North Korea
Follow the latest North Korea news, videos, and analysis from ABC News.
July 18, 2025 at 8:16 AM

North Korea bans foreign tourists to newly opened beach resort

North Korea says it is banning the entry of foreign tourists to a recently opened mega beach resort, a move that dims prospects for the complex
July 18, 2025 at 8:16 AM
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, sitting center, with his wife Ri Sol Ju, rear, and daughter tours the Wonsan-Kalma coastal tourist zone in North Korea Tuesday, June 24, 2025. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
July 18, 2025 at 6:32 AM

K-pop band 1VERSE debuts with 2 North Korean defector members

The five-member K-pop group 1VERSE is debuting Friday, with two North Korean defectors alongside members from the United States and Japan
July 18, 2025 at 6:32 AM
A mirror reflects K-pop band 1VERSE members practicing ahead of their upcoming debut show at a dance practice room at their label in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Juwon Park)
July 13, 2025 at 9:54 AM

North Korea and Russia discuss strategy for 'international arenas'

North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong Un, will continue to "unconditionally support and encourage" Russia's war in Ukraine, according to state media.
July 13, 2025 at 9:54 AM
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un greets Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting in Wonsan, North Korea July 12, 2025.
July 4, 2025 at 12:30 PM

American bombs in Iran also reverberate in China and North Korea

President Donald Trump campaigned on keeping the United States out of foreign wars, but it didn’t take long to convince him to come to the direct aid of Israel
July 4, 2025 at 12:30 PM
FILE - President Donald Trump, left, meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the North Korean side of the border at the village of Panmunjom in Demilitarized Zone, June 30, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
July 1, 2025 at 1:49 PM

North Korea's Kim Jong Un seen crying over soldier's coffin

North Korea's state media showed leader Kim Jong Un draping coffins with the national flag.
July 1, 2025 at 1:49 PM
VIDEO: North Korea's Kim Jong Un seen crying over soldier's coffin
July 1, 2025 at 11:25 AM

DOJ charges 4 North Koreans for posing as IT workers to steal US money

The Justice Department charged four North Koreans with posing as IT workers to steal money from U.S. companies, it said Monday.
July 1, 2025 at 11:25 AM
The Justice Department charged four North Koreans with posing as IT workers to steal money from U.S. companies, it said Monday.
July 1, 2025 at 10:11 AM

Justice Department charges 4 North Koreans with posing as IT workers to steal US companies' money

Justice Department charged four North Koreans with posing as IT workers to steal U.S. companies money, it said Monday.
July 1, 2025 at 10:11 AM
The U.S. Department of Justice logo is seen on a podium before a press conference.
June 27, 2025 at 6:33 PM

6 Americans detained for trying to send rice and Bibles to North Korea by sea: Police

Police have detained six Americans in South Korea for allegedly trying to send 1,600 plastic bottles filled with rice, U.S. dollars bills and Bibles toward North Korea by sea.
June 27, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Police have detained six Americans in South Korea for allegedly trying to send 1,600 plastic bottles filled with rice, U.S. dollars bills and Bibles toward North Korea by sea.
1 month ago

North Korea launches more than a dozen rockets, South Korea says

The U.S. and South Korea were analyzing the launches, South Korea said.
1 month ago
The U.S. and South Korea were analyzing the launches, South Korea said.
1 month ago

North Korea launches more than a dozen rockets, South Korea says

The U.S. and South Korea were analyzing the launches, South Korea said.
1 month ago
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, North Korea, Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
2 months ago

Kim Jong Un witnessed a 'serious accident' with new North Korea warship

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the incident "was a criminal act.”
2 months ago
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the incident "was a criminal act.”
2 months ago

Kim Jong Un says 'serious accident' with new North Korea warship was 'criminal act'

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said a "serious accident" affected the launch of the country's newest warship on Wednesday.
2 months ago
A satellite image shows the new North Korean warship at harbor before launch, in Chongjin, North Korea, on May 18, 2025.
3 months ago

