North Korea | DD News

March 30, 2026 3:34 PM

Air China resumes flights to North Korea but stops taking fresh bookings

China's flag carrier resumed flights between the capital Beijing and North Korea's Pyongyang on Monday, but it has stopped taking fresh bookings on the route, according to Chinese state media and a tour operator. Air China restarted the weekly flights for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese state media said and Reuters reported this month based on information from tour operator Young Pioneer Tours, which has had business in North Korea. But the airline stopped taking further bo...

March 24, 2026 9:46 AM

Kim Jong Un says North Korea’s nuclear status is irreversible, threatens South

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country would permanently strengthen its nuclear forces and treat South Korea as its most hostile state, as he set out policy priorities in a speech to parliament, state media KCNA reported on Tuesday. Kim said Pyongyang's status as a nuclear-armed state was irreversible and expanding a "self-defensive nuclear deterrent" was essential to national security, regional stability and economic development. He rejected the idea that nuclear disarmament could b...

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...

November 7, 2025 1:19 PM

North Korea fires ballistic missile towards the sea off its east coast

North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Friday towards the sea off its east coast, South Korea and Japan said, following missile launches in the past two weeks and after U.S. President Donald Trump's renewed invitation for talks with Pyongyang. South Korea's military said the suspected short-range ballistic missile was launched from an area in North Korea's northwest region near the Chinese border, travelling a distance of about 700 km (435 miles). South Korean and U.S. surveillance systems d...

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 7, 2025 10:44 AM

China Premier Li Qiang to visit North Korea for ruling party anniversary

Chinese Premier Li Qiang will lead a Chinese delegation to North Korea to participate in celebrations of the 80th anniversary of its ruling party on Friday, North Korean state media KCNA reported. China's foreign ministry confirmed Li's visit from October 9 to 11 in a separate announcement on Tuesday and said China is willing to take the opportunity to strengthen communication and deepen partnerships with North Korea. A delegation from Russia's United Russia party, led by chairman Dmitry Medve...