February 24, 2026 1:09 PM

North Korea’s Kim pledges economic push as his sister is elevated at party congress

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to solidify and develop the quality of the country's economy over the next five years, state media KCNA said on Tuesday, during a speech at a party congress where his high-profile sister was promoted. North Korea on Monday held the fifth day of the Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers' Party, which sets out major policy goals for the nuclear-armed Asian nation for the next five years. Members of the congress started to map out plans and goals by sectors,...

February 12, 2026 10:31 AM

North Korea’s Kim positioning daughter as successor, Seoul spy agency briefing says

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to be taking steps to consolidate his daughter's position as successor, and there are signs she is providing input on policy matters, South Korean lawmakers said on Thursday, citing a spy agency briefing. South Korea's National Intelligence Agency (NIS) will be closely watching whether the daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae, attends an upcoming meeting of the ruling Workers' Party and how she is presented, including whether she takes on any official...

January 4, 2026 12:46 PM

South Korea’s Lee begins China state visit after North fires missiles

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung began a state visit to China on Sunday, hoping to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula hours after rival North Korea launched ballistic missiles. The visit, Lee's first to China since taking office in June, comes amid heightened global tensions after Pyongyang's aggressive display, on the heels of the U.S. attack on Venezuela. Lee is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping during the trip for their second meeting in just two months, an unusually shor...

January 2, 2026 9:50 AM

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter makes public visit to state mausoleum

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's daughter, Ju Ae, who is likely being prepared as his successor, accompanied her parents on her first public visit to the Kumsusan mausoleum to pay respects to former leaders, state media photos published on Friday showed. Ju Ae has been making increasingly prominent appearances in state media over the past three years, fuelling speculation by analysts and South Korea's intelligence agency that she may be in line to be the country's fourth-generation leader. Ch...

November 30, 2025 3:24 PM

North Korea’s Kim stresses Air Force’s nuclear war deterrence on its 80th anniversary

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un highlighted the Air Force's role in exercising nuclear war deterrence as he celebrated the Air Force's 80th anniversary along with his young daughter, state media reported on Sunday. Photos released by North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed Kim observing what appeared to be unmanned aircraft and mobile missile launchers among others. North Korea has launched mass production of small, short-range First Person View (FPV) drones, as well as larger medium-rang...

October 28, 2025 10:05 AM

Putin says ‘everything going to plan’ with North Korea

Russian President Vladimir Putin asked North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui during talks in the Kremlin on Monday to tell her country's leader Kim Jong Un that everything was "going to plan" in bilateral relations. Putin and Kim sealed a strategic partnership treaty last year, which included a mutual defence pact, and North Korea has sent soldiers, artillery ammunition and missiles to Russia to support Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine. "We talked in detail in Beijing about our relat...

October 24, 2025 10:47 AM

North Korea’s Kim says military ties with Russia will ‘advance non-stop’

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said military brotherhood between his country and Russia would "advance non-stop", state media KCNA reported on Friday. Kim made the comments during a speech at the groundbreaking ceremony for a memorial for North Korean soldiers who fought alongside Russian troops in Russia's Kursk region during Moscow's ongoing war with Ukraine, KCNA said. "The years of militant fraternity, in which a guarantee has been provided for the long-term development of the bilateral f...

October 23, 2025 9:56 AM

North Korea tested ‘cutting-edge’ weapons system on Wednesday, KCNA reports

North Korea said it successfully tested "a new cutting-edge weapons system" involving hypersonic projectiles on Wednesday as part of a defence program to enhance strategic deterrence against enemies. Two hypersonic projectiles were launched from a region near the capital, Pyongyang, and hit a target inland in the country's northeast, state news agency KCNA reported on Thursday. KCNA did not mention that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was present for the test. North Korea has been developing h...

October 5, 2025 10:29 AM

North Korea’s Kim says country will develop additional military measures, state media reports

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Pyongyang has allocated strategic assets to respond to the buildup of U.S. military forces in the south and vowed to develop additional military measures, the state media KCNA reported on Sunday. "In direct proportion to the buildup of U.S. forces in Korea, our strategic interest in the region has also increased, and we have accordingly allocated special assets to key targets of interest," Kim said at a military exhibition event ahead of the 80th founding an...

September 11, 2025 12:25 PM

North Korea leader firming up status of daughter as successor, Seoul spy agency says

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to have solidified the status of his daughter Kim Ju Ae as his likely successor after she accompanied him on a visit to China, South Korean lawmakers said on Thursday, citing the country's spy agency. Ju Ae stayed at the North Korean embassy and avoided the public spotlight during the Beijing visit, but just being on the overseas trip with her father was "enough to build a narrative" as the regime's likely successor, said Lee Seong-kweun, a lawmaker on So...