Kim Jong Un oversees missile tests on new North Korean warship

Kim toured the vessel and observed the weapons tests, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
3 months ago
Kim toured the vessel and observed the weapons tests, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
3 months ago

Kim Jong Un oversees missile tests on new North Korean warship

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly oversaw the test of a supersonic cruise missile fired from a new battleship -- the destroyer Choe Hyon -- this week.
3 months ago
This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency via KNS on April 30, 2025 shows the test-firing of a weapons system from the deck of North Korea's Choe Hyon destroyer.
3 months ago

North Korea confirms 'heroic' troops fought Ukraine in Russia's Kursk region

North Korean authorities confirmed for the first time that the country's forces fought against Ukrainian troops in Russia's Kursk region.
3 months ago
Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to the Chief of General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov's with report on fighting in the Kursk region during a videoconference call in Moscow, Russia, on April 26, 2025.
3 months ago

'They do not surrender': Ukraine commander details fight with North Koreans in Russia

Maj. Oleh Shyriaiev's first experience of North Koreans came at the contact line near Kruglenkoe -- a village around 8 miles from the Ukrainian border in Kursk.
3 months ago
This undated photo shows Capt. Oleh Shyriaiev, the commander of the Ukraine’s 225th Separate Assault Regiment, during an interview at an undisclosed location.
4 months ago

North Korea vows to 'strengthen' nuclear capabilities

The G7 called on Friday for North Korea to "abandon" its nuclear program.
4 months ago
The G7 called on Friday for North Korea to "abandon" its nuclear program.
4 months ago

North Korea vows to 'strengthen' nuclear capabilities in rejection of G7

North Korea's Foreign Ministry said that its "nuclear armed forces will exist forever as a powerful means of justice," according to state media.
4 months ago
This picture taken on March 15, 2025 and released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency via KNS on March 16, 2025, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting the construction site of 10,000 flats at the third stage in the Hwasong area in Pyongyang.
4 months ago

North Korea tests 'multiple' ballistic missiles as US-South Korea war games begin

"South Korean military has increased surveillance and maintaining readiness posture in close cooperation with the U.S.," South Korea's Joint Chiefs said on Monday.
4 months ago
"South Korean military has increased surveillance and maintaining readiness posture in close cooperation with the U.S.," South Korea's Joint Chiefs said on Monday.
4 months ago

North Korea tests 'multiple' ballistic missiles as US-South Korea war games begin

"South Korean military has increased surveillance and maintaining readiness posture in close cooperation with the U.S.," South Korea's Joint Chiefs said on Monday.
4 months ago
A TV screen shows a report of North Korea's missiles launch with file image during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 10, 2025.
4 months ago

Families of North Korean soldiers could be ‘executed’ if captured: Defector

ABC News foreign correspondent Britt Clennett sat down with North Korean defectors Ryu Seong-hyeon and Pak Yusung in Seoul, South Korea.
4 months ago
ABC News foreign correspondent Britt Clennett sat down with North Korean defectors Ryu Seong-hyeon and Pak Yusung in Seoul, South Korea.
4 months ago

Families of North Korean troops captured in Russia 'will be executed'

Former North Korean soldiers spoke with ABC News about their military service.
4 months ago
North Korean defector Pak Yusung in Seoul, South Korea.
6 months ago

North Korean soldiers dispatched to Russia

Over 12,000 North Korean troops are estimated to be fighting against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region, the United Nations Security Council learned last week.
6 months ago
FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un smile together in Pyongyang, North Korea, on June 19, 2024. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Photo via AP, File)
6 months ago

North Korea tests 'several' missiles, South Korean military says

North Korea launched "several short-range ballistic missiles," that landed in the Sea of Japan Tuesday morning local time, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
6 months ago
People watch a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a train station in Seoul on Jan. 14, 2025.
6 months ago

