Kim Jong Un | DD News

November 2, 2026 10:53 AM

North Korea says US-South Korea nuclear drill shows need for stronger nuclear deterrence

North Korea said on Monday a recent US-South Korean joint military exercise was a nuclear war rehearsal targeting the country and vowed to accelerate efforts to strengthen its nuclear deterrent, according to state media KCNA. Kim Jong Sik, a deputy department director in the ruling Workers’ Party, said the Iron Mace exercise showed the US remained unchanged in its "wild ambition to stifle North Korea with nukes" and that such threats were "escalating with each passing day." He said Iron Mace...

October 30, 2026 12:14 PM

North Korea’s Kim urges drone dominance, greater military AI use amid border tensions

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for his country to seize "absolute superiority" in drone technology as he attended an exhibition and demonstration of unmanned aeronautical technology, state media KCNA reported on Friday. The firepower demonstration featured tactical suicide attack drones, tactical cruise missiles, multipurpose drones and 600mm multiple rocket launchers, KCNA said. The display highlighted Kim's push to modernise North Korea's armed forces by using drones and artificial i...

October 13, 2026 10:16 AM

North Korea’s Kim showcases missile capable of reaching US as Trump signals possible meeting

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a defence industry museum displaying an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States, state media KCNA showed on Tuesday. The report came a day after US President Donald Trump said he might meet Kim during a planned trip to Asia. Trump is expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China in mid-November. Kim, accompanied by his daughter known as Ju Ae and wife Ri Sol Ju, attended the opening of the newly...

October 12, 2026 10:41 AM

North Korea fires missiles days after South Korea’s hypersonic test

North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast on Monday, South Korea's military said, marking Pyongyang'sfourth launch in a monthand following Seoul's recent test of a hypersonic missile. The ballistic missiles, whichappeared to be of different types, were fired at around 9:20 a.m. local time (0020 GMT) from near Pyongyang, and one type flew more than 900 km (559 miles), South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Earlier, Japan's coast guard said North Korea ha...

October 4, 2026 5:16 PM

North Korea says Kim Jong Un oversaw hypersonic missile drill

North Korea said on Sunday it had tested a hypersonic missile under the supervision of leader Kim Jong Un, in a drill aimed at demonstrating the reliability of its nuclear deterrent. State media KCNA said the intermediate-range strategic missile, which it described as part of a hypersonic strategic weapon system, was launched on Saturday from eastern North Korea and struck a target about 1,000 km (621 miles) away in waters off the country's east coast. The drill was aimed at training missile t...

June 8, 2026 12:22 PM

Flags, gun salute greet China’s Xi on arrival in North Korea for summit

Ties between China and North Korea are at a "new historical starting point", President Xi Jinping said on Monday in remarks published in the neighbour's state media as he arrived in Pyongyang for a rare summit with leader Kim Jong Un. China's unwavering policy is to develop ties with the North and both will strengthen exchanges in all areas, Xi said in the Rodong Sinmun newspaper ahead of a visit seen as significant because it is his first international trip this year. "We must oppose hegemony...

June 6, 2026 12:15 PM

North Korea to build 10,000-ton destroyer, state media says before Xi visit

North Korea plans to build a 10,000-ton destroyer and develop secret underwater weapons, state media said on Saturday, ahead of a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Rodong Sinmun newspaper, reporting on a Thursday naval test supervised by leader Kim Jong Un, said he ordered the navy to deploy the destroyer Kang Kon and another 5,000-ton warship, the Choe Hyon, as soon as possible. The newspaper did not give further details. It is the first time North Korea has mentioned a plan to buil...

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...