- 3d ago
North Korea dismisses Defense Minister No Kwang Chol in military reshuffle
Kim Jong Un oversaw a meeting on Saturday that removed No Kwang Chol as defense minister and reassigned him to the Munitions Industry Department.
- Aug 22
Macron pledges interceptor missiles as European leaders prepare Kyiv summit on air defense
French President Emmanuel Macron announced new interceptor missile shipments to Ukraine ahead of a trilateral meeting in Kyiv with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
- Aug 21
Donald Trump Halts Joint Ulchi Freedom Shield Exercises With South Korea
The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield manoeuvres involving 18,000 South Korean troops ended early on Friday after Donald Trump ordered a six-day reduction, citing financial costs and Seoul's refusal to aid US operations in Iran.
- Aug 16
North Korea fires 10 ballistic missiles after Trump proposes meeting Kim
Pyongyang launched approximately 10 short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan on Thursday, hours after US President Donald Trump announced plans to meet Kim Jong Un later this year and ordered joint military drills scaled back.
- Aug 16
Russia repels 620 drones aimed at Moscow as Russian strike kills 10 in Kharkiv
Ukrainian forces launched 620 drones toward the Moscow region overnight, while a Russian missile strike killed at least 10 civilians in the Kharkiv region village of Pechenihy.
- Aug 16
Putin and Kim Jong Un exchange messages, affirm security cooperation on Korea's liberation anniversary
Russian President Vladimir Putin told Kim Jong Un that Moscow and Pyongyang coordinate efforts for regional security, as the North Korean leader paid tribute to Soviet soldiers on the 81st anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule.
- Aug 15
South Korea's Lee Jae-myung proposes peace treaty negotiations to formally end Korean War
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung used the 81st anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule to call for formal negotiations with Pyongyang to end the Korean War, which has remained technically active since the 1953 armistice.
- Aug 12
Putin threatens to seize European ships in retaliation for EU shadow fleet crackdown
President Vladimir Putin warned from aboard a Pacific Fleet warship on 12 August that Russia will seize European merchant vessels if EU nations continue intercepting and selling cargo from Russia's shadow fleet, calling the practice piracy and promising retaliation anywhere Russia chooses.
- Aug 12
North Korea fires ballistic missile toward Sea of Japan days before US-South Korea drills
North Korea launched a suspected ballistic missile from its east coast toward the Sea of Japan on Wednesday, its 11th such test in 2026, days before joint US-South Korea military exercises begin on August 17.
- Aug 11
Russian strikes kill up to 13 in Ukraine as Zelensky warns of North Korean missile use
Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine killed at least nine to 13 civilians overnight on 10-11 August, as President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of using North Korean ballistic missiles and conveyed new peace proposals to US negotiators.
- Aug 10
Zelensky says up to 50,000 North Korean troops to be deployed in Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday, 8 August that up to 50,000 North Korean soldiers will be deployed in Russia, as he urged South Korea to provide air defence support.
- Aug 6
Ukrainian intelligence says North Korea deploys ballistic missile unit to Russia with 120 missiles for strikes on Ukraine
Ukrainian military intelligence says North Korea is deploying a ballistic missile unit of roughly 90 soldiers to Russia's Voronezh region, equipped with 120 missiles and six launchers for strikes against Ukraine.
- Aug 4
Japan's 2026 defence white paper calls China its greatest strategic challenge and frames rearmament as economic prosperity
Japan's cabinet adopted its annual defence review on Tuesday, identifying China as the country's greatest strategic challenge and warning that a crisis similar to Russia's invasion of Ukraine could erupt in East Asia.
- Jul 25
Zelenskiy warns Russia is preparing autumn mobilization and plans to bring 30,000 North Korean soldiers
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on 24 and 25 July that intelligence indicates Russia is readying a large-scale mobilization for autumn 2026 and intends to bring an additional 30,000 North Korean troops to the battlefield as Moscow seeks to expand the war despite mounting losses.
- Jul 21
North Korea and Russia pledge mutual support at Moscow talks; 15,000 troops sent, 2,000 killed in Ukraine
Foreign ministers Choe Son-hui and Sergey Lavrov held their third strategic dialogue in Moscow, agreeing to accelerate cooperation. North Korea has sent up to 15,000 soldiers to fight in Ukraine, with at least 2,000 killed, according to South Korean intelligence.
- Jul 4
Russian missile and drone strikes kill 12 in Kyiv and Boryspil on first day of school
Overnight Russian bombardments hit a Kyiv railway depot and a residential building in Boryspil, prompting EU talks on emergency interceptor missile transfers as Ukraine begins the school year.
- Jun 29
The mother Kim Jong Un never mentions: Ko Yong Hui's Osaka birth and the secret that threatens North Korea's sacred bloodline myth
The North Korean leader has not spoken her name in 15 years. Ko Yong Hui's birthplace in Osaka and her family's stigmatized background directly clash with the regime's foundational claim of a pure Paektu lineage.
- Jun 24
Kim Jong Un commissions 5,000-ton destroyer, pledges nuclear armament of navy and 10,000-ton warships
At a Tuesday ceremony in Nampo, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un commissioned the destroyer Choe Hyon and announced that equipping the navy with nuclear weapons is proceeding on schedule, with plans to build two larger warships every year, including 10,000-ton cruisers.
- Jun 17
Trump warns 'hell will break loose' on Iran if it seeks nuclear weapons, as G7 watches ceasefire deal unfold
Speaking at the G7 summit in Évian, France, Donald Trump declared that the preliminary ceasefire deal with Iran bars Tehran from developing, buying, or acquiring nuclear arms, and promised 'incredible consequences' if it tries.
- Jun 12
South Korea's ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol handed 30-year sentence for drone flights over North Korea
The Seoul Central District Court convicted the ousted leader of abuse of power and aiding the enemy, finding he orchestrated a secret drone operation to provoke Pyongyang and pave the way for his short-lived December 2024 martial law declaration.
