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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will outline plans to bolster the country’s nuclear deterrent at an upcoming Workers’ Party congress, following recent missile tests and state media reports.

North Korea to soon unveil 'next-stage' nuclear plans, Kim says

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will outline plans to bolster the country&rsquo;s nuclear deterrent at an upcoming Workers&rsquo; Party congress, following recent missile tests and state media reports.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will unveil plans to bolster his nuclear forces at an upcoming ruling party meeting, state media reported Wednesday, after a missile launch he said would bring "excruciating mental agony" to his enemies.
The landmark congress of North Korea's ruling Workers Party is expected in the coming weeks and is its first in five years.
Kim has ordered the "expansion" and modernisation of the country's missile production ahead of that meeting.
Overseeing a ballistic missile test on Tuesday, Kim said the party congress "will clarify the next-stage plans for further bolstering up the country's nuclear war deterrent", the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
Kim, accompanied by senior North Korean officials as well as his young daughter, watched the test-firing of a "large-caliber" multiple rocket launcher that fired four missiles, KCNA said.
"The result and significance of this test will be a source of excruciating mental agony and serious threat to the forces that attempt to provoke a military confrontation with us," Kim said.
While acknowledging that development of the rocket launcher system had "not been plain sailing", Kim said the test was "of great significance in improving the effectiveness of our strategic deterrent".
Photos released by state media showed Kim and his daughter, who analysts believe is called Ju Ae, watching the missile launch.
The rockets "hit a target" in waters 358.5 kilometres (222.7 miles) away, according to the North Korean leader.
The ballistic missiles were fired toward the Sea of Japan, with two missiles landing outside the country's Exclusive Economic Zone, Japanese state news agency Jiji Press had reported, citing defence ministry sources.
Lee Ho-ryung, principal researcher at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, told AFP the upcoming congress would likely see Kim announce "that the goal is now to maximise nuclear operational prowess".
"Kim Jong Un has used past party congresses to stress the completion of the country's nuclear capability, and this time he is expected to declare that such capability has now reached its peak," she said.
 - Second test in January -
The test was Pyongyang's second of the month, following a volley of missiles fired hours before South Korea's leader headed to China for a summit.
It followed a high-level visit to Seoul by the Pentagon's number three official, Elbridge Colby, who hailed South Korea as a "model ally".
Ties between the United States and South Korea, longstanding treaty allies, were forged in the bloodshed of the Korean War.
Washington still stations 28,500 troops in South Korea as a deterrent against the nuclear-armed North.
"Pyongyang may have been signalling to Washington that it possesses response capabilities on an entirely different level from those of countries such as Venezuela," Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told AFP.
Last month, Kim bashed Seoul's push to develop its own nuclear-powered submarines with the United States, calling it a "threat" that "must be countered".
During his first term, US President Donald Trump met with Kim three times, in an effort to reach a denuclearisation deal.

North Korea fired two strategic long-range cruise missiles over the Yellow Sea, with leader Kim Jong Un calling for expanded nuclear weapons development amid rising regional tensions.

North Korea tests cruise missiles in show of 'combat readiness'

North Korea fired two strategic long-range cruise missiles over the Yellow Sea, with leader Kim Jong Un calling for expanded nuclear weapons development amid rising regional tensions.

North Korea test-fired two strategic long-range cruise missiles, state media reported Monday, hailing the exercise as a show of "combat readiness" against foreign threats.
Leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the drill -- staged Sunday over the Yellow Sea to the west of the Korean peninsula -- and called for "unlimited and sustained" development of his nuclear weapons forces, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said.
The goal of the exercise was to review the "counter-offensive response posture and combat capability of long-range missile sub-units," KCNA said.
The missiles flew for more than two hours, state media said, sharing photos of the missiles being fired and hitting a target.
Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were fired Sunday at 8:00 am (2300 GMT Saturday) from the Sunan area near the capital Pyongyang.
Kim vowed Pyongyang "would as ever devote all their efforts to the unlimited and sustained development of the state nuclear combat force", KCNA said.
North Korea last staged a ballistic missile test in early November, around a week after US President Donald Trump -- on a tour of the region -- expressed interest in meeting with Kim.
Pyongyang did not respond to the offer.
At that time, Trump had just approved South Korean plans to build a nuclear-powered submarine.
Last week Pyongyang showed off a nuclear submarine of its own.
Photos published by KCNA showed Kim walking alongside a purportedly 8,700-tonne submarine at an indoor assembly site, surrounded by officials and his daughter Kim Ju Ae.
Pyongyang viewed Seoul developing nuclear subs as "an offensive act severely violating its security and maritime sovereignty", Kim said, according to KCNA.
North Korean state media last week also published a defence ministry statement condemning the docking of the US Navy's nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Greenville in South Korea's Busan.
The cruise missile launch drill was aimed at countering these moves, said Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
"The arrow-type cruise missiles, with a range of around 2,000 kilometres, are capable of striking not only the entire Korean peninsula but also rear bases of US forces stationed in Japan," Yang told AFP.

Kim Yo Jong rejects US denuclearization push, urges Washington to accept North Korea as a nuclear power and adopt a new approach to diplomacy.

North Korea says Kim-Trump ties 'not bad' but it's not giving up its nuclear weapons

Kim Yo Jong rejects US denuclearization push, urges Washington to accept North Korea as a nuclear power and adopt a new approach to diplomacy.