North Korea hypersonic missile launch 'cannot be ignored,' Kim says

North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency claimed a successful test of a new type of intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile.
6 months ago
This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency via KNS on Jan. 7, 2025 shows the launch of a missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea.
6 months ago

North Korea says it test fired hypersonic missile

North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency said the successful test took place on Monday.
6 months ago
North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency said the successful test took place on Monday.
6 months ago

North Korea tests ballistic missile

The last time North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile was Nov. 5, just before the U.S. presidential election.
6 months ago
The last time North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile was Nov. 5, just before the U.S. presidential election.
6 months ago

'Another violation,' Blinken says of North Korean launch as he visits South Korea

The JCS said the South Korean military has heightened surveillance for additional launches and maintaining a readiness posture to share info with the U.S. and Japan.
6 months ago
A man walks past a TV broadcasting a news report on North Korea firing a ballistic missile out to sea off its east coast, in Seoul, South Korea, Jan. 6, 2025.
7 months ago

Diary of North Korean killed in Russia hints at troops' special forces background

Ukrainian special forces have released several excerpts from a purported diary it said was found on a North Korean soldier killed in front-line fighting in Russia.
7 months ago
This image taken from a video released by the Russian Defense Ministry on Oct. 17, 2024, shows a Russian soldier firing a gun toward a Ukrainian positions in Russia's Kursk region.
7 months ago

Ukraine's Zelenskyy says 3,000 North Koreans killed or wounded in Russia fighting

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded fighting for Moscow in Russia's western Kursk region.
7 months ago
Korean People's Army soldiers are pictured at Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, North Korea on Dec. 17, 2019.
7 months ago

At least 100 North Korean soldiers killed in Russia, South Korean intelligence says

North Korea may dispatch more troops to Russia despite casualties, South Korea’s National Intelligence told lawmakers during a briefing Thursday.
7 months ago
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun to pay tribute on the 13th anniversary of Kim Jong Il's death, in Pyongyang, North Korea, Dec. 17, 2024, in this photo released Dec. 18, 2024, by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency.
7 months ago

Live dashcam feed used in Ukraine’s deadly Moscow bomb plot, police say

A senior Russian general was killed in a bomb blast in a residential neighborhood in Moscow, Russian media reported early Tuesday.
7 months ago
Investigators work near a scooter at the place where Lt. General Igor Kirillov was killed in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024.
7 months ago

North Korean troops in Russia's Kursk adapting after 'serious losses,' Ukraine says

Ukraine's intelligence services released new information Tuesday about the conduct of North Korean troops now fighting alongside Russian forces in the Kursk region.
7 months ago
This file photo shows North Korean soldiers marching during a rally on Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Sept. 9, 2018.
7 months ago

Russian chemical weapons general killed in Moscow blast

A senior Russian general was killed in a bomb blast in a residential neighborhood in Moscow, Russian media reported early Tuesday.
7 months ago
A view of the blast scene, which killed the commander of Russian armed forces' chemical, biological and radiation defence troops, Igor Kirillov, and his deputy, according to the Russian Investigative Committee, outside a residential building on Ryazansky Avenue in Moscow on Dec. 17, 2024.
7 months ago

Ukrainian forces claim 'significant' casualties among North Koreans in Kursk

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Directorate of Intelligence said on Monday that at least 30 North Korean soldiers were killed and wounded in weekend battles.
7 months ago
Soldiers are pictured during a military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang, North Korea, on July 27, 2023.
7 months ago

South Korean president accepts defense minister's resignation

President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea declared martial law late Tuesday, before withdrawing troops hours later.
7 months ago
People take part in a protest calling for the resignation of South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol at the National Assembly in Seoul on Dec. 4, 2024.
7 months ago

South Korean president faces impeachment after martial law declaration

President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea declared martial law late Tuesday, before withdrawing troops hours later.
7 months ago
Lawmakers and South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party members hold placards reading "Yoon Suk Yeol should resign!" during a rally against President Yoon Suk Yeol at the National Assembly in Seoul on Dec. 4, 2024.
7 months ago

