Pyongyang Holds Ceremony to Mark Transfer of 250 New Tactical Missile Launchers to Frontline Units
A U.S. State Department spokesperson said “we would encourage North Korea to discontinue taking provocative and unproductive steps and return to the negotiating table” (Yonhap)
North Korean Defector: Pyongyang Would Seek Nuclear Talks in a Trump Presidency
A recently defected North Korean diplomat said the regime would seek to restart nuclear negotiations with the United States if former President Donald Trump wins the presidency; Trump’s previous presidency included both brinkmanship and diplomacy with North Korea, and the country has spurned dialogue with the United States in recent years (Reuters)
Daughter of Kim Jong Un Believed to Be Getting Trained to Succeed North Korean Leader
Lately, Kim Ju Ae has been accompanying her father at many military and economic events; still, the South Korean spy agency said that Kim has not ruled out other possibilities for his successor (Yonhap)
North Korea Pledges to Comprehensively Expand Bilateral Relations With Belarus
Details of talks during the visit by Belarus’s top diplomat to Pyongyang were not made public, but analysts suspected they might include deepening ties with Russia (Yonhap)
Russian Vice Defense Minister Discusses “Importance and Necessity” of Bilateral Military Cooperation With Leader Kim Jong-un
Aleksey Krivoruchko made the comments on a visit to Pyongyang, North Korean state media reported; Kim expressed support for Russia in its war in Ukraine (Yonhap)
Delegation From North Korean Military Training School Travels to Russia
The visit follows the two countries signing a pact last month in which they pledged military assistance to the other “by mobilizing all means in [their] possession” if attacked (Yonhap,Yonhap)
South Korea’s Military Releases Video of North Korean Missile Exploding in Midair
The South Korean military said the video was evidence that Pyongyang’s claim of a successful missile test on Wednesday was “deception and exaggeration” (Yonhap)
Putin Signs New Bilateral Agreements in North Korea
Russia and North Korea will provide each other military support “without delay” if either country is ever invaded, according to a new bilateral agreement reported by North Korean state media today (Yonhap)
Japan, South Korea, and the secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) voiced alarm over the Russia-North Korea deal, with Seoul warning that cooperation on military technology would violate UN Security Council resolutions (FT)
Putin Visits North Korea, Celebrates ‘Unwavering Support’ for War in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in North Korea today on his first official visit to the country in more than twenty years; ahead of the two-day trip, Putin published an article in North Korean state media thanking the country for its “unwavering support for Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine” (Bloomberg)
Putin to Visit North Korea for First Time in Twenty-Four Years
Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea this Tuesday and Wednesday for the first time in twenty-four years; Russia and North Korea’s renewed relationship following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a cause of concern of the United States and Western allies (Reuters)
North Korea Affirms Strong Relationship With Russia
In a message to President Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un boasted that North Korea has an “invincible comrade-in-arms” with Russia (Reuters)
South Korea Fires Warning Shots at North Korea
South Korea fired warning shots after North Korean troops accidentally crossed the DMZ on Sunday (BBC)
South Korea to Conduct Propaganda Broadcasts Aimed Across its Border With North Korea
This is Seoul’s first propaganda broadcast since 2016; South Korea’s military reported around 330 trash-carrying balloons launched by North Korea since Saturday (Yonhap)
U.S.-South Korea Military Drills Include Dropped Bombs for First Time Since 2017
Today’s joint U.S.-South Korea drill was meant to strengthen the countries’ “combined defense posture,” the U.S. military said (Yonhap)
The drill comes amid heightened tensions between North and South Korea; recently North Korea sent trash-filled balloons across the border, and South Korea suspended an inter-Korea military pact (AP)
South Korea to Suspend Military Pact With North Korea Over Trash-Filled Balloons
Seoul will halt a 2018 deal aimed at reducing tensions between the countries, the South Korean presidency said today; North Korea has sent almost one thousand trash-filled balloons across the border since Thursday in what it called retaliation for South Korean activists’ balloons that dropped leaflets criticizing Pyongyang (Yonhap)
North Korean Rocket Carrying Spy Satellite Explodes After Liftoff
South Korea’s military said the failure was likely due to engine combustion problems (Yonhap)
Nuclear envoys from Japan, South Korea, and the United States condemned the launch effort, which came after Pyongyang successfully put its first spy satellite into orbit last November (Yonhap)
China, Japan, and South Korea to Hold First Trilateral Summit Since 2019
The three countries will discuss tensions regarding trade restrictions and concerns over North Korea’s nuclear activities and ties to Russia (Bloomberg)
The summit will follow Japan and South Korea’s imposition today of new sanctions against North Korean and Russian individuals and entities; the announcement cited North Korean arms assistance to Russia for its war in Ukraine (Reuters)
Russian Oil Shipments to North Korea Violate UN Limits, White House Says
Russia quietly shipped more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to North Korea in March and could continue the shipments indefinitely, White House spokesperson John Kirby said yesterday (Reuters)
UN sanctions limit North Korea’s annual oil imports; this week, a UN panel monitoring North Korea’s compliance was disbanded following a Russian vote to end it (WaPo)
North Korea Conducts First Drill Simulating Nuclear Counterattack
Meanwhile, the United States and South Korea prepared to discuss cost-sharing regarding Seoul hosting U.S. troops, North Korea’s official news agency said today (Japan Times).
U.S. Ambassador to UN Visits Border Between North, South Korea
Linda Thomas-Greenfield invited North Korea to return to stalled nuclear disarmament talks and urged China and Russia to stop “rewarding bad behavior” by North Korea on today’s visit; Moscow recently vetoed the renewal of UN sanctions monitors on Pyongyang, while Beijing abstained (Bloomberg; Reuters)
Thomas-Greenfield’s visit is the most significant trip by a U.S. official to the demilitarized zone by a Joe Biden administration official since 2022 (SCMP)
China Sending Highest-Level Delegation to North Korea in Five Yeaars
Few further details were announced about the visit, which will span from Thursday to Saturday and include the third-highest-ranking official in China’s ruling Communist Party (AP)
Russia Summons South Korean Ambassador to Protest Seoul’s Sanctions
The sanctions imposed on Tuesday targeted Russians involved in helping North Korean tech workers travel abroad and in shipping military supplies between Pyongyang and Moscow (Yonhap)
Pyongyang Fires Apparent Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile Off Eastern Coast
Analysts say North Korea is attempting to produce missiles that could reach the U.S. Pacific hub of Guam and beyond (AP)
Russia Disbands UN Watchdog Tracking North Korea Sanctions
Russia invoked its veto at a UN Security Council vote to block the reauthorization of a panel that monitors compliance with sanctions on North Korea; the panel said last week that it was investigating reports that Russia breached those sanctions by buying and using North Korean weapons in its war against Ukraine (BBC)
The panel has been renewed annually for fourteen years; this is the first time Moscow has obstructed it (AP)
North Korea Test Fires Multiple Short-Range Ballistic Missiles During Blinken Visit
They were thought to be the first such launches in around a month; Blinken’s visit to attend the Summit for Democracy in Seoul includes meetings with both South Korea’s president and foreign minister, where they are expected to discuss North Korea’s nuclear threat (Le Monde, AFP)