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From banned ‘feudalistic remnant’ to Party ‘grace’: How North Korea rebranded Chuseok
Lee Kang-hyuk, a 24-year-old North Korean defector who uses a pseudonym, remembers trekking to familial burial grounds in North Korea’s Ryanggang Province every Chuseok, Korea’s traditional autumn harvest festival, before escaping to the South in 2018. “During Chuseok, families who have been apart get together, prepare food, carry it up the mountain, and perform ancestral rites,” Lee told The Korea Herald. “I loved the holiday as a child. Our house would be bustling from early morning.” Lee fled
Oct. 5, 2025 -
N. Korea holds annual defense exhibition for 3rd consecutive year
North Korea has launched its annual defense exhibition for the third consecutive year, with leader Kim Jong-un describing it as "the results" of the country's projects to modernize and advance its military capabilities, state media reported, Sunday. The "Defence Development 2025" kicked off in Pyongyang the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. In a speech at the event, Kim touted it as the "recent results of the important projects ... to put the structure of the DPRK's milit
Oct. 5, 2025 -
Lee says issue of separated families 'top priority'
President Lee Jae Myung said Saturday that the issue of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War must be addressed as a "top priority" between the two Koreas. Lee made the remark in a speech read on his behalf by Second Deputy National Security Adviser Lim Woong-soon at a ceremony marking the third Separated Families Day. "Unfortunately, inter-Korean relations are currently mired in deep distrust, but the issue of separated families remains the top priority that South and North Korea must wo
Oct. 4, 2025 -
Lee urges North Korea to consider basic family contact
President Lee Jae Myung on Friday called on North Korea to join the South in enabling divided families to at least confirm the fate of their relatives and exchange letters, stressing that such humanitarian steps are the duty of both governments. Speaking at a meeting with displaced Koreans at the Peace Observatory on Ganghwa Island, Lee said inter-Korean ties are now “completely severed and in very poor condition,” with hostility dominating the relationship. He emphasized that politics bears muc
Oct. 3, 2025 -
N. Korean defense chief voices 'full support' for Russia in meeting with Moscow counterpart
North Korea's Defense Minister No Kwang-chol has expressed "full support" for Russia in its efforts to defend its sovereignty and interests, during a meeting with his Russian counterpart in Moscow, Russian news reports said. No delivered the message the previous day at a ceremony in Moscow, where he and Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov unveiled a sculpture commemorating North Korean "partisans" who fought alongside Russian soldiers during World War II, according to Russian news agency Ri
Oct. 2, 2025 -
Russian envoy says N. Korea's possession of nuclear arms is 'open secret,' 'reality'
Russia's top envoy to the UN said Wednesday that North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons is an "open secret" and a "reality," although Seoul, Washington and Tokyo have underscored their commitment to the denuclearization of the North. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia made the remarks during a press conference as Russia has undertaken the rotating monthlong presidency of the UN Security Council this month. "We don't have to recognize it because it's an open secret," he said, responding to a questi
Oct. 2, 2025 -
N. Korea's FM vows to bolster diplomatic exchanges, cooperation with China
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui has vowed efforts to strengthen diplomatic exchanges and cooperation with China in her congratulatory message to China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, on China's key anniversary, state media reported Thursday. Choe's message was delivered to celebrate the 76th anniversary of China's founding the previous day, according to the Korean Central News Agency. In the letter, Choe said the two nations have an "important" mission to develop their bilateral ties through
Oct. 2, 2025 -
N. Korea's Kim, in message to Xi, vows strong ties with China regardless of changes in intl. situation
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to develop bilateral ties with China regardless of changes in the international situation in his message to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, according to Pyongyang's state media. Kim sent a congratulatory message to Xi to mark the 76th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China, according to the Korean Central News Agency. "It is the steadfast stand of our Party and the government of the Republic to steadily develop the traditional DPRK
Oct. 1, 2025 -
Trump remains open to talks with NK leader Kim 'without any preconditions': White House
US President Donald Trump remains open to engaging in dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "without any preconditions," a White House official said Tuesday, amid speculation that Trump could seek to meet Kim when he visits South Korea to attend the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. The official made the remarks in response to Yonhap News Agency's question about the possibility of Trump resuming dialogue with Kim during his much-anticipated visit to South Korea to join t
Oct. 1, 2025 -
Unification minister says N. Korea capable of hitting US mainland
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young has said North Korea is capable of hitting the US mainland, apparently referring to the North's recent development of its intercontinental ballistic missiles, in rare public remarks about Pyongyang's weapons capability. Chung made the remarks at a press conference in Berlin on Monday during his ongoing visit to Germany as South Korea's representative to attend a ceremony marking German unification. "North Korea has become one of the three countries capable o
Sept. 30, 2025 -
Senior NK diplomat reaffirms Pyongyang will never forgo nuclear arms 'under any circumstances'
A senior North Korean diplomat reiterated Monday that Pyongyang will never renounce its nuclear program "under any circumstances," stressing that it has stipulated its nuclear arsenal as a "sacred" and "absolute" asset that can "never be tampered with." Speaking at a general debate of the UN General Assembly in New York, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son-gyong also expressed the North's openness to engaging with countries that "respect" and take a "friendly" approach toward his country. It marked th
Sept. 30, 2025 -
FM Cho says Pyongyang may respond to Seoul administration's peace overtures
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Monday that Pyongyang may respond to the new Seoul administration's continued overtures for peace, citing North Korea's dispatch of a diplomatic delegation to the 80th session of the UN General Assembly last week. Cho made the remarks in an interview with broadcaster MBC after returning from the U.N. gathering held in New York last week, where he accompanied President Lee Jae Myung. When asked about the North Korean delegation's participation, Cho said the move cou
Sept. 29, 2025 -
N. Korea's top diplomat departs for China: KCNA
North Korea's Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui has departed Pyongyang for China, the North's state media reported Sunday. North Korea and China have announced that Choe is visiting China from Saturday to Tuesday at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Choe left Pyongyang for China "by plane for her personal use," the North's Korean Central News Agency reported. Upon departure, Choe and the North's delegation were seen off by ministry officials and Chinese Ambassador Wang Yajun, accor
Sept. 28, 2025 -
N. Korea to grant pardon to convicted people on occasion of key party anniversary
North Korea will grant a pardon to convicted people next month on the occasion of the 80th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, state media reported Sunday, a move seen as aimed at solidifying internal unity. The Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly has decided to grant a pardon to those who were convicted of "crimes against the country and people" to mark the WPK's founding anniversary set for Oct. 10, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The amnesty will be
Sept. 28, 2025 -
N. Korea's Kim reaffirms 'invariable' stance on ensuring security through nuclear force
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reaffirmed his country's "invariable" stance on ensuring security through its nuclear forces, highlighting steady preparations for its nuclear counteraction as an "essential top-priority" task, state media reported Saturday. Kim made the remarks Friday, when he met nuclear scientists and technicians, and presided over a key consultative meeting on the production of nuclear materials and weapons, according to the Korean Central News Agency. His message came aft
Sept. 27, 2025