The Latest Breaking News from Pyongyang

North Korea Pledges 'Expanded, Intensified' Military Drills

North Korea's top army officials have said they will expand and intensify military drills to ensure their readiness for war, state media reported Tuesday, ahead of a massive parade. The pledge came at a Monday meeting overseen by leader Kim Jong Un and follows last week's staging of joint air…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Feb 7, 2023

North Korea promises ‘expanded, intensified’ military drills

Military top brass meets as armed forces continue preparations for parade expected as early as Wednesday.

Al Jazeera · Feb 7, 2023

N. Korean leader orders military to improve war readiness

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered his military to expand its combat exercises and strengthen war preparedness as he looks to escalate an already provocative run in weapons demonstrations in face of deepening tensions with Washington and neighbors

The Independent UK · Feb 7, 2023

North Korea could get a vital lifeline from arms sales to Russia

Russia’s hunt for weapons to fire at Ukraine could provide a lifeline for North Korea, where even a relatively modest arms deal would help lift the country’s cash-starved and stagnant economy into growth.

Tribune News Service · Jan 30, 2023

North Korea orders five-day lockdown in Pyongyang over 'respiratory illness'

Movement in the capital of Pyongyang, North Korea, has been restricted from Wednesday to Sunday as its residents have also been ordered to check their temperature daily

Daily Mirror · Jan 25, 2023

North Korea locks down capital due to ‘respiratory illness’ outbreak

North Korea has ordered a five-day lockdown in the capital over "respiratory illness", a report said Wednesday, in what appears to be the first citywide restrictions since the country declared victory over Covid-19 in August 2022.

France 24 · Jan 25, 2023

North Korea Locks Down Capital City Over ‘Respiratory Illness'

Authorities in the North Korean capital Pyongyang have ordered a five-day lockdown due to rising cases of an unspecified respiratory illness, Seoul-based NK News reported on Wednesday, citing a government notice. The notice did not mentioned COVID-19, but said that residents in the city are required to stay in their…

Asharq Al-Awsat · Jan 25, 2023

Five-day COVID-19 lockdown imposed in Pyongyang

Reports of North Koreans panic-buying food ahead of lockdown triggered by rising cases of respiratory illnesses.

Al Jazeera · Jan 25, 2023

Biden nominates North Korea human rights envoy, first since 2017

The White House on Tuesday nominated a special envoy for human rights in North Korea, moving to fill a post that has been empty since 2017 amid debate over how rights issues fit with efforts to counter Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme.

Reuters · Jan 23, 2023

The New North Korean Threat

Why the United States needs to address Pyongyang’s nuclear advances now.

Foreign Affairs · Jan 19, 2023