
N. Korea, China to resume Pyongyang-Beijing passenger train services after 5-yr hiatus: NHK
The two countries are in final talks for the resumption of such services between their capitals after their suspension in January 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the broadcaster said, citing multiple sources.
It quoted a source as saying that North Korean travel to China increased after May this year for training purposes and that bilateral ties appear to be warming.
When asked about the possible resumption of the services, China's foreign ministry said it was not aware of such activities and referred the inquiry to relevant authorities, NHK said. (Yonhap)

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Korea Herald
2 hours ago
- Korea Herald
North Korean leader pledges ‘unconditional' support for Russia's war against Ukraine
Deployment of additional North Korean troops likely discussed in latest talks with top Russian diplomat, says expert North Korean leader Kim Jong-un assured Moscow's top diplomat that Pyongyang will fully support all actions taken by Russia in its war against Ukraine, the North's state media said Sunday. In a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov the previous day, Kim "reaffirmed that the DPRK is ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership as regards the tackling of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis,' the KCNA said. DPRK is the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The latest meeting between Kim and Lavrov came during the top diplomat's three-day visit to North Korea amid deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow. It also closely follows the US' decision to resume military supplies to Ukraine, including shipments of critical arms, after a brief pause. According to the KCNA, the talks between Kim and Lavrov touched on the topic of faithfully implementing the agreements made during the summit between the North Korean leader and Putin in June last year. Pyongyang and Moscow signed a partnership treaty last year, which includes a mutual defense pact. Lavrov, who delivered 'warm greetings' to Kim from Putin, expressed willingness to further bolster 'the strategic and tactical cooperation' between Pyongyang and Moscow. Though the KCNA did not report on any discussions of a potential North Korea-Russia summit, Russia's state agency Tass claimed Lavrov told Kim that Putin 'hopes for continued direct contact in the very near future.' South Korea's intelligence agency said the North has deployed some 13,000 troops and provided conventional weapons to Russia since October last year to support Moscow's war against Ukraine. Pyongyang is projected to send additional troops to Russia in July or August, according to the agency last month. Additionally, the South's Defense Intelligence Agency claimed that the North has so far provided some 28,000 containers of weapons and artillery shells, in a report submitted to a main opposition People Power Party lawmaker and released Sunday. When calculated in single 152 millimeter shells, this is believed to amount to 12 million rounds of such shells, the military intelligence agency under the Defense Ministry explained. Lavrov's second strategic dialogue with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son-hui, took place on the same day as the meeting between Kim and the top Russian diplomat. According to a statement released by Pyongyang, Lavrov and Choe vowed to advance their cooperation under a partnership treaty signed last year. Both meetings were held at the newly opened Kalma beach resort in the North's eastern coastal city of Wonsan. 'The issues of deploying some additional 6,000 North Korean troops to Russia, cooperation on advanced weapons technology and energy, as well as tourism, were likely discussed in Pyongyang's latest talks with Lavlov,' Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies, said. 'The additional deployment is projected to be a sign of an intensified war between Russia and Ukraine," he added. Russia has ramped up drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, leading to record civilian casualties. Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.


Korea Herald
7 hours ago
- Korea Herald
N. Korea's Kim reaffirms unconditional support for Russia on Ukraine war: KCNA
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reaffirmed his unconditional support for all of Russia's actions in its war against Ukraine as he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the North's state media reported Sunday. Kim made the remarks in a meeting with Lavrov on Saturday, held a day after the Russian minister flew to North Korea for his second round of strategic talks with the North Korean counterpart, according to the Korean Central News Agency. During the talks, Kim and Lavrov discussed the faithful implementation of the agreements reached during Kim's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang in June last year, as well as ways to further develop the two countries' strategic partnership, the KCNA said. Kim "reaffirmed that the DPRK is ready to unconditionally support and encourage all the measures taken by the Russian leadership as regards the tackling of the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis" in line with the North Korea-Russia mutual defense treaty, the KCNA said. DPRK refers to the official North Korean name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The KCNA also quoted Kim as saying that "the two countries share the same views on all strategic issues in conformity with the level of (their) alliance and it shows the high strategic level established between the two countries." Lavrov praised the strategic communication between the two countries in diplomatic fields, expressing his intention to "further strengthen the strategic and tactical cooperation and intensify concerted action ... in the international arena," according to the report. The meeting reaffirmed the determination of the North Korean and Russian leaderships to "closely support and cooperate with each other in the journey for thoroughly safeguarding the core interests of the two countries (and) powerfully promoting the overall development of bilateral ties" under their comprehensive strategic partnership treaty, the KCNA said. The KCNA also reported that Lavrov conveyed Putin's "warm greetings" to Kim, who reciprocated with thanks and his own friendly greetings to the Russian president. An earlier Russian news report on the Kim-Lavrov meeting said that the Russian minister delivered Putin's message expressing hope for direct contact with Kim in the very near future. Meanwhile, the KCNA carried a statement from the strategic dialogue held the previous day between North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Lavrov. The statement reaffirmed the two countries' "unwavering" commitment to advancing North Korea-Russia relations into long-term strategic ties by faithfully implementing the mutual treaty. In the statement, Russia expressed "firm opposition" to any arbitrary attempts to deny North Korea's "current status," voicing unwavering support for Pyongyang's efforts to defend its national security and sovereign rights, while North Korea expressed unconditional support for all Russian actions in its war against Ukraine. "It has been confirmed that the two sides' assessments of the current complex international situation are identical," the statement said, pledging joint efforts to strengthen strategic communication and coordinate their shared stance. Aboard a private jet, Lavrov arrived in North Korea's eastern coastal city of Wonsan on Friday for a three-day trip through Sunday. Both of his meetings with Kim and Choe took place at the newly opened Kalma beach resort area in Wonsan. (Yonhap)


Korea Herald
18 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Russian FM meets Kim Jong-un during visit to N. Korea
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday during his visit to North Korea, Moscow's foreign ministry said. In a Telegram post, the ministry released a photo of Kim smiling while holding Lavrov's hand with both hands. In a separate post of a video that shows Kim greeting Lavrov with a hug, the ministry said Lavrov was "received" by the North Korean leader. The ministry indicated their meeting took place in the coastal resort city of Wonsan. Earlier in the day, Lavrov met with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui in Wonsan for the second round of strategic talks between the two countries, after he arrived in the city the previous day. Lavrov's trip to the North will last until Sunday, when he is set to fly to China to attend a foreign ministerial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states. (Yonhap)