North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles toward the sea on Sunday (April 19, 2026), its neighbors said, the North’s latest weapons testing activity this year.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launches happened on Sunday (April 19, 2026) morning from the North’s eastern Sinpo area. It said South Korea has bolstered its surveillance posture and is closely exchanging information with the U.S. and Japan.

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Monday (April 6, 2026) that the regret expressed by Seoul over a January drone incursion into the North is “wise behaviour”.

Earlier in the day, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret to Pyongyang over drones sent into the nuclear-armed North earlier this year, actions he called “irresponsible”.

“The ROK president personally expressed regret and talked about a measure for preventing recurrence. Our government appreciated it as very fortunate and wise behaviour for its own sake,” Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, using the official name of South Korea.

Seoul initially denied any official role in the January drone incursion — with authorities suggesting it was the work of civilians — but Mr. Lee said a probe had revealed government officials had been involved.

The North warned in February of a “terrible response” if it detects more drones crossing the border from the South, prompting Seoul to investigate the claims.

Pyongyang said it downed a drone carrying “surveillance equipment” in early January.

Photos released by state media showed the wreckage of a winged craft scattered across the ground alongside grey and blue components that allegedly included cameras.

“It has been confirmed that a National Intelligence Service official and an active-duty soldier were involved,” Mr. Lee told a cabinet meeting.

“We express regret to the North over the unnecessary military tensions caused by the irresponsible and reckless actions of some individuals,” he said.

He added that South Korea’s constitution bans private individuals from conducting acts that could “provoke the North”.

“Such actions, even when deemed necessary for national strategy, must be approached with extreme caution,” he said.

Ms. Kim Yo Jong said her brother had taken Mr. Lee’s remark “as a manifestation of a frank and broad-minded man’s attitude”, but warned Seoul to “stop any reckless provocation against the DPRK and refrain from any attempt at contact”, using the initials of the North’s official name.

“The ROK side should be mindful that it will be forced to pay a price… if such a provocation as violating the inalienable sovereignty of our state occurs again,” she warned.

‘Most hostile state’

Mr. Lee has sought to repair ties with North Korea since taking office last year, criticising his predecessor for allegedly sending drones to scatter propaganda over Pyongyang.

His repeated overtures, however, have gone unanswered by the North.

Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol is standing trial over charges that his administration sent drones into the North to provoke a backlash and create a pretext for declaring military rule.

Yoon was impeached and ousted from office in April last year and has been sentenced to life in prison over his declaration of martial law.

Mr. Lee’s expression of regret follows North Korean leader Mr. Kim Jong Un’s labelling of Seoul as the “most hostile state” in a policy address in March in which he vowed to “thoroughly reject and disregard it”.

North Korea’s leader also reaffirmed his commitment to maintaining the country’s nuclear arsenal, describing it as an “irreversible course”.

During Yoon’s presidency, relations between Seoul and Pyongyang hit rock bottom, with the North sending balloons filled with garbage, including animal manure, in response to propaganda leaflets sent northward by South Korea-based activists, many of them North Korean defectors.

The two Koreas technically remain at war, as the 1950–53 conflict ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty, and both enforce mandatory military service for men.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has pledged to irreversibly cement his country’s status as a nuclear power while maintaining a hard-line stance toward South Korea, which he called the “most hostile” state, state media said Tuesday (March 24, 2026).

In a speech on Monday (March 23, 2026) to Pyongyang’s rubber-stamp parliament, Mr. Kim accused the United States of global “state terrorism and aggression,” in an apparent reference to the war in West Asia, and said the North will play a more forceful role in a united front against Washington amid rising anti-American sentiment. But Mr. Kim didn’t call out U.S. President Donald Trump by name and said whether his adversaries “choose confrontation or peaceful coexistence is up to them, and we are prepared to respond to any choice.”

His comments largely aligned with his statements at last month’s ruling Workers’ Party Congress, where he vilified Seoul but left open the door for dialogue with the Trump administration, urging Washington to drop its demands for the North’s nuclear disarmament as a precondition for talks.

State media said the Supreme People’s Assembly, which concluded its two-day session on Monday (March 23, 2026), passed a revised constitution but did not specify the changes. There had been expectations the revisions would codify South Korea as a permanent enemy and remove references to shared nationhood. That’s in line with Mr. Kim’s hard-line stance after he declared in 2024 that the North would abandon its long-term goal of a peaceful unification with the South.

