There are also issues of preventing the birth rate from falling and well nurturing children,” he said at the fifth National Meeting of Mothers that opened on Sunday in Pyongyang…reports Asian Lite News
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for measures to prevent a decrease in the country’s birth rate in the first national meeting of mothers in 11 years, state media reported on Monday.
According to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim said he has thought about North Korean mothers whenever he faced difficulties in steering state and party affairs, and stressed the role of mothers in such various fields as helping resolve “non-social” problems and promoting the unity of society, reports Yonhap News Agency.
“There are also issues of preventing the birth rate from falling and well nurturing children,” he said at the fifth National Meeting of Mothers that opened on Sunday in Pyongyang.
North Korea’s total fertility rate — the number of children that are expected to be born to a women over her lifetime — came to 1.8 in 2023, according to data posted on the website of the UN Population Fund.
North Korea last held a national meeting of mothers in 2012.
The inaugural gathering took place in November 1961.
Putin earlier told a Russian media outlet that Kim will fly to Komsomolsk-on-Amur to visit an aircraft plant and travel to Vladivostok to view Russia’s Pacific Fleet after the summit…reports Asian Lite News
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s special train appears to be moving toward Russia’s Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk on Thursday, a day after his rare summit with President Vladimir Putin, sources said.
According to the sources, Kim’s olive green, bulletproof train appears headed toward the Russian city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where he will visit an aircraft factory, following his meeting with Putin held on Wednesday at the Vostochny spaceport where he pledged full support for Russia, reports Yonhap News Agency.
Putin earlier told a Russian media outlet that Kim will fly to Komsomolsk-on-Amur to visit an aircraft plant and travel to Vladivostok to view Russia’s Pacific Fleet after the summit.
But Kim appears to have taken his train to Komsomolsk-on-Amur, some 1,170 km east of the space center.
Kim is expected to arrive in the Russian city late Thursday and stop by an aircraft plant that manufactures Sukhoi fighter jets the following day, according to the sources.
Wednesday’s summit marked Kim’s first meeting with Putin since his visit to Vladivostok in April 2019.
South Korean and US officials have expressed concerns over the meeting and a possible arms deal between the two countries that could assist Moscow’s war efforts in Ukraine.
This file photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shaking hands for a summit in Vladivostok on April 26, 2019.(Yonhap/IANS)
DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the North’s official name…reports Asian Lite News
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s invitation to visit his reclusive country which was extended after their summit at the remote Vostochny spaceport in the Far Eastern Amur Region, Pyongyang’s state media reported on Thursday.
Kim extended the invitation at an official dinner with Putin on Wednesday night after their summit, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
This was Kim’s first meeting with Putin since his visit to Vladivostok in April 2019, reports Yonhap News Agency.
“At the end of the reception, Kim Jong-un courteously invited Putin to visit the DPRK at a convenient time,” the KCNA reported.
“Putin accepted the invitation with pleasure and reaffirmed his will to invariably carry forward the history and tradition of the Russia-DPRK friendship.”
DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the North’s official name.
The summit came as Pyongyang has recently been seeking to bolster military ties with Moscow and doubling down on its weapons development amid growing security cooperation among South Korea, the US and Japan.
During the meeting, Kim said his latest trip to Russia marks a “significant” occasion to raise cooperative bilateral ties to a higher level, according to the KCNA.
“It is the consistent stand of the DPRK government to attach utmost importance to the DPRK-Russia relations and invariably develop the tradition of deep-rooted friendship,” Kim was quoted as saying by the KCNA.
The KCNA said the two sides discussed strengthening cooperation “on the common front to frustrate the imperialists’ military threat and provocation”, although it did not specify the discussion’s details.
“They discussed with open mind the important issues and the immediate cooperation matters arising in defending the sovereignty and development and interests of the two countries,” it said.
During the dinner reception, Putin noted that bilateral relations are invariably oriented to comradely and good neighbourly relations as ever, the KCNA reported.