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dismissed the US's intent to resume diplomacy on North Korea's denuclearisation, as she urged Washington to accept her country as a nuclear weapons state and find a new approach to restart talks.
Kim Yo Jong's statement suggested North Korea would only return to talks if the US rewards it for a partial surrender of its nuclear capability. Some experts say US President Donald Trump could still pursue talks with North Korea to make a diplomatic achievement.
Trump has recently bragged of his personal ties with Kim Jong Un and expressed hopes of restarting nuclear diplomacy between them. Their high-stakes diplomacy in 2018-19 that occurred during Trump's first term unraveled after Trump rejected Kim's calls for extensive sanctions relief in return for dismantling his main nuclear complex, a limited denuclearization step. Kim has since executed weapons tests to modernize and expand his nuclear arsenal.
Kim's sister calls relations between her brother, Trump &ldquo;not bad&rdquo; In a statement carried by state media, Kim Yo Jong said she doesn't deny the personal relationship between her brother and Trump &ldquo;is not bad.&rdquo; But she said if their personal relations are to serve the purpose of North Korea's denuclearization, North Korea would view it as &ldquo;nothing but a mockery.&rdquo; She said North Korea's nuclear capability has sharply increased since the first round of the Kim-Trump diplomacy and that any attempt to deny North Korea as a nuclear weapons state would be rejected.
&ldquo;If the US fails to accept the changed reality and persists in the failed past, the DPRK-US meeting will remain as a hope' of the US side,&rdquo; Kim Yo Jong said, referring to her country by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
She said it would be &ldquo;advisable to seek another way of contact." Kim Yo Jong is a key official on the Central Committee of the North's ruling Workers' Party. She handles the country's relations with South Korea and the United States, and South Korean officials and experts believe she is the North's second-most powerful person after her brother.
North Korea likely wants talks on partial denuclearisation Kim Yo Jong said she was responding to reported comments by a US official that Trump is open to talks on denuclearisation. She likely was referring to a Saturday article by Yonhap news agency that cited an unidentified White House official as saying Trump &ldquo;remains open to engaging with Leader Kim to achieve a fully denuclearised North Korea.&rdquo; &ldquo;North Korea wants to say it's not interested in talks on denuclearisation and the US must determine what benefits it can give to the North first,&rdquo; said Nam Sung-wook, a former head of the Institute for National Security Strategy, a think tank run by South Korea's spy agency.
Nam said Trump's likely desire to win a Nobel Peace Prize would prompt him to seek talks with Kim Jong Un and give him corresponding benefits for taking phased denuclearization steps. Nam said North Korea would want broad sanctions relief, a suspension of U.S.-South Korea military drills that it regards as invasion rehearsals and other economic incentives.
Kim Yeol Soo, an analyst at South Korea's Korea Institute for Military Affairs, said U.S. and North Korean officials could meet if they narrow some differences on terms for restoring talks. But he said Trump's unpredictability would make it extremely difficult to predict what concessions the Americans would offer.
Prospects for early US-North Korea talks likely depend on the Russia-Ukraine war Other experts have earlier said that North Korea &mdash; now preoccupied with its expanding cooperation with Russia &mdash; sees no urgent need to resume diplomacy with the US and South Korea.
On Monday, Kim Yo Jong rebuffed overtures by South Korea's new liberal government, saying its &ldquo;blind trust&rdquo; in the country's alliance with the US and hostility toward North Korea make it no different from its conservative predecessor.
Nam said prospects for an early resumption of US-North Korea diplomacy would depend on whether the Russia-Ukraine war ends soon and US tariff negotiations with other countries are proceeded in a direction that Trump wants.
Kim, the analyst, said Trump may use his likely attendance of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea this autumn as a chance to travel on to North Korea or a Korean border village to meet Kim Jong Un. Kim Yo Jong on Monday described as &ldquo;a daydream&rdquo; a reported South Korean idea of inviting her brother to the regional summit.

North Korea is all set to welcome first tourists to its giant beach complex, after years of delay. Dubbed the ‘North Korean Benidorm, the Wonsan resort is reported to be able to accommodate as many as 100,000 visitors at a time. It got its nickname a

North Korea’s Abandoned Beach Complex Ready To Welcome First Tourists

North Korea is all set to welcome first tourists to its giant beach complex, after years of delay. Dubbed the ‘North Korean Benidorm, the Wonsan resort is reported to be able to accommodate as many as 100,000 visitors at a time. It got its nickname after the country’s leader Kim Jong-un reportedly sent a fact-finding mission to Spain’s Costa Blanca in 2017. The resort has been described as the ‘largest recreational complex’ in North Korea and has been constructed on a former missile testing site. Construction work started in 2018 and was originally scheduled to be completed by 2019. But the Covid-19 pandemic caused a delay.

North Korea is all set to welcome first tourists to its giant beach complex, after years of delay.&nbsp;

North Korea is all set to welcome first tourists to its giant beach complex, after years of delay. Dubbed the &lsquo;North Korean Benidorm, the Wonsan resort is reported to be able to accommodate as many as 100,000 visitors at a time. It got its nickname after the country&rsquo;s leader Kim Jong-un reportedly sent a fact-finding mission to Spain&rsquo;s Costa Blanca in 2017. The resort has been described as the &lsquo;largest recreational complex&rsquo; in North Korea and has been constructed on a former missile testing site. Construction work started in 2018 and was originally scheduled to be completed by 2019. But the Covid-19 pandemic caused a delay.

When in North Korea, it's important to avoid certain fashion choices, such as specific clothing styles and dyed hair. These are considered inappropriate or even illegal. Here's an extensive list of what to steer clear of!