Analysts say Mr. Kim’s vilification of South Korea reflects his view that Seoul, which helped arrange his first meetings with Trump in 2018 and 2019, is no longer a useful intermediary with Washington but an obstacle to his push for a more assertive regional role. He has also shown sensitivity to South Korean soft power, driving aggressive campaigns to block the influence of its culture and language among North Koreans as he seeks to tighten his family’s authoritarian grip.

In his speech, Mr. Kim expressed pride in the country’s rapid expansion of nuclear weapons and missiles in recent years, calling it the “right” choice to counter future threats and “hegemonic pursuits” by “gangsterlike” imperialists, a term the North often uses for the United States and its allies.

“The dignity of the nation, its national interest and its ultimate victory can only be guaranteed by the strongest of power,” Mr. Kim said. “The government of our republic will continue to consolidate our absolutely irreversible status as a nuclear power and will aggressively wage a struggle against hostile forces to crush their (anti-North Korean) provocations and schemes.”

Mr. Kim has suspended all meaningful dialogue with Washington and Seoul since the collapse of his second summit with Mr. Trump in 2019 over U.S.-led sanctions on the North.

Mr. Kim has recently been prioritising Russia in his foreign policy, sending thousands of troops and large amounts of military equipment to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine, possibly in exchange for aid and military technology. Facing the possibility of the war winding down, analysts say Mr. Kim may try to keep his options open by taking a more measured approach toward Washington to preserve future dialogue, with the long-term aim of securing U.S. sanctions relief and tacit recognition as a nuclear state.

However, some experts believe that the United States and Israel’s joint attacks on Iran and the killing of Tehran’s previous supreme leader may have raised Mr. Kim’s bar for reviving dialogue with Washington.

North Korea conducted a test of its “state of the art”, nuclear-capable multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), state media reported on Sunday (March 15, 2026), a day after Seoul identified the launch of around 10 ballistic missiles.

The test comes just days after South Korean and U.S. forces kicked off their springtime military drills.

Kim Jong Un oversaw the test on Saturday (March 14), which “involved twelve 600mm-calibre ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies”, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Mr. Kim said the drill would give Pyongyang’s enemies “within the 420 km striking range” a sense of “uneasiness” as well as “a deep understanding of the destructive power of tactical nuclear weapon”, KCNA reported.

KCNA said on Sunday (March 15) that the rockets battered an island target in the East Sea of Korea more than 360 kilometres away.

Mr. Kim praised the MLRS as a “very deadly yet attractive weapon”.

Photos released by KCNA showed several rockets blasting off large vehicles into the air.

Another picture shows Mr. Kim and his daughter Ju Ae watching the launch from afar, flanked by a military official.

Ms. Ju Ae has long been seen as next in line to rule the country, a perception stoked by a string of recent high-profile outings.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it had detected multiple launches on Saturday (March 15) from the North into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.

Seoul’s presidential Blue House condemned the launches as a “provocation that violates United Nations Security Council resolutions” and urged Pyongyang to immediately stop such acts.

The launches came hours after South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said that U.S. President Donald Trump thinks a meeting with Pyongyang’s Mr. Kim would be “good”.

The Trump administration has pushed in recent months to revive high-level talks with Pyongyang, eyeing a possible summit with Mr. Kim this year, potentially during Mr. Trump’s visit to Beijing set for late March.

After largely ignoring these overtures, Mr. Kim said recently that the two nations could “get along” if Washington accepted Pyongyang’s nuclear status.

Joint drills

The U.S. and South Korea’s springtime military drills, dubbed “Freedom Shield”, will involve about 18,000 Korean troops and run until March 19.

This week, Kim Yo Jong, a powerful confidante of her brother Kim Jong Un, said the joint drills “may cause unimaginably terrible consequences”.

She went on to say the drills were taking place at “a critical time when global security structure is collapsing rapidly and wars break out in different parts of the world”.

Pyongyang has condemned the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran as an “illegal act of aggression”, claiming it shows the “rogue” nature of the United States.

North Korea also recently carried out missile tests from the naval Choe Hyon destroyer, claiming the country was in the process of “arming the Navy with nuclear weapons”.

The launch comes as the United States and South Korea conduct their annual Freedom Shield military drills. The development also follows recent warnings from Kim Yo Jong and renewed discussions in Washington about possible talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been re-elected as the General Secretary of the ruling Workers’ Party at a rare congress, state media said Monday (February 23, 2026).

The decision was made Sunday (February 22) — day four of the congress — “in accordance with the unshakable will and unanimous desire of all the delegates”, the Korean Central News Agency said.