In response, Kim expressed his will to work for a “far-reaching” plan for bilateral ties with Putin, and “to dynamically promote the powerful nation-building cause in the two countries and realize genuine international justice”, it said.
The KCNA added that Kim left for his next destination, without providing details.
Putin earlier announced that Kim will travel to Komsomolsk-on-Amur and Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East after the summit.
South Korean and US officials have expressed concerns over the meeting and a possible arms deal between the two countries that could assist Moscow’s war efforts in Ukraine.
The KCNA said Kim “left here by his train on Sunday afternoon to visit the Russian Federation”, without saying whether the train had crossed its border…reports Asian Lite News
In a rare show of strength, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Russia on Tuesday to hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with concerns growing over a possible arms deal between Pyongyang and Moscow, an official at South Korea’s Defence Ministry said.
The North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) confirmed early Tuesday that Kim had left Pyongyang for Russia aboard his bulletproof train on Sunday afternoon, accompanied by leading officials of the regime’s ruling party and the armed forces, reports Yonhap News Agency.
The KCNA said Kim “left here by his train on Sunday afternoon to visit the Russian Federation”, without saying whether the train had crossed its border.
Hours after the KCNA report, Jeon Ha-kyou, a spokesperson at the South Korean Defence Ministry, gave an assessment that Kim’s train had crossed into Russia early Tuesday, adding that Seoul was closely monitoring for possible talks between the two countries over arms trade.
“Considering that a large number of military personnel is accompanying him, (we) are closely monitoring whether negotiations over arms trade between North Korea and Russia, and technology transfers will take place,” Jeon told reporters.
Russian media outlet “Vesti Primorye” also reported that Kim’s train arrived at the border city of Khasan on Tuesday and is on its way to the Far Eastern city of Ussuriysk, citing a railway source.
The train passed through Khasan station early Tuesday and is already in the Primorsky Krai region, according to the Russian media report.
Photos released by the North’s state media showed Kim being accompanied by Pyongyang’s Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, as well as top military officials Ri Pyong-chol and Pak Jong-chon.
It still remains unknown exactly when and where Kim and Putin would hold a meeting, and the North Korean leader’s whereabouts also remain unclear.
The Kremlin said negotiations between North Korean and Russian delegations are planned during Kim’s visit, with discussions over the possibility of a one-on-one meeting between the leaders.
The trip would mark the first such visit to Russia by Kim in more than four years and his first trip abroad since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pyongyang has recently been seeking to bolster military ties with Moscow in the wake of growing security cooperation among South Korea, the US and Japan.
Earlier this month, The New York Times had reported that Kim was planning to travel to Vladivostok, possibly by armoured train this month, for talks with Putin about the possibility of supplying Russia with ammunition and weaponry for its war in Ukraine and other military cooperation.
As both North Korea and Russia confirmed Kim’s visit to Russia, the US called on Pyongyang not to provide any weapons to Russia.
Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, underscored that North Korea and Russia will likely continue discussing a potential arms deal during the Kim-Putin meeting.
“As we have warned publicly, arms discussions between Russia and the DPRK are expected to continue during Kim Jong-un’s trip to Russia,” Watson told Yonhap News Agency when asked to comment on Kim’s visit to Russia.
“We urge the DPRK to abide by the public commitments that Pyongyang has made to not provide or sell arms to Russia,” she added.
DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name.
This file photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shaking hands for a summit in Vladivostok on April 26, 2019.(Yonhap/IANS)
Putin is expected to arrive in Vladivostok on Monday and attend the plenary meeting of the economic forum the following day…reports Asian Lite News
Russia kicked off an economic forum in Vladivostok on Sunday, but there was no word from both Moscow and Pyongyang on a possible visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the forum.