5 Shocking Fashion Items Band In North Korea

Red lipsticks to denims: 5 shocking things you cannot wear in North Korea

<h2>When in North Korea, it's important to avoid certain fashion choices, such as specific clothing styles and dyed hair. These are considered inappropriate or even illegal. Here's an extensive list of what to steer clear of!</h2>

North Korea and its rules have always surprised and shocked netizens. If you are living in North Korea or are travelling, beware of some fashion rules that the Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un introduced. From sheer fabrics that show off your arms to red lipsticks, North Korea's strict rules have taken over the world of beauty and fashion.
Wondering what we are talking about? Read on!
<h3>5 Fashion and beauty practices that are banned in North Korea</h3>
No red lipsticks
When in North Korea, do not wear red lipstick. Despite red having historical links with Communism, North Korea has banned red lipstick. According to a report by NDTV, leadership views it as a symbol of capitalism and not Communist ideas.
Even heavy makeup is banned in North Korea as it is looked at as a sign of Western influence.&nbsp;
There are also reports that the regime worries that women wearing red lipstick could make them appear too attractive, which is against the government's stance on keeping things simple.&nbsp;
Say no to short skirts
Under the latest enforcement of the Reactionary Thought and Culture Act, officials declared that any woman who wears clothing that does not reach below the knee line is against principles of 'socialist etiquette'.
No blouses with see-through sleeves
On August 15, the US-funded news service Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported that NK had organised a video lecture for local residents, telling people that the &ldquo;rooster hairstyle&rdquo; and &ldquo;clothes revealing flesh&rdquo; were banned.
Ditch 'em skinny jeans
In a bid to stop the 'capitalistic culture', North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has banned skinny jeans. The new fashion rules are part of the regime&rsquo;s crackdown on &ldquo;anti-socialist behaviour&rdquo;, according to a 2021 report by The Guardian.
No dyed hair
In order to reduce the Western fashion trends in the country, according to Radio Free Asia, North Korea&rsquo;s Socialist Patriot Youth League has cracked down on women in their 20s and 30s with long, dyed hair.&nbsp;
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North Korea's Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of a 240mm multiple rocket launcher, equipped with a new "guiding system". 

North Korea test-fires rocket launcher with new 'guiding system'

North Korea's Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of a 240mm multiple rocket launcher, equipped with a new "guiding system". Pyongyang said the launcher, "technically updated" in its maneuverability and concentrated firing capability, was proved to be advantageous in "all indices". The announcement comes about three months after the country said it would equip its military with a "new" 240mm multiple rocket launcher, known to be capable of striking Seoul. The isolated, nuclear-armed country has recently bolstered military ties with Moscow, and analysts have said the North could be testing and ramping up production of artillery and cruise missiles before sending them to Russia for use in Ukraine.

North Korea's Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of a 240mm multiple rocket launcher, equipped with a new "guiding system".&nbsp;

North Korea's Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of a 240mm multiple rocket launcher, equipped with a new "guiding system".
Pyongyang said the launcher, "technically updated" in its maneuverability and concentrated firing capability, was proved to be advantageous in "all indices".
The announcement comes about three months after the country said it would equip its military with a "new" 240mm multiple rocket launcher, known to be capable of striking Seoul.
The isolated, nuclear-armed country has recently bolstered military ties with Moscow, and analysts have said the North could be testing and ramping up production of artillery and cruise missiles before sending them to Russia for use in Ukraine.
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The photos of the test were released on August 24, 2024 showing white-colored drones making precise hits at the target.
&nbsp;

North Korea Equipping its Military to the Teeth | Adds Suicide Drones In Its Fleet

The photos of the test were released on August 24, 2024 showing white-colored drones making precise hits at the target.




The photos of the test were released on August 24, 2024 showing white-colored drones making precise hits at the target.
&nbsp;

North Korea is boosting its UAV drone capabilities. The North Korean Leader, Kin Jhong-un was seen supervising the test fire of suicide drones that are reportedly designed to crash into the target.
The photos of the test were released on August 24, 2024 showing white-colored drones making precise hits at the target.
Kim has ordered advanced production capacity of various drones including exploding drones, reconnaissance and multipurpose attack drones, and underwater suicide attack drones, Korea&rsquo;s official Korean Central News Agency reported.

Japan also confirmed the launch, with its coast guard saying the missile splashed down in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea.

North Korean test of likely hypersonic missile fails: Seoul military official

Japan also confirmed the launch, with its coast guard saying the missile splashed down in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea.

North Korea test-fired what appeared to be a hypersonic missile on Wednesday, but the launch ended in a mid-air explosion, an official from Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
The early morning launch came just hours after Pyongyang sent another flurry of trash-bearing balloons southward, this time forcing a three-hour halt to flights in and out of South Korea's Incheon airport.
The missile took off from an area in or around Pyongyang at about 5:30 am (2030 GMT) and South Korean and US intelligence agencies were conducting a detailed analysis, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
The JCS official said the test of what appeared to be a hypersonic missile ended in failure after a journey of some 250 kilometres (155 miles).
More smoke than usual appeared to emanate from the missile, raising the possibility of combustion issues, the official said, adding it may have been powered by solid propellants.
Japan also confirmed the launch, with its coast guard saying the missile splashed down in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea.
The test follows North Korea launching hundreds more trash-carrying balloons southward on Monday and Tuesday, the latest in a series of border barrages that have sparked a tit-for-tat propaganda campaign.
<h2>Flights suspended </h2>
&nbsp;Seoul's military said the balloons were carrying "mostly paper waste" that posed no safety risk to the public.
But the latest batch of North Korean balloons disrupted takeoffs and landings at Incheon International Airport, an official told AFP.
Both domestic and international flight arrivals and departures "were suspended ... from 1:46 am (1646 GMT) to 4:43 am," an Incheon International Airport Corporation official said.
"At around 4:08 am, it was confirmed that a trash-carrying balloon had fallen near Gate 248 of T2, and military authorities collected it. The airport is operating as normal since 4:44 am," the official added.
Pyongyang has already sent more than a thousand balloons carrying trash in what it says is retaliation for balloons carrying propaganda criticising leader Kim Jong Un's rule floated north by activists.
In response, Seoul has fully suspended a tension-reducing military deal and restarted some propaganda broadcasts from loudspeakers along the border.
<h2>&nbsp;More drills&nbsp;</h2>
South Korea's Marine Corps resumed live-fire exercises on islands near the western inter-Korean border on Wednesday, marking the first such exercises since a 2018 tension-reducing military deal with the North was suspended earlier this month over the balloon-borne propaganda.
The exercise, described by South Korean authorities as "routine and defensive in nature", involved Seoul's K239 Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher systems, among other assets, they said.
It fired "approximately 290 rounds at simulated enemy targets to verify their capability and readiness to strongly retaliate against any provocations", the Marine Corps said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Yoon visited a US aircraft carrier that arrived in South Korea at the weekend for joint military drills aimed at countering North Korean threats.
The drills, which include Japan, are set to go ahead later this month.
Pyongyang has routinely criticised such exercises as rehearsals for an invasion.
Kim's sister and key government spokeswoman Kim Yo Jong warned this month that Seoul would "undoubtedly witness the new counteraction of the DPRK" if the leaflet drops and loudspeaker broadcasts continued.
An activist in the South confirmed Friday that he had launched more balloons.
Legally, South Korea cannot punish activists sending balloons across the border due to a 2023 court ruling that bans it as an unjustifiable infringement on free speech.
Experts have warned that the balloons inadvertently cause border tensions to escalate quickly.

