North Korea is marking a key state anniversary Friday with calls for stronger loyalty to Kim Jong Un, but there was no word on an expected military parade amid heightened international tension.
North Korea's Kim Jong Un vows to develop more powerful means of, days after the country's first intercontinental ballistic missile launch in more than four years
The U.S. is also proposing U.N. sanctions in response to North Korea's six ballistic missile launches since September, each of which it says "were in violation of UN Security Council resolutions."
In a speech at a key political conference, Kim Jong Un vowed to further bolster his military capability, maintain draconian anti-virus measures and push hard to improve the economy.
As North Korea's dictator marks a milestone on Friday, he might be facing his toughest moment yet, as crushing sanctions, the pandemic and growing economic trouble converge
Earlier this week, the U.S. and other leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations issued a statement calling for North Korea to abandon its nuclear program and return to talks.
Kim Jong Un calls for the country to prepare for another "arduous march" — using a phrase that has come to describe the disastrous and prolonged food shortages of the '90s.
Kim Jong Un calls for beefing up his country's nuclear and military capabilities, but appears to be leaving open the possibility for negotiation with the incoming Biden administration.
Kim's comments come just days ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. Biden has promised "principled diplomacy" with North Korea, implying a break with Trump's high-stakes summits.
South Korean lawmakers say intelligence officials briefed them on the North's tough pandemic rules, including a Pyongyang lockdown and an execution of an official caught breaking restrictions.
Pyongyang says an unidentified man was found in North Korean waters and that he murmured he was from South Korea but then stopped responding to soldiers' questions and appeared to try to flee.
Her political star has risen since Kim Jong Un took power in 2011, leading to speculation that she could one day become the country's first female leader — if North Korea's patriarchy would allow it.
The move is the latest sign of deterioration in relations between North and South Korea. On Tuesday, North Korean officials did not answer a routine daily call from the South.
The North Korean leader's public absence and reports of a recent surgery have prompted a flurry of rumors about his health. But South Korean officials said Tuesday, "There is nothing we can confirm."
He stopped short of saying he was breaking off nuclear negotiations with the U.S. President Trump has repeatedly touted the testing moratorium as a political victory.
North Korea has threatened to send a "Christmas present" for the United States if sanctions aren't eased by the end of the year. Trump says he isn't worried about it.
In an exclusive interview with NPR, former Ambassador John Bolton criticized his ex-boss' strategy, saying "there's no serious chance" North Korea will voluntarily give up its nuclear weapons program.
Pyongyang accused the U.S. of "unilaterally reneging on its commitments" and said North Korea is "gradually losing our justification to follow through" on its own promises.
The two countries are marking the 70th anniversary of their establishment of diplomatic relations. But some experts believe Xi Jinping's trip has another purpose.
The leaders are scheduled to meet on Thursday, according to Chinese and North Korean news agencies. The visit comes after stalled negotiations with President Trump.
Contrary to prevailing stereotypes, in Anna Fifield's reported story Kim is anything but a madman — cold-blooded, for sure, but playing a calculated defensive strategy aimed at standing up his rule.
