North Korea

North Korean Premier Pak Thae-song highlighted leader Kim Jong-un's regional development initiative as the state's top priority, urging officials to devote themselves to the plans. The remarks were made during a groundbreaking ceremony in Pyongwon County, South Pyongan Province. The policy, known as the Regional Development 20x10 Policy, aims to build modern industrial plants in 20 cities and counties each year to narrow the urban-rural gap over the next decade.

January 31, 2026 በAI የተዘገበ

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his South Korean counterpart Ahn Gyu-back agreed to conduct mutual visits every year during a meeting at the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Yokosuka base in Kanagawa Prefecture. They also pledged to promote exchanges between the Self-Defense Forces and the South Korean military and to cooperate on cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence.

President Lee Jae Myung pledged on Wednesday to make diplomatic efforts to swiftly resume talks between North Korea and the United States, while creating conditions for inter-Korean dialogue. Speaking at a nationally televised New Year's press conference in Seoul, he emphasized a pragmatic approach to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Lee also vowed to restore the 2018 Sept. 19 military agreement suspended amid recent escalations.

January 20, 2026 በAI የተዘገበ

South Korean police and military investigators raided the homes and offices of three civilian suspects accused of drone flights into North Korea, escalating the probe sparked by a graduate student's public claim last week. The action targets individuals linked to sovereignty violation claims by Pyongyang in late 2025 and early 2026.

North Korea's state media provided restrained coverage of leader Kim Jong-un's New Year's messages to Chinese President Xi Jinping and other foreign leaders, contrasting sharply with detailed reports of recent Russia exchanges amid deepening Moscow ties.

January 16, 2026 በAI የተዘገበ

A South Korean graduate student publicly claimed responsibility for drone flights into North Korea, which Pyongyang accused of sovereignty violations in September 2025 and January 2026. He says his acquaintance, now under joint military-police investigation, conducted the flights to monitor pollution at a uranium facility. President Lee Jae-myung has ordered a thorough probe amid heightened peninsula tensions.