Animosities between the two Koreas have risen recently because North Korea launched hundreds of balloons carrying manure and trash toward South Korea in protest of previous South Korean civilian leafletting campaigns.

'Absurd, irrational', says Seoul as North Korea launches trash balloons yet again

Animosities between the two Koreas have risen recently because North Korea launched hundreds of balloons carrying manure and trash toward South Korea in protest of previous South Korean civilian leafletting campaigns.

North Korea resumed flying balloons on Saturday in a likely attempt to drop trash on South Korea again, South Korea's military said, two days after Seoul activists floated their own balloons to scatter propaganda leaflets in the North.
Animosities between the two Koreas have risen recently because North Korea launched hundreds of balloons carrying manure and trash toward South Korea in protest of previous South Korean civilian leafletting campaigns. In response, South Korea suspended a tension-easing agreement with North Korea to restore frontline military activities.
Saturday's balloon launches by North Korea were the third of their kind since May 28. It wasn't immediately known if any of North Korean balloons has landed on South Korean territory yet across the rivals' tense border.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that North Korean balloons likely carrying balloons were moving in an eastward direction but they could eventually fly toward the south because the direction of wind was forecast to change later.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff advised the public to beware of falling objects and not to touch balloons found on the ground but report them to police or military authorities.
After the North's two rounds of balloon activities, South Korean authorities discovered about 1,000 balloons which were tied to vinyl bags containing manure, cigarette butts, scraps of cloth, waste batteries and waste papers. Some were popped and scattered on roads, residential areas and schools. No highly dangerous materials were found and no major damages have been reported.
North's vice defense minister, Kim Kang Il, said last week his country would stop the balloon campaign but threatened to resume it if South Korean activists sent leaflets again.
In defiance of the warning, a South Korean civilian group led by North Korean defector Park Sang-hak said it launched 10 balloons from a border town on Thursday carrying 200,000 anti-North Korean leaflets, USB sticks with K-pop songs and South Korean dramas, and one-dollar US bills.
South Korean officials called the North Korean trash balloon launches and other recent provocations as &ldquo;absurd, irrational." South Korea's suspension of the 2018 military agreement with North Korea would allow it to restart live-fire military drills and anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts at border areas, actions that are certain to anger North Korea and prompt it to take its own retaliatory military steps.
North Korea is extremely sensitive to South Korean civilian leafletting campaigns and frontline propaganda broadcasts as it forbids access to foreign news for most of its 26 million people. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is a third generation of his family to rule North Korea with an iron-fist since 1948.

In Seoul, the city government sent text alerts saying that unidentified objects suspected to be flown from North Korea were detected in skies near the city and that the military was responding to them.

North Korea sends hundreds of more trash-carrying balloons to South Korea

In Seoul, the city government sent text alerts saying that unidentified objects suspected to be flown from North Korea were detected in skies near the city and that the military was responding to them.

North Korea launched hundreds of more trash-carrying balloons toward the South after a similar campaign a few days earlier, according to South Korea's military, in what Pyongyang calls retaliation for activists flying anti-North Korean leaflets across the border.
Between Saturday night and Sunday morning, about 600 balloons flown from North Korea have been found in various parts of South Korea. The balloons carried cigarette butts, scraps of cloth, waste paper and vinyl, but no dangerous substances were included, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Sunday.
The military advised people to beware of falling objects and not to touch objects suspected to be from North Korea but report them to military or police offices instead. There have been no reports of injuries or damage.
In Seoul, the city government sent text alerts saying that unidentified objects suspected to be flown from North Korea were detected in skies near the city and that the military was responding to them.
The North's balloon launches added to a recent series of provocative steps, which include its failed spy satellite launch and and a barrage of short-range missiles launches that the North said was intended to demonstrate its ability to attack the South preemptively.
South Korea's military dispatched chemical rapid response and explosive clearance teams to recover the debris from some 260 North Korean balloons that were found in various parts of the country from Tuesday night to Wednesday.
The military said the balloons carried various types of trash and manure but no dangerous substances like chemical, biological or radioactive materials. Some of the balloons were found with timers that suggested they were designed to pop the bags of trash midair.
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There were no immediate reports of damage caused by the balloons. Similar North Korean balloon activities damaged cars and other property in 2016.

'Vulgar, inhuman': North Korea sends 150 balloons filled with trash to South Korea

There were no immediate reports of damage caused by the balloons. Similar North Korean balloon activities damaged cars and other property in 2016.

