North Korea has officially opened five luxury hotels in Samjiyon near Mount Paektu and the Chinese border, state media reported Tuesday—up to seven years after construction began. Full story and satellite imagery analysis by @colinzwirko.bsky.social: nknews.org/2025/12/kim-...

A North Korean company has become a trading partner with Belarus, seeking to import dairy products from the Russian ally, according to the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange. The partnership was first revealed in June but has not been previously reported. nknews.org/2025/12/bela...

"[My mother] was very upset because she wasn’t sad at all due to the leader’s death and wasn’t able to cry," North Korean defector Rose wrote. Today’s question is about how North Koreans responded when they learned about Kim Jong Il’s sudden death on Dec. 17, 2011. www.nknews.org/2025/12/ask-...

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol sought to provoke a North Korean military response to justify martial law, special prosecutors said Monday after a six-month investigation. North Korea did not respond, and the plan failed, according to the findings. nknews.org/2025/12/sout...

VIDEO: North Korea's state-run KCTV on Saturday aired footage of Kim Jong Un crying as he welcomed home military engineers from Russia's Kursk region. Soldiers also wept during the ceremony honoring their unit — which lost 9 members during demining operations. nknews.org/2025/12/russ...

A Chinese manufacturer has posted videos showing a drone assembly line it says is bound for North Korea after final testing, with claimed production capacity of 100 multi-rotor drones per day. www.nknews.org/2025/12/chin...

12 years ago today, North Korea announced the execution of Jang Song Thaek, Kim Jong Un's uncle and former vice chairman of the National Defence Commission. It was the first execution of a senior official in decades 🧵 nknews.org/2013/12/nort...

Private car ownership is surging in Pyongyang, but NK Pro investigation found zero new gas stations built in the capital in recent years. Only 13 new stations were constructed across North Korea from 2021-2025—all outside Pyongyang. What this reveals: nknews.org/pro/gas-stat...

Kim Jong Un began North Korea's 2025 end-of-year party plenum in Pyongyang on Tuesday. State media says the meeting will discuss plans for the Ninth Party Congress and review economic and ideological issues. www.nknews.org/2025/12/kim-...

North Korea is opening its doors again — but only for runners. The 2026 Pyongyang Marathon is set for April 5, and all 500 spots through Koryo Tours sold out in under five hours. Here's what we know: www.nknews.org/2025/12/hund...

North Korea and China have established at least 32 makeshift river crossings to move cars, trucks and possibly other sensitive machinery to the DPRK, according to NK Pro satellite analysis. A smuggling scheme meant to hide transactions from scrutiny. www.nknews.org/pro/north-ko...

Seoul says it’s willing to release North Korean POWs for ROK detainees in DPRK www.nknews.org/2025/12/seou...

NK News CEO @chadocl.bsky.social asks South Korean President Lee Jae-myung about multiple citizens detained in North Korea since 2014, including 4 sentenced to hard labor and 3 others. @chadocl.bsky.social: "What are you going to do to bring them back home?"

Russia appears to be using North Korean shells for Cold War-era T-55 tanks reactivated for Ukraine, according to photos circulating this week. Expert identified DPRK-made 100mm rounds by their markings—some dating to 1990. What it signals: www.nknews.org/2025/12/russ...

My latest for NK News

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung pledged to "pursue a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula," avoiding the term "denuclearization" entirely. An expert says it's the first time a South Korean administration has framed the goal this way. What it signals: www.nknews.org/2025/12/lee-...

Kim Jong Un pledged "new strategic military assets" for North Korea's air force, including what appears to be a new land attack cruise missile bearing resemblance to the German-Swedish Taurus system. What was on display at Aviation Day: www.nknews.org/2025/11/kim-...

A Chinese merchant says he's shipped over 2,000 computers and graphics cards to North Korea since last year—likely violating UN sanctions. His social media posts reveal the mechanics of the trade and recurring complications with enforcement: www.nknews.org/2025/12/chin...

What did North Korean state media emphasize last week? "Spirit of Kangwon"—workers who built 6 power stations under harsh conditions without adequate party support. State media called it a "miracle" and urged citizens to follow their example. 🧵 www.nknews.org/pro/north-ko...

Kim Jong Un pledged "new strategic military assets" for North Korea's outdated air force, hinting at nuclear upgrades for the oft-neglected military branch. What appeared at the Aviation Day ceremony—and what it signals: www.nknews.org/2025/11/kim-...

