N. Korea's flood victims brought to Pyongyang write letters of thanks to leader Kim

North Korean victims of late July's floods in the country's northern border region have written letters of thanks to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un while wrapping up their four-month stay in Pyongyang, the North's state media reported Friday. In August, Kim ordered more than 15,000 vulnerable flood victims from the North Phyongan, Jagang and Ryangang provinces, including children, the elderly and sick people, to be brought to Pyongyang and provided with shelter. North Korea held

Dec. 20, 2024

N. Korea-linked hackers stole $1.34b from crypto platforms this year: Chainalysis

Hackers linked to North Korea stole more than $1.3 billion from crypto platforms this year, marking the largest ever annual amount that they have raked in from hacking activities, a report from a blockchain analysis firm showed Thursday. Chainalysis released its analysis on North Korea-affiliated hackers' activities, saying that they stole $1.34 billion across 47 incidents, marking a significant jump from roughly $660.50 million across 20 incidents recorded last year. "Hackers linked t

Dec. 20, 2024

N. Korea defends military alignment with Russia as 'normal' cooperative ties

North Korea on Thursday denounced the United States, South Korea and other nations for issuing a joint statement condemning military cooperation between the North and Russia, claiming they were "distorting and slandering" the essence of its "normal" cooperative ties with Moscow. An unnamed spokesperson at North Korea's foreign ministry released the statement as the US, South Korea, the European Union and eight other countries on Monday condemned growing military cooperat

Dec. 19, 2024

UN General Assembly adopts resolution on N. Korean human rights for 20th straight year

The UN General Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution on North Korean human rights for the 20th consecutive year, calling for improvement in the reclusive state's human rights record. The adoption by consensus came as Seoul and Washington have stressed the importance of improvement in the North's human rights environment on the grounds that a repressive political climate has led the regime to continue to pursue its weapons development programs without allowing for public comment. The

Dec. 18, 2024

US sanctions 2 individuals, 1 entity involved in money laundering network to support N. Korea

The United States on Tuesday sanctioned two individuals and one entity involved in a network that launders illicit funds generated by North Korean IT workers and cybercrime to support Pyongyang, the Treasury Department said. The department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added two Chinese nationals and a UAE-based front company, named Green Alpine Trading, LLC, to its sanctions list. It accused them of facilitating money laundering and cryptocurrency conversion services that funne

Dec. 18, 2024

In North Korea, divorce could land you in labor camp: report

North Koreans who file for divorce are immediately subject to forced labor, a US-based news outlet recently reported, citing sources from within the communist state. According to a Radio Free Asia report on Monday, an anonymous source living in Yanggang Province, North Korea said that 12 couples saw their divorces finalized in court on Dec. 13. Immediately after the ruling, each person was sent to a military labor camp, the report said. "Last year, only the person who initially filed for

Dec. 17, 2024

Clear communication with Trump essential for S. Korea: expert

Ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, it is more crucial than ever for South Korea and the United States to engage in clear and strategic communication, says Ted Gover, director of the Tribal Administration Program at Claremont Graduate University and an expert on US diplomacy in Asia. “If I were the South Korean president, I would take a page from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s playbook,” said Gover, referring to the recent meeting at Mar-a-Lago in

Dec. 17, 2024

N. Korean media outlets report 2 days after Yoon’s impeachment

North Korean media outlets reported on South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment Monday, two days after the National Assembly voted to suspend him from office Saturday. The Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's most widely circulated newspaper, and the Korean Central News Agency, which targets international audiences, both reported that the South's National Assembly passed the motion to impeach Yoon with 204 votes in favor and 85 against. The report was featured on the sixth page

Dec. 16, 2024

Ukrainian military releases image of NK troops allegedly killed in Kursk: report

The Ukrainian military has released photos and footage of what appear to be dozens of North Korean soldiers killed along with Russian troops in Russia's western Kursk border region, a Ukrainian media outlet has said. Ukrainska Pravda reported Sunday, citing information from a drone unit, that the soldiers whose bodies were shown covered in snow were killed during assaults in the Russian region bordering Ukraine on Saturday. "The Madiar channel emphasized that this is a collaborative ef

Dec. 16, 2024

N. Korea remains silent about Yoon's impeachment

North Korea's state media on Sunday kept mum about President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment, marking a contrast from its swift reporting of the 2016 impeachment of then President Park Geun-hye. The National Assembly passed an impeachment motion against Yoon on Saturday over his botched imposition of martial law on Dec. 3, suspending his duties as president. As of 9 a.m., none of the North's state media, including the Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, and the Korean Cent

