Ukraine may repatriate North Korean POWs once war with Russia ends

SEOUL, January 24 (AJP) - Ukraine has hinted at plans to repatriate North Korean war prisoners, once its ongoing war with Russia ends. Petro Yatsenko, spokesperson for Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, said his country must repatriate them in adherence to international law during his exclusive interview with Radio Free Asia (RFA) last week. He explained that captured soldiers must be released and repatriated without delay after the

January 24, 2025

Kim Jong-un remains silent on Trump as North Korean parliament meets

North Korea's rubber-stamp Supreme People's Assembly is being held in Pyongyang on Jan. 23, 2025, in this photo released by the official Korean Central News Agency the following day. SEOUL, January 24 (AJP) - North Korea's rubber-stamp Supreme People's Assembly held a two-day parliamentary session this week without its leader Kim Jong-un in attendance, the country's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday. The gathering was apparentl

January 24, 2025

North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament convenes amid Trump's return to power

SEOUL, January 22 (AJP) - North Korea's rubber-stamp Supreme People's Assembly is reportedly convening on Wednesday for the first time this year. The gathering comes in coincidence with the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who was sworn in earlier this week. North Korea's state media, which had disclosed the gathering last month, briefly covered Trump's inauguration early in the morning, without any commentary, marking the first time it reported on him si

January 22, 2025

North Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles into East Sea

SEOUL, January 14 (AJP) - North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Tuesday, the Joint Chiefs of Staff here said. According to the JCS, a slew of missiles were launched in Kanggye, North Pyongan Province around 9:30 a.m., flying approximately 250 kilometers before falling into the sea. The launch came just a week after North Korea test-launched a new intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) equipped with a hypersonic warhead on Jan. 6. So

January 14, 2025

Ukraine proposes swap of North Korean captives for Ukrainian POWs held in Russia

SEOUL, January 13 (AJP) - Kyiv is willing to return captured North Korean soldiers to Pyongyang in exchange for the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday. In a post on X, he said he is ready to ready to hand them over to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "if he can organize their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia." His offer came just a day after he revealed that Ukrainian f

January 13, 2025

Ukraine captures two wounded North Korean soldiers, Zelensky says

SEOUL, January 12 (AJP) - Ukraine has captured two wounded North Korean soldiers during an operation near Russia's border, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday. "Despite their injuries, the two soldiers survived and have been transported to Kyiv," Zelensky wrote in a post on X, sharing photos of their captives. Ukraine forces captured them in Russia's western Kursk region, a territory currently occupied by Ukraine. They are currently being inv

January 12, 2025

4,000 North Korean troops killed or wounded in Ukraine, Zelensky claims

SEOUL, January 10 (AJP) - About 4,000 North Korean soldiers dispatched to Russia to support its war in Ukraine have been "killed and wounded in action," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday. North Korea holds "no value for people," said Zelensky during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), an alliance of 57 counties, also known as the Ramstein group, which includes members of NATO as well as most of the European Union.

January 10, 2025

North Korea confirms successful test-launch of hypersonic ballistic missile

SEOUL, January 7 (AJP) - North Korea said on Tuesday that it had successfully test-launched a new intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) equipped with a hypersonic warhead. "The hypersonic glide vehicle of the missile fired northeastward at a launching ground in a suburb of Pyongyang..... accurately landed on the waters of simulated target," the renegade country's state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, confirming its IRBM launch the previous day.

January 7, 2025

N. Korea to resume international marathon race after five-year hiatus

SEOUL, January 06 (AJP) - North Korea will resume its international marathon competition this April, marking the first time the event will be held since its suspension in 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The marathon, which features both professional and amateur runners, offers distances of 5 kilometers, 10 kilometers, a half marathon, and a full marathon (42.195 kilometers). The course winds through some of Pyongyang’s most iconic landmarks, including Kim Il Sung Squar

January 6, 2025

North Korea fires suspected hypersonic ballistic missile ahead of Trump's inauguration

SEOUL, January 6 (AJP) -- North Korea fired a suspected hypersonic ballistic missile into the East Sea on Monday, just two weeks before Donald Trump's inauguration as U.S. president. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the military detected the projectile around noon. The ballistic missile, launched from the Pyongyang area, flew about 1,100 kilometers before landing in the waters. While the missile was initially believed to use an engine typically found in in

January 6, 2025