The New York Times earlier reported that Kim may travel to Vladivostok on his armored train to meet with Putin on the margins of the Eastern Economic Forum, which will run through Wednesday at the Far Eastern Federal University, Yonhap news agency reported.
The report on the possible summit, which would mark their first meeting in four years, came amid speculation that North Korea may supply arms for Russia’s use in its war in Ukraine in return for food, energy and advanced technology for weapons development.
Sources, however, said unusual signs of Kim’s possible trip had not been detected in railway stations in Vladivostok and the border city of Khasan, where his train would likely pass through, as of Sunday morning.
“There have not been any signs of people being deployed to control the railway connecting Khasan and Vladivostok,” a source said.
Putin is expected to arrive in Vladivostok on Monday and attend the plenary meeting of the economic forum the following day.
The report on their possible meeting came as Pyongyang has been seeking to bolster military ties with Moscow in the wake of growing security cooperation among South Korea, the US and Japan following a trilateral summit in Camp David last month.
This file photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shaking hands for a summit in Vladivostok on April 26, 2019.(Yonhap/IANS)
Putin is expected to arrive in Vladivostok on Monday and attend the plenary meeting of the economic forum the following day…reports Asian Lite News
Russia kicked off an economic forum in Vladivostok on Sunday, but there was no word from both Moscow and Pyongyang on a possible visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the forum.
The New York Times earlier reported that Kim may travel to Vladivostok on his armored train to meet with Putin on the margins of the Eastern Economic Forum, which will run through Wednesday at the Far Eastern Federal University, Yonhap news agency reported.
The report on the possible summit, which would mark their first meeting in four years, came amid speculation that North Korea may supply arms for Russia’s use in its war in Ukraine in return for food, energy and advanced technology for weapons development.
Sources, however, said unusual signs of Kim’s possible trip had not been detected in railway stations in Vladivostok and the border city of Khasan, where his train would likely pass through, as of Sunday morning.
“There have not been any signs of people being deployed to control the railway connecting Khasan and Vladivostok,” a source said.
Putin is expected to arrive in Vladivostok on Monday and attend the plenary meeting of the economic forum the following day.
The report on their possible meeting came as Pyongyang has been seeking to bolster military ties with Moscow in the wake of growing security cooperation among South Korea, the US and Japan following a trilateral summit in Camp David last month.
Kim Jong-un took the reviewing stand to observe the military parade in Pyongyang to commemorate Victory Day while senior representatives from China and Russia were also present
North Korea held a huge military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War, said its state media, displaying the country’s latest intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and drones as a display of its military strength.
Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, took the reviewing stand to observe the military parade in Pyongyang late on Thursday to commemorate Victory Day while senior representatives from China and Russia were also present, Yonhap reported citing the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
With their presence at the parade, the North appears to have wanted to express its solidarity with Beijing and Moscow, who supported Pyongyang throughout the Cold War fight, at a time when Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo are strengthening their three-way security cooperation.
Kim did not give the highly anticipated speech at the event.
The Korean War, which began with an invasion by the North Korea in 1950, concluded with the armistice on July 27, 1953. However, the North declared the war over and designated the day of the armistice signing as Victory Day.
The recalcitrant regime has displayed new cutting-edge weapons during the parades to show off its military might. The latest parade, which was held amid higher tensions brought on by Pyongyang’s ongoing missile testing, was the second in around five months.
The North displayed new, cutting-edge long-range missiles, including the intercontinental ballistic missiles Hwasong-17 and Hwasong-18, at the parade. However, it did not introduce any new types of ICBM.
Later in the day, footage released by the North’s Korean Central Television also showed the “Haeil,” the North’s alleged first-ever autonomous underwater vehicle with nuclear weapons, as well as unmanned spy aircraft and strike drones.
“The strategic reconnaissance drones and multi-purpose attack drones that were newly developed and produced… made circular flights in the sky above the square for the military parade,” Yonhap reported quoting KCNA.