Dec. 15, 2024

$5m reward for tips on N. Koreans in US extortion scheme

The US government on Thursday offered rewards of up to $5 million for information related to North Korean IT workers and companies engaged in illegal activities including money laundering and "certain cyber activity that supports the DPRK's (North Korea's) weapons of mass destruction.” North Korean IT companies Yanbian Silverstar Network Technology Co., based in China, and Volasys Silverstar, based in Russia, are accused of deploying workers to be hired for remote and free

Dec. 13, 2024

N. Korea reports S. Korean unrest to bolster internal solidarity: Seoul

North Korea's continued media coverage of South Korea's political turmoil likely reflects a calculated effort to bolster domestic support of the Kim Jong-un regime by exposing its citizens to such reports, the Unification Ministry in Seoul said Thursday. North Korean state media, catering to domestic audiences, resumed detailed coverage on Wednesday of the political upheaval sparked by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s abrupt and short-lived martial law decree on Dec. 3. This followed a

Dec. 12, 2024

N. Korea reports martial law turmoil in S. Korea for 2nd day

North Korea's state media reported on the martial law turmoil in South Korea for a second consecutive day Thursday, saying political chaos is escalating amid calls to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol. The Korean Central News Agency and the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, which caters to the general North Korean readership, published the same article saying, "Voices of protest demanding the impeachment of the puppet Yoon Suk Yeol regime are escalating every day, further deepening political chao

Dec. 12, 2024

North Korea reports on South Korea’s martial law turmoil for first time

North Korean media reported last week’s botched declaration of martial law in South Korea for the first time, breaking its silence on the fiasco, as well as on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s possible impeachment and rallies by South Korean protestors in Yeouido, western Seoul on Dec. 7. The Korean Central News Agency, an overseas-oriented media outlet in North Korea, reported on Wednesday that the “puppet” regime of South Korea experienced a serious governance crisis after Y

Dec. 11, 2024

Russian Embassy in N. Korea hosts reception on ratification of mutual defense treaty

The Russian Embassy in North Korea has hosted a reception to celebrate the ratification of a mutual defense treaty between the two nations, the North's state media reported Wednesday. North Korea's top officials, including Choe Ryong-hae, chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly's standing committee, Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, attended the reception Tuesday, according to the Korean Central News Agenc

Dec. 11, 2024

Unification minister vows efforts for stable peninsula

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho said Tuesday that he "will make every effort to ensure the stable management of the situation on the Korean Peninsula" in his first public remarks since President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Dec. 3 martial law declaration. "I will carry out my duties with the utmost vigilance and without any lapse until my final day in office at this critical juncture, where inter-Korean relations are grave and uncertainties in the external environment are mounting,"

Dec. 10, 2024

[News Analysis] How will North Korea react to South Korea’s political crisis?

North Korea is widely expected to remain silent amid South Korea's political turbulence, defined by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s survival of an impeachment motion on Saturday, followed by the ruling party’s announcement on Sunday calling for his "orderly early resignation." However, the prospect of Pyongyang exploiting South Korea's perceived political vulnerabilities through provocations cannot be ruled out. If Pyongyang remains tight-lipped, the decision will under

Dec. 8, 2024

N. Korea to hold parliamentary session next month to discuss constitutional amendment: KCNA

North Korea will hold a key session of its rubber-stamp parliament next month to discuss a range of issues, including a constitutional amendment, the North's state media reported Friday. The standing committee of the Supreme People's Assembly held its 34th plenary meeting the previous day at the Mansudae Assembly Hall and decided to convene the 12th session of the 14th assembly on Jan. 22, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The KCNA said that the upcoming session will address

Dec. 6, 2024

N. Korea-Russia defense treaty goes into effect Dec. 4: state media

A new defense treaty signed by the leaders of North Korea and Russia in June came into force this week as the two nations have exchanged the treaty ratification instruments, state media reported Thursday. The comprehensive strategic partnership treaty went into effect Dec. 4, when the two sides signed protocol on exchanging the ratification instruments, according to the Korean Central News Agency. At summit talks in Pyongyang in June, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimi

Dec. 5, 2024

Foreign residents shocked by martial law declaration

The sudden declaration of martial law by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol late Tuesday night sent shock waves through the country's foreign community. President Yoon has defended the move, citing alleged threats from opposition lawmakers, and saying the National Assembly had "become a den of criminals, paralyzed the country's judicial and administrative systems through legislative dictatorship, and attempted to overthrow the liberal democratic system." Although the order

Dec. 4, 2024