Under the leadership of Mr. Kim, “the war deterrence of the country with the nuclear forces as its pivot has been radically improved,” the KCNA report said.

Held just once every five years, the days-long party congress offers a rare glimpse into the workings of a nation where even mundane details are shrouded in secrecy.

The gathering directs state efforts on everything from house building to war planning.

In his speech to open the congress on Thursday, Mr. Kim vowed to lift living standards, offering a glimpse of the economic strains affecting his sanctions-hit nation.

“Today, our party is faced with heavy and urgent historic tasks of boosting economic construction and the people’s standard of living and transforming all realms of state and social life as early as possible,” Mr. Kim said.

For decades, nuclear weapons and military prowess came before everything else in North Korea, even as food stocks dried up and famine took hold.

But since assuming power in 2011, Kim has stressed the need to also fortify the impoverished nation’s economy.

At the last party congress in 2021, Kim made an extremely rare admission that mistakes had been made in “almost all areas” of economic development.

Mr. Kim has already declared this year’s congress will unveil the next phase in the nation’s nuclear weapons programme.

State media reported Monday (February 23) that during Sunday’s session, the party also voted to revise its own rules with a view towards “consolidating the Party ranks in a qualitative way” and ensuring “impartiality in applying the Party discipline.”

It is just the ninth time the Workers’ Party congress has convened under the Kim family’s decades-long rule.

The meeting was shelved under Kim’s father Kim Jong Il, but was revived in 2016.

Mr. Kim has spent years stoking his cult of personality in reclusive North Korea, and the congress offers another chance to demonstrate his absolute grip on power.

North Korea’s ruling party has opened a landmark congress, state media said Friday (February 20, 2026), launching a political spectacle expected to unveil the next phase in the nation’s nuclear weapons programme.

Leader Kim Jong Un took centre stage with a speech to start the Workers’ Party congress, a gathering that directs state efforts on everything from house building to war planning.

Party elites packed the cavernous House of Culture in Pyongyang for the once-in-five-years event, which is typically capped with an immense parade flaunting the military’s latest weapons.

The congress offers a rare look into the workings of a nation where even mundane details are shrouded in secrecy — and will be closely watched for insights into Mr. Kim’s long-term thinking.

Mr. Kim said North Korea had overcome its “worst difficulties” since the last congress in 2021, and was now entering a new stage of “optimism and confidence in the future”.

“Today, our Party is faced with heavy and urgent historic tasks of boosting economic construction and the people’s standard of living and transforming all realms of state and social life as early as possible,” he said Thursday (February 20), according to state media.

He also singled out “deep-rooted defeatism” and “immaturity in leadership ability” that still hindered the party’s work, a sign of possible reprisals against officials seen to have fallen short.

Mr. Kim has already declared this year’s congress will lay out plans to bolster North Korea’s nuclear arsenal. It has been more than eight years since North Korea’s last nuclear test triggered a man-made earthquake underneath the northern Hamyong mountains.

Pyongyang’s atomic scientists have worked since then to harness this power in portable warheads that can be attached to long-range missiles.

Also Read | North Korea test-fires hypersonic missiles: state media

North Korea’s economy has for years languished under heavy Western sanctions that aim to choke off funding for its nuclear weapons programme.

Mr. Kim is likely to boast of progress on the county’s nuclear programme and “strengthened alignment with China and Russia”, Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies, told AFP.

Ruling dynasty

It is just the ninth time the Workers’ Party congress has convened under North Korea’s decades-spanning Mr. Kim rule. The meeting was shelved for decades under Mr. Kim’s father, Mr. Kim Jong Il, but was revived in 2016.

Mr. Kim Jong Un has spent years stoking his cult of personality in reclusive North Korea, and the congress offers another chance to demonstrate his absolute grip on power.

Photos released by state media showed Mr. Kim delivering his opening address as senior party officials appeared to take notes in the background.

Analysts will scour photographs to see which officials are seated closest to Mr. Kim, and who is banished to the back row.

Particular attention will be placed on the whereabouts of Mr. Kim’s teenage daughter Ju Ae, who has emerged as North Korea’s heir apparent according to Seoul’s national intelligence service.

‘Biggest enemy’

The ruling parties of China and Russia — North Korea’s longtime allies — sent friendly messages to mark the start of the congress, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

Also Read | North Korea opens new housing district for families of Ukraine war dead

Mr. Kim appeared alongside China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin at a military parade in Beijing last year — a striking display of his powerful friends and elevated status in global politics.

