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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected a major naval base under construction on the east coast, calling the project "crucial" to the country's security and maritime sovereignty, state media reported Thursday. Kim made the remarks during his Wednesday visit and urged the construction work to be finished within the deadline set by the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Accompanied by Pak Jong-chon, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the WPK, Kim was briefed on the progress of the project by commanding officers at the site. Kim called for building "as early as possible" a Korean-style naval command center, a hub of naval culture and a center of naval combat capability, along with the base's infrastructure, according to the KCNA. "As the construction of the modern naval base is a crucial core undertaking directly related to the security of our state and the defense of its maritime sovereignty from A to Z, it should be completed without fail" to the standard required by the party and within the period it has set, he was qu

WASHINGTON — Korean American Congressman-elect Dan Koh expressed concern Wednesday over the state of the South Korea-U.S. alliance under President Donald Trump, pledging to help restore bilateral ties while questioning the prospects of productive diplomacy between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Koh, a Democrat who won a House seat representing Massachusetts in last week's midterm elections, made the remarks during a press conference hosted by the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus in Washington. "I'm very concerned about the relationship," Koh said, stressing that the alliance should remain strong regardless of whether a Republican or Democratic president occupies the White House. In the past, Koh served as a White House official during former President Joe Biden's administration and chief of staff of former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. He criticized Trump's treatment of Korean immigrants and Korean workers in the U.S., citing an incident involving South Koreans in Georgia last year, as well as the administration's tariff policies toward U.S. allies. "So I will be doin

North Korea is unlikely to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit set to be held in China next week, a South Korean presidential official said Thursday. "It would be difficult to say there is zero possibility of talks (between North Korea and the United States), but I think the probability might not be high," the official said when asked about the possibility of North Korea attending multilateral diplomatic events or holding talks with Washington. The North is, in particular, unlikely to attend next week's APEC summit, the official said on condition of anonymity, adding the chances of talks between the two sides during the summit are slim. The remarks come amid persistent speculation about a possible meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during the APEC summit, scheduled for next Wednesday and Thursday in Shenzhen, China, after Trump repeatedly offered to meet Kim for talks. The official said that the possibility of a summit between Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the APEC summit

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will attend summits of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) next week, his national security adviser said Thursday. The South Korean president will depart Monday first for Manila where he will attend the ASEAN summit until Tuesday, followed by a two-day trip to China's Shenzhen beginning Wednesday, where he will attend the APEC summit, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac told a briefing. On Monday, Lee plans to hold discussions with ASEAN countries on ways to enhance cooperation during a South Korea-ASEAN summit, followed by a meeting with leaders of five Mekong countries — Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. During the summit with the Mekong countries, the South Korean president plans to express his commitment to strengthening strategic partnership with the countries and discuss ways to enhance cooperation in critical minerals, responses to transnational crimes and others, Wi said. The following day, Lee will attend the ASEAN Plus Three summit, which will bring together the

North Korea's Embassy in Beijing appears to have undergone expansion and renovation work recently amid strengthening ties and growing high-level exchanges between Pyongyang and Beijing, sources said Thursday. The interior expansion work involved two buildings, reportedly including dormitory facilities, with some of the work being detected around the time of leader Kim Jong-un's surprise visit to the Chinese city of Dandong last month, according to sources familiar with the matter. Construction safety netting was seen around buildings inside the embassy compound and near its main gate. The sources also said there were indications that Pyongyang had sought contributions from North Koreans staying in China to help cover the costs. The renovation work came as North Korea and China have stepped up efforts to strengthen bilateral ties through a series of high-level exchanges and concrete steps to expand cross-border cooperation. During a summit in Pyongyang in June, Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to elevate bilateral ties to a strategic level and expand cooperation in various fiel

South Korea is closely watching developments surrounding the possibility of a trilateral summit among the leaders of the United States, China and Russia on the sidelines of next week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, a senior Seoul official said Thursday. First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo made the remarks during a session of the parliamentary foreign affairs and unification committee in response to Rep. Park Sung-joon of the ruling Democratic Party's question about the prospect of such a meeting. "We are closely monitoring developments involving the U.S., China and Russia, as the possibility of discussions on issues concerning the Korean Peninsula (during the meeting) cannot be ruled out," Park said. There have been discussions about a possible first-ever trilateral meeting among U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the APEC summit scheduled for Nov. 18-19 in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, according to foreign media reports. The lawmaker said North Korea's strategic value and leverage ha

Three members of a criminal ring were sentenced to prison terms on Thursday for collaborating with North Korean hackers to create and distribute illegal gambling websites in South Korea. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced one member of the criminal ring to four years in prison and a four-year suspension of qualifications after finding him guilty of violating the National Security Act and operating illegal gambling sites. The two other ring members indicted in the same case were both sentenced to three years in prison, while one of them also received a three-year suspension of qualifications. The three individuals were brought to trial as accomplices to the ringleader, surnamed Kim, who was convicted of the same offenses in September and sentenced to five years in prison and a five-year suspension of qualifications. Kim was found guilty of creating 16 illegal gambling sites in collaboration with North Korean hackers between 2022 and 2024 and selling them to domestic gambling site operators. Kim earned about 23.5 billion won ($17.6 million) from the sales and transferred more than

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