As “the most powerful core mainstay means” of its strategic force to “fully and overwhelmingly” deter nuclear threats from its enemies, the North also referred to the solid-fuel Hwasong-18 ICBMs.
North Korea inviting Chinese and Russian officials to its parade, marks its first known foreign visits since Pyongyang’s strict border closure induced by the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020.
Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defence minister, and Li Hongzhong, a politburo member of the Chinese Communist Party’s, joined the leader of the North in the VIP stand to observe the parade. Shoigu was called on before Li, as the important guests were introduced during the main ceremony.
Kim was seen smiling and talking with Shoigu and Li, who were standing to his right and left, respectively.
The pursuit by the North of nuclear and ballistic missiles that are prohibited by numerous Security Council resolutions is signalled by such imagery by China and Russia, both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), note observers.
During their discussions this week, Kim and Shoigu specifically pledged to boost defence cooperation.
The meeting has ignited speculations that the two sides may have discussed Pyongyang’s arsenal for use in Moscow’s conflict with Ukraine during their meeting.
In a speech at the parade, North Korean Defence Minister Kang Sun-nam said the United States would confront a “unimaginable and unforeseen crisis” if it tried to launch a nuclear attack against the North, as per Yonhap.
Kang used the abbreviation for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and declared that, “the US imperialists have no room of choice of survival in case they used nuclear weapons against the DPRK.”
Kim could be seen fighting back tears as he sang along to the national anthem before the military march began in the official TV footage from the North.
Additionally, it was stated that Pyongyang had shown its support for Beijing and Moscow in light of improved trilateral security cooperation between Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects a ground test of a “high-thrust solid-fuel motor” at Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in Cholsan, North Pyongan Province, on Dec. 15, 2022.(Yonhap/IANS)
North Korea has recently increased the frequency of its weapons tests, as Seoul and Washington intensify their efforts to support America’s commitment to using the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to defend its ally.
Under Kim’s rule, the North has staged 14 military parades, including the one this week. The nation initially unveiled the Hwasong-18 ICBM during the last parade, which was conducted in February to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of its military forces, Yonhap reported. (ANI)
This file photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shaking hands for a summit in Vladivostok on April 26, 2019.(Yonhap/IANS)
Kim said friendly relations between the North and Russia are a “precious strategic asset”…reports Asian Lite News
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has voiced his willingness to build closer strategic ties with Russia in his congratulatory message to Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s key national holiday, Pyongyang’s state media said on Monday.
In the message sent on the occasion of Russia Day, Kim said friendly relations between the North and Russia are a “precious strategic asset” and his country will make efforts to ceaselessly develop such cooperative ties, according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Russia Day is celebrated on June 12 to mark the adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in 1990, reports Yonhap News Agency.
The North’s leader affirmed “his willingness to strive for closer strategic cooperation between the DPRK and Russia”, the KCNA said in an English-language dispatch, using the acronym of the North’s full name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Kim said the Russian people’s struggle to counter hostile forces’ move to deprive Moscow of its sovereignty and security has entered a “new decisive phase” and his people are extending “full support and solidarity” for Russia, the KCNA added.
Kim’s message appears to reaffirm the North’s support of Russia in Moscow’s war with Ukraine.
The North has been strengthening its close ties with Russia despite international condemnation over the war, amid allegations that Pyongyang has provided arms to Moscow for use in the war.
This photo, captured from the Korean Central TV on April 8, 2023, shows a broadcast of the "Haeil-2" underwater strategic weapons system's test conducted from April 4-7.(Yonhap/IANS)
The North Korea tested the Haeil-2 underwater strategic weapon system from April 4-7.
North Korea remained unresponsive to regular contact via a military hotline for the second day on Saturday, military officials said.
The North did not respond to the regular 9 a.m. opening call between the two sides after daily calls through the cross-border liaison line and the military hotline the previous day went unanswered, Yonhap News Agency quoted the officials as saying.