North Korea flew hundreds of trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea in one of its most bizarre provocations against its rival in years, prompting the South's military to mobilise chemical and explosive response teams to recover objects and debris in different parts of the country.
The ballooning campaign came as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged his military scientists to overcome a failed satellite launch and continue developing space-based reconnaissance capabilities, which he described as crucial for countering U.S. and South Korean military activities, state media said Wednesday.
In his first public comments about the launch failure, Kim also warned of unspecified &ldquo;stern&rdquo; action against South Korea over an exercise involving 20 fighter jets near the inter-Korean border hours before North Korea's failed launch on Monday. In a speech Tuesday, Kim called the South Korean response &ldquo;hysterical insanity&rdquo; and &ldquo;a very dangerous provocation that cannot be ignored,&rdquo; the North's official Korean Central News Agency said Wednesday.
In another sign of tensions between the war-divided rivals, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea also has been flying large numbers of balloons carrying trash toward the South since Tuesday night, in an apparent retaliation against South Korean activists for flying anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets across the border.
The South's military said about 260 North Korean balloons were found dropped in various parts of the country as of Wednesday afternoon and were being recovered by military rapid response and explosive clearance teams. It advised civilians not to touch the objects flown from North Korea and to report to military or police after discovering them.
Photos released by the military showed trash scattered across highways and roads in different parts of the country. In the capital, Seoul, military officials found what appeared to be a timer that was likely designed to pop the bags of trash midair. In the central South Chungcheong province, two huge balloons carrying an un-popped plastic bag filled with dirt-like substances were seen at a road.
There were no immediate reports of damage caused by the balloons. Similar North Korean balloon activities damaged cars and other property in 2016.
In a statement issued over the weekend, North Korean Vice Defense Minister Kim Kang Il said the North was planning to scatter &ldquo;mounds of wastepaper and filth&rdquo; over border areas and other parts of South Korea, in what he described as &ldquo;tit-for-tat&rdquo; action against the leafletting by South Korean activists.
Kim Jong Un's comments about the satellite were from a speech at the North's Academy of Defense Sciences, which he visited a day after a rocket carrying what would have been his country's second military reconnaissance satellite exploded shortly after liftoff. North Korea's aerospace technology administration said the explosion was possibly related to the reliability of a newly developed rocket engine that is fueled by petroleum and uses liquid oxygen as an oxidizer.
Animosities between the Koreas are at their worst level in years as the pace of both Kim's weapons demonstrations and South Korea's combined military exercises with the U.S. and Japan have intensified since 2022.
The failed satellite launch was a setback to Kim's plan to launch three more military spy satellites in 2024 after North Korea's first military reconnaissance satellite was placed in orbit last November. The November launch followed two failed attempts.
Monday's launch drew criticism from South Korea, Japan and the United States, because the United Nations bans North Korea from conducting any such rocket launches, viewing them as covers for testing long-range missile technology.
North Korea has steadfastly maintained it has the right to launch satellites and test missiles in the face of what it perceives as U.S.-led military threats. Kim has described spy satellites as crucial for monitoring U.S. and South Korean military activities and enhancing the threat posed by his nuclear-capable missiles.
&ldquo;The acquisition of military reconnaissance satellites is an essential task for our country to further strengthen our self-defense deterrence &hellip; in the face of serious changes to our nation's security environment caused by U.S. military maneuvers and various provocative acts,&rdquo; Kim said.
North Korea hasn't commented on when it would be ready to attempt a satellite launch again, which some experts say could take months.
State media's mention of a liquid oxygen-petroleum rocket engine suggests the North is trying to develop a more powerful space launch vehicle that could handle larger payloads, according to some South Korean experts.
It is believed that North Korea's previous space rockets used unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine as fuel and dinitrogen tetroxide as an oxidizer. The country's swift transition in space rocket designs possibly indicates external technological help, which would likely come from Russia, said Chang Young-keun, a missile expert at South Korea's Research Institute for National Strategy.
Kim has been boosting the visibility of his ties with Russia in recent months, highlighted by a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in September, as they align in the face of their separate confrontations with Washington. Kim's meeting with Putin was held at a spaceport in the Russian Far East and came after North Korea's consecutive failures in its attempts to launch its first spy satellite. Putin then told Russian reporters that Moscow was willing to help the North build satellites.
The U.S. and South Korea have also accused North Korea of providing Russia with artillery shells, missiles and other military equipment to help prolong its fighting in Ukraine.&nbsp;

Kim Ki Nam was a survivor of North Korea's socialist bureaucracy over generations, and was one of the seven people who accompanied current leader Kim Jong Un alongside the hearse at the funeral of the North's second leader Kim Jong Il. 

Veteran North Korean official Kim Ki Nam dies

Veteran North Korean official & Kim Jong Un aide Kim Ki Nam dies

Kim Ki Nam was a survivor of North Korea's socialist bureaucracy over generations, and was one of the seven people who accompanied current leader Kim Jong Un alongside the hearse at the funeral of the North's second leader Kim Jong Il.&nbsp;

North Korea announced the death of one of its veteran senior officials early Wednesday.
Kim Ki Nam died at the age of 94 on 7 May 2024, after "multiple organ dysfunction," the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
Kim Ki Nam was a survivor of North Korea's socialist bureaucracy over generations, and he was one of the seven people who accompanied current leader Kim Jong Un alongside the hearse at the funeral of the North's second leader Kim Jong Il, back in 2011.
Still photos from KCNA showed Kim Jong Un visiting the body of Kim Ki Nam overnight, early Wednesday morning.
KCNA says that Kim Ki Nam's funeral will take place on Thursday.

The women underwent a medical procedure to confirm their virginity and rule out any physical imperfections.

‘25 virgins every year’: controversial North Korean defector claims Kim has ‘pleasure squad’

The women underwent a medical procedure to confirm their virginity and rule out any physical imperfections.

