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Hegseth says US 'not blind' to N. Korean threat, refuses to preview DMZ message
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday the United States is "not blind" to North Korean threats, stressing that Seoul and Washington have shared interests about how the allies look at the threat and security challenges in a broader regional context. Hegseth made the remarks during a press availability on the margins of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus in Kuala Lumpur, responding to a question from Yonhap News Agency about whether he has a message
Oct. 31, 2025 -
South Korea to launch 5th spy satellite from US
South Korea will launch its fifth domestically developed military reconnaissance satellite from the US this weekend, marking the completion of the country’s multiyear “425 Project” aimed at establishing an independent surveillance network to monitor North Korea, the Defense Ministry said Friday. The synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite is scheduled to lift off around 1 a.m. Sunday (US time) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, according to the ministry. The launch represents t
Oct. 31, 2025 -
Kim Jong-un visits hospital building site after Trump departs peninsula
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made his first public appearance in over a week to inspect a hospital construction site on the outskirts of Pyongyang, according to photos released by the state news agency a day after US President Donald Trump departed South Korea. According to the Korean Central News Agency on Friday, Kim visited the nearly completed construction site of Gangdong-gun Hospital on Thursday, marking his return to public activities following a brief hiatus during Trump’s visit to So
Oct. 31, 2025 -
2 N. Korean captives in Ukraine pled to take them to S. Korea: activist
Two North Korean prisoners of war in Ukraine, captured while fighting for Russia and detained since early 2025, have pleaded with a visiting documentary producer to bring them to South Korea, an activist said Friday. Jang Se-yul, head of a North Korean defectors' group in South Korea, disclosed the meeting between two North Korean captives in their 20s and a South Korean documentary producer Tuesday at a prisoner camp near Kyiv, where they are currently held. The North Korean soldiers first came
Oct. 31, 2025 -
N. Korea's Kim inspects new hospital as Trump departs S. Korea
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected a hospital under construction near Pyongyang, calling for a healthcare revolution to promote public health, state media reported Friday, on the day when US President Donald Trump left South Korea on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering. Kim visited Kangdong County Hospital, which is near completion, the previous day to inspect the construction and instructed that medical equipment be installed within next month, the Korean
Oct. 31, 2025 -
Trump says willing to return to meet Kim Jong-un
US President Donald Trump said Thursday he could return to the Korean Peninsula to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, as he departed South Korea after wrapping up his two-day visit. According to local reports, Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One for Washington that he was too busy now to meet and talk with Kim. Trump was in South Korea for summits with President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping. He spent a night in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province — the ho
Oct. 30, 2025 -
N. Korea says fired sea-to-surface strategic cruise missiles ahead of Trump's visit to S. Korea
North Korea said Wednesday it test-fired sea-to-surface strategic cruise missiles in the Yellow Sea the previous day, a provocation that came ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering. North Korea's missile launch came as Trump expressed his wish to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his visit to the South from Oct. 29-30 on the occasion of the APEC meetings. The cruise missiles, improved for ship-based launches, w
Oct. 29, 2025 -
N. Korea is prepared to respond to all threats to Eurasian continent: FM
North Korea is prepared to respond to all threats to the Eurasian continent, the country's top diplomatic said Tuesday, attending a regional security conference in Minsk, Belarus, for the first time, a report said. Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui made the remarks at the Third Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security in the Belarusian capital, Belta, the country's state news agency, reported. "The meeting is taking place at a time when strengthening security is more important than ever i
Oct. 28, 2025 -
S. Korea, US not discuss agenda for possible Kim-Trump meeting: official
South Korea and the United States have not coordinated agenda items related to a possible meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this week, the unification minister said Tuesday. Seoul's top point man on North Korea, Chung Dong-young, made the remarks during a parliamentary audit amid speculation that Kim and Trump could meet this week on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering. "I believe there have been no discussions betwee
Oct. 28, 2025 -
Still uncertain how Pyongyang will respond to Trump’s offer: minister
South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Tuesday that Pyongyang is likely to express its stance on a possible summit with the US through Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, by Wednesday. Chung, however, cautioned that nothing is certain yet, amid mounting speculation that Kim and US President Donald Trump could meet, with the latter set to arrive in South Korea on Wednesday ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit this week in Gyeongj
Oct. 28, 2025 -
N. Korea's FM, Putin vow to strengthen bilateral ties ahead of Trump's visit to S. Korea
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Russian President Vladimir Putin have reaffirmed their will to strengthen bilateral ties, the North's state media reported Tuesday, ahead of US President Donald Trump's trip to South Korea this week. Choe paid a courtesy call on Putin in Moscow the previous day, according to the Korean Central News Agency. Choe departed Pyongyang on Sunday to visit Russia and Belarus, a trip that comes as Trump has voiced a wish to meet with North Korean leader Kim
Oct. 28, 2025 -
US official says no evidence NK has mastered hypersonics, notes progress in its ICBM reentry tech
A senior US defense official has said there is no evidence of North Korea having mastered hypersonic weapons capabilities as he stressed the recent deployment of a new US air defense system to South Korea aims "specifically" to deter the recalcitrant regime. During an online press briefing Wednesday, the official also pointed out "progress" in the North's quest to secure reentry technology required for a fully operational intercontinental ballistic missile while voicing concerns that Russia coul
Oct. 28, 2025 -
N. Korean FM tells Lavrov ties reached 'new height' with Kim-Putin meeting in Beijing: report
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui highlighted last month's meeting between the North's leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing as an event that raised the bilateral ties to a "new height," Russian media reported Monday. Choe made the remark at the talks with her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow, referring to the two leaders' bilateral talks that took place when they visited Beijing on Sept. 3 to attend a military parade marking China's Victory Day
Oct. 27, 2025 -
N. Korea slams Japan's defense buildup
North Korea on Monday criticized Japan's recent defense buildup, warning it could make Tokyo the target of strong retaliation from neighboring countries. The Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's most widely read newspaper, issued the warning in its Monday edition, citing Japan's recent launch of the sixth Taigei-class attack submarine, mass production of an improved Type 12 surface-to-ship missile and other defense buildup plans. The newspaper said such weapon systems are preemptive-strike means with ra
Oct. 27, 2025 -
Trump courts Kim again, but N. Korea signals turn to Russia
North Korea has signaled its intention to prioritize ties with Russia over the resumption of dialogue with the United States after US President Donald Trump renewed his overtures to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un prior to his trip to South Korea. Expectations are mounting over a possible impromptu encounter — reminiscent of his surprise meeting with Kim at the demilitarized zone in June 2019 — as Trump is set to embark on a two-day state visit on Wednesday during the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week
Oct. 26, 2025