North Korea

What is known about North Korea’s possible coronavirus ‘patient zero’

After North Korea announced what could be its first publicly confirmed case of coronavirus on Sunday, officials in Seoul believe they may have identified the man suspected of crossing into…

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North Korea reports first suspected case of COVID-19

North Korea reported its first case of suspected COVID-19, in a person who returned to the North on July 19, state news agency KCNA reported on Sunday. North Korean leader…

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North Korean leader’s sister says another summit unlikely but “a surprise thing may still happen”

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korea's leader, said another summit with the United States would only be useful for Washington at this point, adding her country had no…

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North Korea says no need to sit down with US for talks

North Korea does not feel the need to have talks with the United States, which would be nothing more than "a political tool" for Washington, a senior North Korean diplomat…

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Kim Jong Un says North Korea prevented coronavirus from making inroads

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told a meeting of the politburo of the ruling Workers Party the North had stopped the novel coronavirus from making inroads in the country,…

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Divided Koreas mark 70 years since war began

Seventy years after the Korean War began, prospects for a peace treaty to officially end the conflict appear as distant as ever, as the two Koreas held low-key commemorations on…

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N.Korea suspends military action plans against S.Korea

North Korea has decided to suspend military action plans against South Korea, the official KCNA news agency reported on Wednesday, as a report suggested North Korean troops were taking down…

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North Korea promises ‘retaliatory punishment’ for the South

North Korea said on Monday that it had readied thousands of balloons and millions of leaflets in preparation for "retaliatory punishment" against South Korea. The detail, in a state media…

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North Korea to redeploy troops to border

North Korea on Wednesday rejected South Korea’s offer to send special envoys to ease escalating tensions over defector activity and stalled reconciliation efforts, vowing to redeploy troops to demilitarised border…

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North Korea blows up joint liaison office with the South

North Korea has blown up its joint liasion office with the South, in the border town of Kaeso. Yonhap, the South's state news agency quoted this morning the unification ministry…

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Kim Jong Un’s sister threatens military action against South Korea

South Korea convened in an emergency security meeting on Sunday in response to Pyongyang's threats to cut off all ties with Seoul, demolish a liaison office and take military action…

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North Korea says little reason to maintain Kim-Trump ties

North Korea sees little use maintaining a personal relationship between leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump if Washington sticks to hostile policies, state media reported on Friday…

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N.Korean leader’s sister emerges as policymaker

The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is taking a leading role in a new, more hard-line pressure campaign against South Korea, highlighting what analysts say is a…

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North Korea severs ties with South after leaflets from defectors reach its territory

North Korea said on Tuesday it will sever hotlines with South Korea as the first step toward shutting down all contact with Seoul, state news agency KCNA reported. For several days, North Korea has lashed out at…

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N.Korea’s Kim stresses self-sufficient economy as tensions with S.Korea rise

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un focused on domestic economic issues at a meeting of the politburo of the country's ruling Workers Party, state media said on Monday, as the…

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U.S. indicts North Koreans, accuses state-owned bank of evading sanctions

The U.S. Justice Department accused North Korea's state-owned bank of evading U.S. sanctions laws and charged 28 North Korean and five Chinese citizens in its largest crackdown on North Korea…

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Britain temporarily closes its embassy in North Korea

Britain has temporarily closed its embassy in North Korea and all its diplomatic staff have left the country, the UK ambassador said on Thursday, the latest foreign delegation to leave…

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No indications Kim Jong Un underwent heart surgery

South Korea's spy agency said on Wednesday there are no signs North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has received heart surgery, the Yonhap news agency reported. Kim disappeared from…

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Exchange of gunfire across Korean border

North and South Korea exchanged gunfire around the South's guard post early on Sunday, raising tension a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended an almost three-week absence…

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Donald Trump declines to comment on Kim Jong-Un reported public presence

U.S. President Donald Trump declined on Friday to comment on a report by North Korea's state news agency that the country's leader Kim Jong Un had made his first public…

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North Korean President makes first public appearance amid speculation over his death

Kim Jong-un makes first public appearance for 20 days, North Korean state media say, amid speculation over his health. According to Reuters, he attended the completion of a fertiliser plant.…

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South Korea says Kim likely sheltering from virus

Fear of the coronavirus could have been keeping North Korean leader Kim Jong Un out of public sight, a South Korean minister and U.S. sources said, following intense speculation and…

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South Korean call for caution over reports that North Korean leader Kim is ill

South Korean officials are calling for caution amid reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may be ill, emphasising that they have detected no unusual movements in North Korea.…

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Several conflicting reports about North Korea’s leader health condition and whether he’s alive or dead

There are several conflicting reports about North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un's health condition and whether he's alive or dead. On Saturday, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un was absent…

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Reports China sent team including medical experts to advise on North Korea’s Kim

Reuters reports that China has dispatched a team to North Korea including medical experts to advise on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to three people familiar with the…

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Trump throws cold water on reports North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is gravely ill

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday threw more cold water on reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was gravely ill, but declined to say if he had been…

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South Korea and China sources deny that North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un is critically ill – UPDATE

UPDATE - The Chinese Communist Party's International Liaison Department told Reuters on Tuesday, that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is not believed to be critically ill. The official declined to be…