At the previous congress five years ago, Mr. Kim declared that the United States was his nation’s “biggest enemy”.

There is keen interest in whether Mr. Kim might use the congress to soften this stance, or double down.

U.S. President Donald Trump stepped up his courtship of Mr. Kim during a tour of Asia last year, saying he was “100%” open to a meeting. Mr. Kim has so far largely shunned efforts to resume top-level diplomatic dialogue.

North Korean ‍leader Kim Jong ​Un told Russian President ‌Vladimir ​Putin in a letter that he will support Putin’s policies unconditionally and permanently, North Korean ​state media KCNA ⁠said on Friday (January 9, 2026).

“I will unconditionally respect ​and ⁠unconditionally support all your policies and decisions and I ‌have a willingness ‌to be always with you ‍for the sake of you ‍and your Russia,” Mr. Kim said in a letter to Mr. Putin, KCNA reported.

“This choice will be ⁠constant and permanent.”

Mr. Kim’s letter was ​a reply to ⁠a letter Mr. Putin sent earlier, KCNA said.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Monday (January 5, 2026) in Beijing, with closer economic ties as well as the recalcitrant North on the agenda.

Mr. Lee is the first South Korean leader to visit Beijing in six years and his meeting with Mr. Xi comes a day after the nuclear-armed North fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan.

Mr. Xi held a welcome ceremony for Mr. Lee and the two began talks, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said.

The signing of an agreement and a state banquet will follow, Seoul has said.

The South Korean leader, accompanied by a delegation of business and tech leaders, hopes to secure pledges to expand economic cooperation with his country’s largest trading partner.

He has called for South Korea and China to work towards “more horizontal and mutually beneficial” trade.

On Monday (January 5, 2026), Mr. Lee also met with top executives from both South Korean and Chinese firms at Beijing’s opulent Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, Seoul’s Yonhap news agency reported.

South Korea and China “have helped each other grow through interconnected industrial supply chains and led the global economy”, he told them.

Among the Chinese firms represented were battery giant CATL as well as phone maker ZTE and tech giant Tencent, Yonhap said.

On the South Korean side, Mr. Lee was accompanied by Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group’s executive chair Chung Eui-sun, among others.

Mr. Lee also hopes to possibly harness China’s clout over North Korea to support his bid to improve ties with Pyongyang.

“China is a very important cooperative partner in moving toward peace and unification on the Korean Peninsula,” Mr. Lee said during a meeting with Korean residents in Beijing on Sunday, according to Yonhap.

Pyongyang tensions

Hours before Mr. Xi and Mr. Lee were due to meet, Pyongyang declared that it had launched two hypersonic missiles and that its nuclear forces were ready for “actual war”.

Mr. Xi and Mr. Lee last met in November on the sidelines of the APEC summit in the South Korean city of Gyeongju — a meeting Seoul framed as a reset of ties after years of tension.

Seoul has for decades trodden a fine line between China, its top trading partner, and the United States, its chief defence guarantor.

And Mr. Lee’s trip comes less than a week after China carried out massive military drills around Taiwan, the self-ruled island it claims as part of its territory.

The exercise, featuring missiles, fighter jets, navy ships and coastguard vessels, drew a chorus of international condemnation that Seoul has notably declined to join.

Mr. Lee also deftly stayed on the sidelines since a nasty spat erupted between Beijing and Tokyo late last year, triggered by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion that Japan could intervene militarily if China attacks Taiwan.

In an interview with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Friday (January 2, 2026), Mr. Lee said he “clearly affirms” that “respecting the ‘one-China’ principle and maintaining peace and stability in Northeast Asia, including in the Taiwan Strait, are very important”.

​North Korea test-fired hypersonic missiles ‌on Sunday, state ​media KCNA reported on Monday, to assess its military operational capability regarding war deterrence.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who oversaw ​the missile launch, said: “It’s a ⁠very important strategy to maintain or expand the strong and reliable ​nuclear deterrent,” ⁠because of “the recent geopolitical crisis and various international circumstances,” according to KCNA.

The ‌missiles hit targets about ‌1,000 km (621 miles) away, over the sea east ‍of North Korea, KCNA said.

The South Korean military ‍said on Sunday (January 4) that North Korea fired ballistic missiles towards the sea to its east as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung started a ⁠state visit to China.

The missile launch followed ​a North Korean statement on Sunday ⁠(January 4, 2026) that denounced the U.S. strikes on Venezuela as a violation of that country’s sovereignty.