Controversial North Korean defector Yeonmi Park claimed that dictator Kim Jong Un picks up 25 virgin girls every year for the sole purpose of &lsquo;pleasing&rsquo; him. The human rights activist and author alleged that the women get selected based on their looks and political loyalty.&nbsp;
According to a report by Mirror, Park was also selected for this disturbing service twice, but was rejected due to her &lsquo;family status&rsquo;.
Girls would get rejected if their family had political ties or relatives in South Korea, said Park.
&ldquo;They visit every classroom and even go to schoolyards, in case they miss someone that was pretty. Once they find some pretty girls, the first thing they do is check their family and political status. They eliminate any girls with family members who have escaped from North Korea, or have relatives in South Korea or other countries,&rdquo; she said. &nbsp;
The process did not end with the selection, as the women must further go through a medical procedure to confirm their virginity, the defector said, adding that the girls would get disqualified if scars or other 'imperfections' were found.
After selecting a &lsquo;handful of girls&rsquo;, the dictator sent them to the capital, Pyongyang, where they got trained to please their master, according to Park. &nbsp;
According to the activist, the practice was started by Kim's grandfather Kim Il-Sung. Later ruler Kim Jong-II is said to have believed that sex with teenage girls would make him immortal. &nbsp;
Calling the Kim family &lsquo;Paedophiles&rsquo;, Park threw light on genarations of abuse by the North Korean ruling class.&nbsp;

North Korea on Tuesday test-fired a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile toward waters off its eastern coast, South Korea's military said, adding to a series of weapons demonstrations that have raised tensions in the region.

North Korea test-fires intermediate range missile: report

This is the latest in a series of weapons demonstrations by North Korea, including an intercontinental ballistic missile.

This is the latest in a series of weapons demonstrations by North Korea, including an intercontinental ballistic missile.

North Korea on Tuesday test-fired a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile toward waters off its eastern coast, South Korea's military said, adding to a series of weapons demonstrations that have raised tensions in the region.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was launched from an area near the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, but it did not immediately confirm how far the weapon flew. The North had said last month that it tested a solid-fuel engine for its new-type intermediate-range hypersonic missile as it tries to expand its arsenal of weapons aimed at remote US targets in the Pacific, including the military hub of Guam.
It was the North's first known launch event since March 18, when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a live-fire drill of artillery systems designed to target South Korea's capital.
Japan's coast guard shared an assessment of the country's Defense Ministry that the missile has already landed but still urged caution for vessels passing the area. Japanese broadcaster NHK said the missile likely didn't reach the country's exclusive economic zone.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have risen since 2022 as Kim used Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a distraction to accelerate his testing of missiles and other weapons. The United States and South Korea have responded by expanding their combined training and trilateral drills involving Japan and sharpening their deterrence strategies built around strategic US assets.
There are concerns that North Korea could further dial up pressure in an election year in the United States and South Korea.
The weapons North Korea have tested this year include an intercontinental ballistic missile designed to target the US mainland as well as cruise missiles and &ldquo;super-large&rdquo; multiple rocket launchers aimed at the Seoul capital area.
The latest launch came two days after North Korea reaffirmed its plans to launch several reconnaissance satellites this year in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. South Korea's military said Monday there were no signs that a satellite launch is impending at the North's main launch facility in the northwest.
Kim has described satellites as crucial for monitoring U.S. and South Korean military movements and enhancing the threat of his nuclear-capable missiles. Last November, North Korea put a military spy satellite into orbit for the first time, drawing condemnations from the US, South Korea, Japan and others, which view the launch as a cover for testing the North's long-range missile technology. North Korea has argued it has the sovereign right to launch spy satellites.&nbsp;

Kim's sister said If Japan sincerely wants to improve the relationship and bring peace and stability to the region, it needs to have political courage to make strategic choices befitting to its national interests.

N. Korea says Kishida conveyed hopes of summit with Kim

Kim's sister said if Japan sincerely wants to improve the relationship and bring peace and stability to the region, it needs to have political courage to make strategic choices befitting to its national interests.

Kim's sister said if Japan sincerely wants to improve the relationship and bring peace and stability to the region, it needs to have political courage to make strategic choices befitting to its national interests.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister said Monday that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has requested a summit with her brother, adding any meeting was unlikely without a policy shift by Tokyo.
"Kishida recently conveyed his wish to meet with the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at the earliest date possible," Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
Relations between the two countries have long been dogged by issues including compensation for Japan's brutal occupation of the Korean peninsula between 1910 and 1945 and more recently by Pyongyang's firing of missiles over Japanese territory.
The abduction by North Korean agents of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s -- forced to train spies in Japanese language and customs -- has also long been a major point of contention.
Kishida has said he wants to change the relationship between Tokyo and Pyongyang and last year expressed his wish to meet with North Korea's leader "without any conditions", saying in a speech at the UN General Assembly that Tokyo was willing to resolve all issues, including the kidnappings.
Last month, the North's Kim Yo Jong -- who is one of the regime's key spokespeople -- hinted at a possible future invitation for the Japanese leader to visit North Korea.
She said on Monday that it was "Japan's political decision that matters the most to pave a new charter in North Korea-Japan relationship."
&nbsp;Kidnapping issue&nbsp; "If Japan tries to interfere with our exercise of sovereign rights like it does now and is resolutely preoccupied with the kidnapping issue, which we have no way of solving or knowing about, it will inevitably face the reputation that the Prime Minister's plan is nothing more than aimed at drawing popularity," she said.
North Korea admitted in 2002 that it had sent agents to kidnap 13 Japanese people in the 1970s and '80s who were used to train spies in Japanese language and customs.
The abductions remain a potent and emotional issue in Japan and suspicions persist that many more were abducted than have been officially recognised.
Analysts have long said that contention over the issue could hinder progress towards a summit between Kishida and Kim Jong Un.
Kim Yo Jong said that Kishida "must know that he cannot meet our leadership just because he wants or has decided to or that we will grant him such a meeting just because."
"If Japan sincerely wants to improve the relationship between the two and become our close neighbour to contribute to guarantee peace and stability in the region, it needs to have political courage to make strategic choices befitting to its national interests," she said.
Japan's former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi paid a landmark visit to Pyongyang while in office in 2002, meeting Kim's father Kim Jong Il and setting out a path to normalise relations in which Japan would offer economic assistance.
The trip led to the return of five Japanese nationals and a follow-up trip by Koizumi, but the diplomacy soon broke down, in part over Tokyo's concern that North Korea was not coming clean about the abduction victims.