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Major reshuffle in North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has carried out a major reshuffle of his State Affairs Commission, official media reported on Monday, replacing more than a third of its…

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North Korea fires more missiles

North Korea fired two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea. This was confirmed by South Korea and Japan. This missile shooting continues a streak of weapons launches that suggests leader…

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North Korea fires three more projectiles into sea

North Korea launched multiple short-range projectiles into the sea on Monday as part of ongoing firing drills, a week after it resumed missile tests following a three-month break, South Korea’s…

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North Korea fires two projectiles off east coast into sea

North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles off the east coast into the sea on Monday, South Korea’s defense ministry said. The ministry did not provide details of the projectiles…

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North Korea takes hard-line approach to coronavirus threat

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw military drills on Friday, state media KCNA said, a rare public outing amid efforts to prevent an outbreak of the coronavirus in the…

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Tough-talking military veteran new North Korean foreign minister

North Korea’s new foreign minister is a former defense commander with little diplomatic experience, spotlighting leader Kim Jong Un’s reliance on party and military loyalists at a sensitive time amid…

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Reports that North Korean Foreign Minister has been replaced

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho has been replaced, Seoul-based NK News reported. The usually well-informed outlet, citing multiple unnamed sources in Pyongyang, said Ri would be replaced by…

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U.S. imposes sanctions on two North Korean entities over labour export

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on two North Korean entities that it said are involved in sending North Koreans to work abroad in violation of United Nations…

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UN chief ‘deeply concerned’ over North Korea missile tests threat

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he is "deeply concerned" about North Korea's indication on Wednesday that it could resume nuclear and missile tests. The statement comes a day after…

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Kim Jong-un calls for ‘positive and offensive’ security policy

North Korea's leader has called for "positive and offensive measures" to ensure the country's "sovereignty and security", state media said. Kim Jong-un was speaking at a multi-day gathering of party…

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US braced for ‘Christmas gift’ missile launch from North Korea

The US is closely monitoring North Korea for a threatened "Christmas gift" missile launch or nuclear test. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had given the US until the end…

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U.S. urges North Korea to come to the negotiating table

U.S. special envoy Stephen Biegun has urged North Korea to come to the negotiating table, saying: "We are here, let's get this done." His comments in Seoul come days after…

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North Korea fires more missiles

North Korea fired at least one unidentified projectile on Thursday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. No other details were immediately available, including how many projectiles were fired…

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North Korea releases stamps on 100 anniversary of Red Cross, Red Crescent founding

A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on 21 November 2019 shows a sheetlet issued in the DPRK. The stamps were issued to mark the…

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North Korea calls Joe Biden a ‘rabid dog’ nearing death

North Korea’s state media on Friday stepped up a personal attack on former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden for slandering its leader, calling the Democratic presidential candidate “a rabid dog”…

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North Korea fires unidentified projectiles into Sea of Japan

North Korea has fired two unidentified "projectiles" into the sea, the South Korean military says. If confirmed as a missile test, it would be the North's 12th this year. The…

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Foreboding of major announcement as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un rides white horse on Paektu Mountain

An undated photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, riding a white horse through the first snow of Paektu Mountain,…

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No success in U.S.-North Korea nuclear talks

Working-level nuclear talks between North Korea and the United States have broken off, North Korea’s chief negotiator said. “The negotiations have not fulfilled our expectation and finally broke off,” the…

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North Korea confirms it test fired a missile from the sea

North Korea has confirmed it test-fired a new type of a ballistic missile, a significant escalation from the short-range tests it has conducted since May. The missile - which was…

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Possible missile launch from North Korean submarine

North Korea may have fired a ballistic missile from a submarine, according to officials in South Korea. The missile is thought to have been launched near the port of Wonsan…

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Kim invited Trump to visit Pyongyang

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un invited U.S. President Donald Trump to visit Pyongyang in a letter sent in August, a South Korean newspaper reported on Monday, citing diplomatic sources.…

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Trump willing to meet again with North Korean leader

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Thursday he would be willing to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to resume denuclearisation talks at some point later this year.…

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North Korea tells UN to cut international aid staff

North Korea has told the United Nations to cut the number of international staff it deploys in the country because the world body’s programs have failed “due to the politicization…

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North Korea says ready for dialogue or confrontation with U.S.

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said on Friday Pyongyang is ready for both dialogue and confrontation with the United States, warning Washington that continuing with sanctions would be…

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North Korea rejects peace talks with South Korea, fires two more missiles into the sea

North Korea has rejected any further talks with South Korea, calling its decision "completely the fault of South Korea's actions". It issued a statement in response to a speech by…

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North Korea says missile tests ‘warning’ to South Korea, US

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North Korea shoots another missile

North Korea has fired another short-range missile twice, in the country's third weapons test in just over a week. The launches happened in an area on the country's eastern coast…

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North Korean diplomat who defected has left Italy

National Intelligence Service (NIS) officials, South Korea’s spy agency, told lawmakers in Seoul on Thursday that a North Korean diplomat who went into hiding in Italy last year is now…

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North Korean soldier defects across the DMZ

South Korea has detained a North Korean soldier who crossed the heavily guarded demilitarised zone (DMZ) that divides the two Koreas. According to the South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff…

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Second missile launch in a week by North Korea

North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast, the second such launch in a week. The two missiles were launched from the Wonsan area early on…

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