North Korea sent troops to Kursk. Where could Kim Jong Un's soldiers fight next? NK Pro analyzed the global conflicts where DPRK deployment is realistic and the scenarios that remain unlikely despite economic desperation. www.nknews.org/2025/11/afte...

Russia plans to begin installing bridge spans next month on the $100M Tumen River crossing to North Korea, aiming for end-2026 completion. What NK Pro's satellite analysis shows about the project timeline and infrastructure development: www.nknews.org/pro/north-ko...

Russia plans to begin installing bridge span structures next month on the $100M Tumen River crossing to North Korea, with completion targeted for end of 2026. www.nknews.org/pro/north-ko...

North Korea now has at least 14 active smartphone brands, including models with foldable screens—all relying on Chinese technology and manufacturing services. www.nknews.org/pro/north-ko...

Investigation: NK Pro satellite analysis shows North Korea has built new defense lines along 74% of the DMZ since April 2024. Construction accelerated sharply after June — 42% of all work completed in just 5 months. www.nknews.org/pro/north-ko...

After Kursk: The foreign wars where North Korea could deploy its soldiers next www.nknews.org/2025/11/afte...

High resolution satellite imagery analyzed by NK Pro shows a major pressure blowout at North Korea’s Tanchon Power Station in late June, destroying key facilities before the plant could open. Full investigation and additional imagery: www.nknews.org/pro/north-ko...

South Korea has formally requested military talks with North Korea for the first time in seven years, seeking to clarify where the DMZ boundary actually lies amid a surge in North Korean incursions. NK News breaks down what triggered Seoul’s move and what is at stake: www.nknews.org/2025/11/seou...

NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery shows troop trucks began filling empty lots around the replica Kim Il Sung Square at Mirim base between Nov. 4 and 5, increasing daily until hundreds appeared by Nov. 11. Full investigation: www.nknews.org/pro/signs-of...

VIDEO: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected the elite 11th Corps on Saturday, praising the “Storm Corps” troops who fought in Russia’s war against Ukraine as a model for the entire DPRK army. Full story: www.nknews.org/2025/11/kim-...

UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) are preparing to send delegations to visit North Korea in November, multiple informed sources have told NK News, marking the first time international staff from the two agencies will enter since the pandemic began. www.nknews.org/2025/10/unic...

South Korea presented Trump with the Grand Order of Mugunghwa in Gyeongju amid APEC talks, as he vowed to “work very hard with Kim Jong Un” despite low prospects for a meeting this week. Full story: www.nknews.org/2025/10/trum...

PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump’s motorcade moves through Gyeongju as he begins his APEC schedule, ahead of delivering remarks at the APEC CEO Summit at the Gyeongju Arts Center later today.

@nknewsorg.bsky.social @koreapro.bsky.social are reporting from Gyeongju as world leaders gather for APEC 2025. Follow for continuing updates.

“I’d love to meet with him if he’d like to meet.” Aboard Air Force One, President Trump floated extending his Asia trip to meet Kim Jong Un and hinted at what he might offer. Full story by @colinzwirko.bsky.social: www.nknews.org/2025/10/trum...

Trump ‘would like’ to meet Kim Jong Un on Asia trip www.nknews.org/2025/10/trum...

Will Kim Jong Un and Trump meet this week? Right now, Trump's position is he is "100% open" to the possibility, stating, "If he contacts me, I will meet". Some years ago, Kim Jong Un would have almost certainly pursued this. Right now, I'm not so sure.

North Korea “successfully” test launched “two hypersonic projectiles” on Wednesday, state media reported the following day without offering technical details or photos of the launch. Kim Jong Un was not mentioned. www.nknews.org/2025/10/nort...

North Korea launched an unidentified ballistic missile toward the east on Wednesday morning, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, in what would mark Pyongyang’s first such test since May if confirmed. Developing story: www.nknews.org/2025/10/nort...

Russian pop star Shaman remixes propaganda for paean to ‘Comrade Kim Jong Un’ www.nknews.org/2025/10/russ...

Infographic: North Korea’s smallest military parade in years still packs a punch www.nknews.org/pro/infograp...

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev served as Moscow’s high-profile emissary to North Korea for large-scale celebrations of the Workers’ Party last week, meeting leader Kim Jong Un and attending a military parade featuring the country’s biggest nuclear missiles. www.nknews.org/2025/10/more...

VIDEO: North Korea’s state TV airs a rare snippet of Bruno Mars’ “It Will Rain” during coverage of a Russian figure-skating routine in Pyongyang — despite the country’s strict ban on foreign media. Full story: www.nknews.org/2025/10/nort...