The drills were announced a day after Seoul said the North fired three short-range ballistic missiles.

North Korea's Kim oversees 'super-large' rocket launcher drills as Blinken visits Seoul

The drills were announced a day after Seoul said the North fired three short-range ballistic missiles.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw firing drills involving "newly-equipped super-large" multiple rocket launchers, state media said Tuesday, a day after Seoul said Pyongyang had fired several short-range ballistic missiles.
The United States and South Korea wrapped up one of their major annual joint military exercises last week, prompting angry retorts and live-fire drills from nuclear-armed Pyongyang, which condemns all such exercises as rehearsals for invasion.
Seoul's military said Monday it had detected the launch of "multiple short-range ballistic missiles" by the North, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the South Korean capital for talks.
The super-large multiple rocket launcher, referred to as KN-25 by the Seoul-Washington military, is a short-range ballistic missile, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.
The North has claimed the weapon has the capability to be equipped with a tactical nuclear warhead.
Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim guided the drills on Monday that tested the "real war capabilities" of 600 millimetre multiple rocket launchers as he stressed the importance of "war preparations".
The drills also involved simulating an aerial explosion of a shell from the super-large multiple rocket launcher at a predetermined altitude above the target, KNCA said.
Kim said the multiple rocket launcher would help the North "block and suppress the possiblity of war with the constant perfect preparedness to collapse the capital of the enemy", according to the report.
During the drills, North Korean artillerymen "demonstrated their excellent crack-shot artillery marksmanship and prompt and thorough combat readiness," it added.
"Massive shells of super-large multiple rocket launchers, which were fired from the sharp gun barrels like lava, flew to the target with the flame of annihilating the enemy," it said.
<h3>More drills</h3>
State media images showed Kim, wearing his customary black leather jacket, watching the drills with his generals and celebrating their apparent success with a raised fist.
Pyongyang this month warned that Seoul and Washington would pay a "dear price" over their military exercises, and later announced that Kim had guided an artillery unit it says was capable of striking the South Korean capital.
Kim last week also oversaw paratroop drills aimed at showing his soldiers' ability to occupy an "enemy region at a stroke", according to state media.
Monday's ballistic missile test was the North's second this year, after Pyongyang launched one tipped with a manoeuvrable hypersonic warhead on January 14.
So far this year, the nuclear-arm

Amid tensions with US, North Korea reveals image of new missile

The report in state media came a day after South Korea&rsquo;s military said it detected the North firing several cruise missiles into waters off its western coast.

North Korea said Thursday it conducted its first flight test of a new cruise missile, as it expands its military capabilities in the face of deepening tensions with the United States and neighbors.
The report in state media came a day after South Korea&rsquo;s military said it detected the North firing several cruise missiles into waters off its western coast. It didn&rsquo;t immediately provide more details about the numbers of missiles fired or their flight characteristics.
The North&rsquo;s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the Pulhwasal-3-31 missile is still in its development phase and that the launch did not pose a threat to neighbors. It described the missile as &ldquo;strategic,&rdquo; implying an intent to arm them with nuclear weapons.
KCNA released just one still image of a missile in a dark sky, to illustrate its report. The image has not been independently verified.
Lee Sung Joon, spokesperson of South Korea&rsquo;s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the missiles flew a shorter distance than previous North Korean cruise missile launches, which he said suggested that the North was trying to improve the performance of existing systems.
The cruise missile launches were North Korea&rsquo;s second known launch event of the year, following a Jan. 14 test-firing of the country&rsquo;s first solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile, which reflected its efforts to advance its lineup of weapons targeting U.S. military bases in Japan and Guam.

North Korea has claimed it tested an underwater nuclear drone on Fridau

North Korea says it tested underwater nuclear attack drone

North Korea has claimed it tested an underwater nuclear drone on Fridau

North Korea said on Friday it had tested a purported underwater nuclear attack drone in response to a combined naval exercise between South Korea and the United States and Japan this week, as it continues to blame its rivals for raising tensions in the region.
The alleged drone test came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared he would scrap his country's long-standing goal of a peaceful unification with South Korea and that his country would rewrite its constitution to define South Korea as its most hostile foreign adversary.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest point in years with Kim accelerating weapons demonstrations and threatening nuclear conflict and the US and its Asian allies responding by strengthening their combined military exercises.
North Korea's alleged nuclear attack drone, which the North first tested last year, is among a broad range of weapon systems demonstrated in recent years as Kim expands his arsenal of nuclear-capable weapons. South Korea's military has insisted the North has exaggerated the capabilities of the drone, which is supposedly designed to carry out strikes on enemy vessels and ports.
The North's military said it conducted the test in the country's eastern waters in response to the US, South Korean, and Japanese naval drills, which wrapped up its three-day run on Wednesday in waters south of Jeju island.
&ldquo;Our army's underwater nuke-based countering posture is being further rounded off and its various maritime and underwater responsive actions will continue to deter the hostile military maneuvers of the navies of the US and its allies,&rdquo; the North's Defence Ministry said in a statement.
Also watch: <a href="https://www.editorji.com/world-news/iran-pakistan-strikes-why-china-is-caught-between-two-countries-1705585276369">Iran-Pakistan strikes: why China is caught between two countries</a> &nbsp;
&ldquo;We strongly denounce the US and its followers for their reckless acts of seriously threatening the security of the DPRK from the outset of the year and sternly warn them of the catastrophic consequences to be entailed by them.&rdquo;

North Korea fires ballistic missile 'capable of striking distant US targets'

The launch was the North's first this year. South Korea said the missile flew about 1,000 kilometres before landing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

