SEOUL, April 28 (AJP) - North Korea has publicly confirmed for the first time that its troops are operating in Russia’s Kursk Region, a front-line area in the ongoing war against Ukraine. In a statement issued Monday, Pyongyang hailed its deployed forces as “heroes,” ending more than a year of silence amid international speculation over its involvement. Intelligence agencies in the United States and South Korea reported last year that thousands of North Korean

SEOUL, April 27 (AJP) - South Korea’s military has notified its North Korean counterpart about an unintentional gun discharge at a front-line guard post last week. The military said it immediately used loudspeakers to notify North Korean soldiers that the discharge was accidental. The accidental machine gun discharge occurred at a front-line guard post (GP) along the central section of the border, military authorities confirmed on Sunday. According to the South Korean mil

SEOUL, April 21 (AJP) - A joint friendship event between young people from North Korea and Russia was held at the Central Youth Hall in Pyongyang on Sunday, North Korea’s state-controlled media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), reported Monday. The gathering, designed to strengthen cultural ties and solidarity between the two countries, was attended by Mun Chol, chairman of the Central Committee of the Socialist Patriotic Youth League, North Korean university students in Py

SEOUL, April 17 (AJP) - North Korea’s defense ministry has condemned Wednesday the United States and South Korea for rolling out a joint aerial drill involving B1-B supersonic heavy bombers on the previous day. “The U.S. reckless bluffing military demonstration is a futile act of increasing the security threat to its mainland only,” Pyongyang’s state-controlled Korean Central News Agency reported on Thursday, citing a press statement released by North Korea

SEOUL, April 16 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears to have skipped his annual visit to a mausoleum to pay respects to his late grandfather and regime founder Kim Il-sung on the anniversary of his birth, according to state media. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Wednesday that key party officials such as Choe Ryong-hae and Pak Thae-song visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang the previous day when the country marked the 113th anniversa

SEOUL, April 15 (AJP) - North Korea on Tuesday called for greater loyalty to its leader Kim Jong-un as it marked the birthday of his grandfather and regime founder, Kim Il-sung. In its editorial in celebration of the 113th anniversary of Kim senior's birth, the state-run Rodong Sinmun praised his legacy of "juche (self-reliance) ideology," claiming it continues to evolve under Kim junior's leadership into "scientific implementation doctrines." The news

SEOUL, April 07 (AJP) - North Korea hosted the 31st Pyongyang International Marathon on Sunday, Pyongyang’s state media reported Monday. It was the first international marathon held in six years, following the country’s lockdown in 2020 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The Pyongyang International Marathon is held annually to celebrate the birthday of Kim Il-sung, the founding father of North Korea, who was born in 1912. The event, which draws professi

SEOUL, April 04 (AJP) - South Korea’s military elevated its surveillance readiness against North Korea Friday, ahead of the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol. According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the military expanded and reinforced the operation of surveillance equipment such as reconnaissance aircraft, radar, and thermal observation devices (TOD) in the hours leading up to the 11 a.m. ruling. Key military commanders

SEOUL, March 25 (AJP) - North Korea plans to hold a large-scale festival next month to celebrate the birthday of its regime founder Kim Il-sung, state media reported on Tuesday. According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the festival will take place at several venues in Pyongyang from April 10 to 17, featuring troupe performances and other events. KCNA explained that the festival aims to honor "Kim's legacy and his achievements" as well as express loyalty t