North Korea Is Sending Troops to Russia, Says Zelenskyy
In a national address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asserted that North Korea’s and Russia’s military relationship is growing beyond the “transfer of weapons” to the “transfer of people” (Reuters)
While he did not specify details, South Korean and Ukrainian officials raised concern over North Korean-Russian military training and cooperation last week; a Kremlin spokesperson dismissed the reports as “fake” (WaPo)
South Korea Accused of Flying Drones Over Pyongyang
North Korea has threatened to respond to the presence of South Korean drones carrying anti-North Korean propaganda pamphlets with force, claiming that the alleged flights were “a dangerous provocation” that, if repeated, could warrant “all means of attack” (AP)
North Korea’s Military Blocking Roads and Rail Lines Connecting it to South Korea
State media reported the military will also “fortify” parts of the North Korean side with new defense installations; Pyongyang said it was responding to South Korean and U.S. military movements in the region and that it sent a phone message to the U.S. military in Seoul to prevent misunderstandings about its new actions (Yonhap)
Seoul, Washington Reach Deal on Cost-Sharing for U.S. Troops in South Korea
As part of the five-year deal, South Korea will continue to increase its portion of the sharing cost to host some 28,500 U.S. personnel in South Korea; its contribution will rise 8.3 percent in 2026 and in the following three years, rise at a rate based on the consumer price index (Reuters)
The deal was concluded early in what was seen as an effort to wrap it up before the U.S. election (CNN)
North Korea Releases Rare Photos of Uranium-Enrichment Facility
The images released today show leader Kim Jong Un visiting what Korean state media said was a uranium enrichment plant at an unspecified location; it was not immediately clear to experts that Pyongyang was showing off a previously-unknown capability in the photo, but it comes amid broader nuclear saber-rattling by North Korea (AP)
North Korea’s nuclear weapons program is banned by several UN Security Council resolutions, but Pyongyang has stepped up enrichment efforts under Kim; South Korean officials have warned that North Korea may be preparing for a nuclear weapons test around the time of the U.S. election in November, with the last such test held in 2017 (FT)
The photo release comes as senior Russian security official Sergei Shoigu held talks on “a wide range of issues” in Pyongyang today, Russian state media reported; the two countries have deepened their ties since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, with Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting North Korea in June (Reuters)
North Korea Fires Missiles Off East Coast
Today’s test launch of multiple short-range ballistic missiles was the first such public launch in more than two months, South Korea’s military said; in a speech on Monday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he would work to make nuclear forces ready for combat against the United States and its allies (AP)
North Korean Soldier Crosses Over to South Korea
The number of North Korean soldiers fleeing to their neighbor has risen since Pyongyang eased COVID-19 border controls, and with today’s defection, now total 105 in the first half of this year, up from the same period last year; relations between the two countries are at one of their worst points in years (AFP, Yonhap)
South Korean President Offers New Channel for Talks With North Korea
President Yoon Suk Yeol proposed new dialogue for “freedom-based unification” and humanitarian aid to North Korea in a speech today (Nikkei)
Tensions between the two countries have risen this year, with Pyongyang abolishing laws for economic cooperation with Seoul and displaying missile launchers to deploy at the border (Bloomberg)
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)