The two Koreas typically hold phone calls twice a day in the morning and in the afternoon using the joint liaison office channel and their military channel.
While the liaison office channel operates only on weekdays, the military channel also conducts calls on weekends.
“Regular calls aren’t being made due to an unspecified reason from the North’s side,” a military official said.
“We will monitor the situation, including the possibility of a (technical) problem in the North’s line.”
This file photo, provided by the unification ministry, shows a South Korean liaison officer talking to his North Korean counterpart at the Seoul bureau of their joint liaison office. (Yonhap/IANS)
The suspension comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula in the wake of North Korea’s recent weapons tests in protest of joint military drills between South Korea and the US.
Underwater n-capable attack drone
Earlier in the day, the North’s state media reported that the country staged an underwater detonation test of its Haeil-2 nuclear-capable attack drone earlier this week, proving the weapon system’s reliability and “fatal” striking capability.
The North tested the Haeil-2 underwater strategic weapon system from April 4-7, according to Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
“The system will serve as an advantageous and prospective military potential of the armed forces of the DPRK essential for containing all evolving military actions of enemies, removing threats and defending the country,” Yonhap News Agency quoted the KCNA as saying.
The test drone was deployed from a port in South Hamgyong Province on Tuesday, and “correctly set off” a test warhead underwater on Friday after cruising along an “oval and eight-shaped” course simulating a distance of 1,000 km for 71 hours and six minutes, it added.
The provocation came about two weeks after the North first made public a test of its underwater attack drone Haeil on March 24.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, wearing a white marshal uniform, waves to soldiers during a photo session. (Yonhap/IANS)
It claimed the “secret weapon” is capable of generating a “radioactive tsunami” and stealthily attacking enemies.
On March 28, the regime unveiled its Hwasan-31 tactical nuclear warhead for the first time and claimed that it had staged an underwater detonation test of its Haeil-1 drone a day earlier.
Considering the change in the weapon’s name in the latest test, the North could have tested an improved version of the Haeil this week, observers said.
The North has recently intensified its provocative acts, such as the unveiling of the Hwasan-31 tactical nuclear warhead and the launch of cruise missiles from a submarine.
Observers said the North is likely to bolster its weapons tests on key anniversaries this month, namely the 111th birthday of the country’s late founder Kim Il-sung on April 15.
Seoul :North Korean leader Kim Jong-un takes a look at a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on a Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL) ahead of its launch at Pyongyang International Airport, in this photo released by the country's state media.(Yonhap/IANS)
The missile, launched on Friday from Pyongyang International Airport, flew 999.2 km for 4,135 seconds at an apogee of 6,040.9 km and landed in the international waters of the East Sea
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared a resolute nuclear response to threats by the US during an on-site inspection of the country’s test-firing of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) earlier this week, Pyongyang’s state media said on Saturday.
The missile, launched on Friday from Pyongyang International Airport, flew 999.2 km for 4,135 seconds at an apogee of 6,040.9 km and landed in the international waters of the East Sea, Yonhap News Agency quoted the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) as saying.
“The test-fire clearly proved the reliability of the new major strategic weapon system to be representative of the DPRK’s strategic forces and its powerful combat performance as the strongest strategic weapon in the world,” the KCNA said in its report.
The DPRK is the acronym for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
It stressed that the firing was carried out under the “intolerable condition” that the “reckless military confrontational moves of the US and other hostile forces” driving regional security to the “red line” have gone beyond the limit.
It was referring to large-scale combined military drills recently staged by South Korea with some of key US strategic assets mobilised.
On November 3, the North had test-fired the same ICBM, but the launch was seen as a failure.
The launch came a day after North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui warned her country will take “fiercer” military actions if the US strengthens its security commitment to using a full range of military capabilities, including nuclear options, to defend the allies.
Shortly after Choe’s statement, the North launched a short-range ballistic missile into the East Sea.