&nbsp;North Korea fired a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile into the sea on Sunday, South Korea's military said, two months after the North claimed to have tested engines for a new harder-to-detect missile capable of striking distant US targets in the region.
The launch was the North's first this year. Experts say North Korea could ramp up its provocative missile tests as a way to influence the results of South Korea's parliamentary elections in April and the US presidential election in November.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that it detected the launch of a ballistic missile of an intermediate-range class from the North's capital region on Sunday afternoon. It said the missile flew about 1,000 kilometres before landing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff called the launch a provocation that poses a serious threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula. It said South Korea's military will maintain its readiness to overwhelmingly respond to any provocations by North Korea.
The South Korean assessment suggests North Korea could have launched a new intermediate-range ballistic missile, whose solid-fuel engine the North said it had tested in mid-November.
The missile is mainly designed to hit US military bases in the US Pacific territory of Guam, which is about 3,400 kilometres from Pyongyang, the North's capital.
With a range adjustment, the missile can also be used to attack closer targets &mdash; the US military installations in Japan's Okinawa island, according to Chang Young-keun, a missile expert at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy in Seoul.
Built-in solid propellants make missile launches harder to detect than liquid-fuelled missiles, which must be fuelled before launch and cannot last long. North Korea has a growing arsenal of solid-fuel short-range missiles targeting South Korea, but its existing Hwasong-12 intermediate-range missile is powered by liquid-fuel engines.
Japan's Defense Ministry said its analysis showed the missile travelled at least 500 kilometres at the maximum altitude of 50 kilometres, data that suggest North Korea may have fired a short-range and not an intermediate-range missile.
Japan and South Korea said they closely exchanged information about the launch with the United States, but they didn't immediately explain the discrepancy in data.
In a trilateral call later Sunday, senior diplomats from South Korea, the US and Japan condemned the North Korean launch and stressed that a North Korean provocation would lead to the three countries strengthening their security cooperation, according to South Korea's Foreign Ministry.
The last time North Korea performed a missile launch was December 18, when it test-fired its Hwasong-18 solid-fuelled intercontinental ballistic missile, the North's most advanced weapon. The Hwasong-18 is the country's only known solid-fuel ICBM and it's designed to strike the mainland US.
On January 5, North Korea fired a barrage of artillery shells near the disputed western sea boundary with South Korea, prompting South Korea to conduct similar firing exercises in the same area. The site is where the navies of the two Koreas have fought three bloody sea battles since 1999, and attacks blamed on North Korea killed 50 South Koreans in 2010.
In recent days, North Korea has also been escalating its warlike, inflammatory rhetoric against its foes ahead of an election year in South Korea and the US Last week, leader Kim Jong Un called South Korea &ldquo;our principal enemy&rdquo; and threatened to annihilate it if provoked.
Experts say Kim likely wants to see South Korean liberals win the election in a blow to conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has taken a hard line on the North. They say Kim also wants former US President Donald Trump to be elected again because he may believe he could win US concessions if Trump returns to the White House.
Kim has been pushing hard to enlarge his nuclear and missile arsenals since his high-stakes diplomacy with Trump broke down in 2019. In recent months, North Korea has also been expanding its military and other cooperation with Russia.
The US government said it has evidence that missiles provided by North Korea to Russia had been used in the war in Ukraine. In a joint statement last week, the US, South Korea and their partners said the missile transfer supports Russia's war of aggression and provides North Korea with valuable technical and military insights.
North Korea and Russia announced Sunday that North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui will visit Russia from Monday to Wednesday at the invitation of her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
&ldquo;Pyongyang's show of force should be of concern beyond Seoul, as its military cooperation with Moscow adds to the violence in Ukraine, and because it may be more willing to challenge the US and its allies while global attention is fixed on the Middle East,&rdquo; said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

South Korea has said that North Korea fired over 200 rounds artillery shells near two of its islands on January 5.

North Korea fires artillery shells near South's islands, evacuation ordered

South Korea has said that North Korea fired over 200 rounds artillery shells near two of its islands on January 5.

North Korea fired an artillery barrage near two South Korean islands on Friday, Seoul's defence ministry said, warning the actions threatened peace and that it would respond.
Residents of both islands were ordered to evacuate and ferries were suspended as South Korea planned a naval drill in response, in one of the most serious military escalations on the peninsula since the North fired shells at one of the same islands in 2010.
Friday's live firing followed repeated warnings from Kim Jong Un's regime in Pyongyang that it was prepared for war against South Korea and the United States.
Seoul's defence ministry said the North's military fired "over 200 rounds" of artillery shells on Friday morning near Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong, two sparsely populated South Korean islands that are just south of a defacto maritime border between the two sides.
"This is a provocative act that threatens the peace on the Korean Peninsula," the ministry said.
"Our military closely tracks and monitors the situation in close coordination with the United States, and will take appropriate measures in response to North Korea's provocations."
The ministry said there had been "no damage to the Korean people and the military", with the shells landing north of the defacto border that is known as the Northern Limit Line (NLL).
&nbsp;
- Evacuation orders - &nbsp;
Yeonpyeong, which has around 2,000 residents, is about 115 kilometers (70 miles) west of South Korea's capital, Seoul.
Baengnyeong, with a population of 4,900, is about 210 kilometres west of Seoul.
Local officials on both islands told AFP that residents had been told to evacuate, describing the order as a "preventative measure" ahead of a planned South Korean military drill.
"We have been told by the military that a drill is scheduled for this afternoon," a Yeonpyeong official said, adding that people were asked to evacuate "in case North Korea does anything in response".
One residents of the island said they were "shaking in fear" at the barrage.
"At first I thought it was the shells fired by our own military... but was told later it was by North Korea," Kim Jin-soo, a Baengnyeong island resident told local broadcaster YTN.
The shells splashed down into a so-called maritime buffer zone north of the NLL, the defence ministry said, which was set up in September 2018 in a bid to reduce tensions.
But the North scrapped the accord after Seoul partially suspended it in November, to protest Pyongyang's spy satellite launch.
"The nullification of the (accord) increases the possibility of military clashes in the border areas," Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.
He added that "the evacuation of our residents raises psychological and security concerns, which can ultimately destabilise the economy of South Korea".

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