Undocumented Chinese immigrant charged with shipping weapons to North Korea

Shenghua Wen allegedly moved items to North Korea by concealing them in shipping containers from Long Beach, California, through Hong Kong and then North Korea.
7 months ago
Federal Bureau of Investigation seal is seen on J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building in Washington D.C., July 12, 2024.
8 months ago

South Korean president's chief of staff resigns after martial law lifted

President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea declared martial law late Tuesday, before withdrawing troops hours later.
8 months ago
South Korean soldiers try get into the national assembly, Dec. 4, 2024, in Seoul, South Korea.
8 months ago

Chinese national sold weapons to North Korea: Feds

Prosecutors say Shenghua Wen was allegedly moving items to North Korea by concealing them in shipping containers.
8 months ago
Prosecutors say Shenghua Wen was allegedly moving items to North Korea by concealing them in shipping containers.
8 months ago

AI, North Korea, Trump: What Biden and Xi discussed in their final meeting

President Joe Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC conference in Lima, Peru -- their last meeting of Biden’s presidency.
8 months ago
President Joe Biden meets with China's President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in Lima, Peru, Nov. 16, 2024.
8 months ago

Russian 50,000-strong Kursk counteroffensive may include North Koreans, sources say

Some 50,000 Russian and North Korean troops are preparing a new counteroffensive in Russia’s western Kursk region, multiple Ukrainian military sources told ABC News.
8 months ago
In this photo taken from a video released by Russian Defense Ministry press service on Nov. 5, 2024, a Russian Su-34 bomber operates at the border area of Kursk region in western Russia.
8 months ago

Russia, North Korea ratify defense treaty as war in Ukraine continues

ABC News’ Ian Pannell reports on Russia preparing for a new offensive against Ukrainian forces.
8 months ago
VIDEO: Russia, North Korea ratify defense treaty as war in Ukraine continues
8 months ago

Russia, North Korea prepare 50,000 troops to reclaim captured territory 

Russia has reportedly gathered a force of 50,000 soldiers, including thousands of North Korean troops, to reclaim parts of Russia’s Kursk region that were seized by Ukraine. 
8 months ago
Russia, North Korea prepare 50,000 troops to reclaim captured territory 
8 months ago

Russia, North Korea prepare 50,000-troop offensive

Some 50,000 Russian and North Korean troops are preparing a new counteroffensive in Russia’s western Kursk region, multiple Ukrainian military sources told ABC News.
8 months ago
VIDEO: Russia, North Korea prepare 50,000-troop offensive
8 months ago

North Korea launches ballistic missiles as troops fight for Russia: Pentagon

The launches come days after a trilateral military exercise run by the U.S., South Korea and Japan, according to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
8 months ago
The launches come days after a trilateral military exercise run by the U.S., South Korea and Japan, according to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
8 months ago

North Korea test-launches ballistic missiles, Japan and South Korea say

North Korea on Tuesday test-launched several short-range ballistic missiles, neighboring South Korea and Japan said.
8 months ago
A TV screen shows a report of North Korea's multiple short-range ballistic missiles with file footage during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.
8 months ago

10,000 North Korean troops now in Russia's Kursk region, Pentagon says

NATO confirmed on Monday that North Korean troops had been deployed to fight alongside Russian troops in the Kursk region.
8 months ago
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024.
9 months ago

8,000 North Korean soldiers to enter Ukraine in days: Pentagon

ABC News’ Patrick Reevell talks about what the escalation of troops by North Korea and Russia could mean in Ukraine, as well as in Asia.
9 months ago
VIDEO: 6,000 North Korean soldiers to enter Ukraine in days: Pentagon
9 months ago

North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile launch meant as message to 'rivals'

Just days before the United States’ presidential election, North Korea conducted a new provocation by test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile believed to be capable of reaching the U.S.
9 months ago
VIDEO: North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile launch meant as message to 'rivals'