined Afghanistan and dozens of other countries as an observer. The Russian Defense Ministry announced Saturday that North Korea was among the 33 states that dispatched observers to its Center-2026 […]

South Korea conducts operation to remove DPRK landmines following conclusion of joint investigation with UNC

The US president also floated a claim of ‘112 nuclear missiles’ without explanation, but said ‘it’s nice to get along’

From 2027-2031, Russia will cover the bill for rescue training in areas like drones and mountainous operations

Report by UN chief calls for prosecuting perpetrators, dismantling political prison camps and ending forced labor

DPRK athletes’ 29-medal haul falls short of 2023 total, with all seven golds coming from its strongest sport

DPRK, Afghanistan among observers at Center-2026 drills featuring 47K troops and arms expo

North Korea launched a missile toward waters off its eastern coast on Saturday, with the weapon striking a designated target about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) away in the East Sea (Sea of Japan), according to the country’s state media Sunday. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the intermediate-range strategic missile, under was […]

Kim Jong Un urges continued nuclear buildup as state media provides new details after his sister mocked rivals

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said North Korea conducted an intermediate-range strategic missile drill Saturday, claiming its maneuvering flight prevented South Korean and Japanese militaries from tracking its full trajectory. “At dawn of this morning, a drill of firing a strategic weapon toward the East Sea of […]

A ballistic missile launched from the Wonsan area of North Korea toward the East Sea was detected at around 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a notice. The South Korean military “has strengthened its surveillance and readiness posture in preparation for any additional launches, while South Korea, the […]

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong on Friday accused South Korea of seeking to inflame tensions by blaming Pyongyang for a recent explosion at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), insisting that Pyongyang’s goal is to sever all ties with Seoul and close its border so tightly that “even wild animals” cannot […]

DPRK leader’s sister offers no supporting data for claim that maneuvering missile defeated rivals’ tracking abilities

Tokyo and Seoul detected the launch Saturday morning, allies ‘closely sharing information”

South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young warned against politicizing the Sept. 21 mine blast in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that left several soldiers injured and argued the incident should not be used to undermine Seoul’s efforts to pursue peace with North Korea.  “Stoking hatred and hostility is not politics,” he told news reporters Friday in […]

For two North Korean soldiers who spent over a year in the hands of Russia and Ukraine, arriving in South Korea was supposed to mark the beginning of a new life.  Instead, the political feud surrounding their transfer has thrust them into the international spotlight — raising fresh questions about their safety, the fate of […]

North Korea’s recent economic growth and leader Kim Jong Un’s repeated nods to addressing a widening regional “wealth gap” suggest the time may be right to build a new bridge linking the country’s main port city on the west coast to the southern provinces. There are currently no bridges across the Taedong River between the […]

North Korean state media kept domestic audiences in the dark about rising tensions with South Korea this week. Kim Jong Un’s sister Kim Yo Jong issued a statement aimed at Seoul after a landmine blast at the border injured South Korean soldiers, but it did not appear in domestic outlets.  Instead, state media covered the […] The post Kim Jong Un champions education and science as North Korea harvest gathers pace appeared first on NK PRO.

A North Korean television channel recently aired a segment from Disney’s “Frozen II” movie to teach English vocabulary and expressions, despite the country’s ongoing crackdown on foreign media, according to NK News analysis of state media. Ryongnamsan TV on Monday aired about seven minutes of the movie in English, including scenes featuring the song “Some […]

About the Month in Review Every month, NK Pro conducts an in-depth analytic review of news on the Korean Peninsula. This Month in Review covers the period of Sept. 1, 2026 to Sept. 30, 2026. In addition to an executive summary providing top-line findings, the following review includes detailed analysis on a wide range of […] The post North Korea in September 2026: A month in review and what’s ahead appeared first on NK PRO.

North Korea dismisses Seoul’s findings on the Sept. 21 blast and mocks Lee Jae Myung’s push to lower military tension

Growing economy and ‘wealth gap’ problem suggests time has come for first major bridge across Taedong River in 30 years

Critics of President Lee criticized his response to the incident and demanded immediate action against North Korea

The political row has exposed the security and resettlement challenges facing the former soldiers and their families

A recap of everything in state media this week, from Asian Games medals and farm quotas to criticism of Japan

State educational channel shows scenes from the US film without naming producer

An analytical look at the main developments from Sept. 1 to Sept. 30, 2026

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday expressed his condolences to soldiers injured in Sept. 21 mine blast in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) while reaffirming his push to restore dialogue with North Korea, despite a finding by Seoul and the U.N. Command (UNC) that the explosion violated the armistice agreement. Lee made the remarks […]

A South Korean county recently cremated the body of a suspected North Korean child found dead on an island earlier this year. The unidentified boy, believed to be around six years old, was cremated on Sept. 23 after South Korea’s Oceans Ministry notified Ganghwa County to take account of the unclaimed remains, a county official […]

“Ask a North Korean” is an NK News series featuring interviews and columns by North Korean defectors, most of whom left the DPRK within the last few years. Readers may submit their questions for defectors by emailing ask@nknews.org and including their first name and city of residence. Today’s question is about watching South Korean films […]

NK News Data Correspondent Anton Sokolin and Lead Correspondent Shreyas Reddy join the podcast this week to discuss Russia’s new ambassador to North Korea, Pyongyang’s latest cyber operations and the growing dispute between Seoul and Kyiv over two North Korean prisoners of war.  Anton explains what the arrival of veteran diplomat Andrei Podelyshev signals about […]

The North Korea-China New Yalu River Bridge appears to be inching toward an official opening 12 years after it was built, analysts and media suggest, as the DPRK progresses on the construction of a customs facility next to the long-stalled road crossing. The bridge recently saw cargo traffic for the first time since its completion […] The post Crossing the Yalu: Why China and North Korea want to open long-stalled bridge appeared first on NK PRO.

Two land mine blasts separated by over a decade have brought the enduring dangers along the Korean Peninsula’s frontier into sharp focus as the dynamics surrounding them changed dramatically. In 2015, a North Korean mine explosion wounded two South Korean soldiers, triggering a chain of accusations, threats and artillery fire.  Last week, another blast injured […] The post A decade apart, two DMZ mine blasts highlight a new inter-Korean reality appeared first on NK PRO.

ROK leader pledges military modernization efforts as Blue House appoints new special advisers on defense and peace

The cremated remains will be interred at Incheon for 5 years and be presented to family members if they come forward.

A defector recalls trading banned videos, bribing his way out of crackdowns and questioning life in the DPRK

Anton Sokolin and Shreyas Reddy break down diplomacy, cybercrime and the growing dispute between Seoul and Kyiv

Experts expect the long-delayed bridge to bring economic gains to China and North Korea, as they forge ties with Russia

Talks between the United States and North Korea have an equal chance of taking place around the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled November in China, according to a lawmaker Wednesday, citing an assessment from South Korea’s intelligence agency. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) believes “there is roughly a 50% chance of talks” around the […]