North Korea tests cluster bomb warheads in latest'major' weapons test A combination picture shows what North Korea said was a test to evaluate the effectiveness of a cluster-bomb warhead in this image released Sunday. North Korea said Sunday that it had tested cluster-bomb warheads for its tactical ballistic missiles a day earlier, the latest in a spate of weapons tests by the nuclear-armed country. Defense officials said the test "confirmed that the Standard Type 2 cluster-bomb warhead is capable of turning into ashes a target area of 12 to 13 hectares with its highest-density power," the North's official Korean Central News Agency said in a report. Images accompanying the report -- which framed the event as a "major" weapons test -- showed Hwasong-11D short-range ballistic missiles being fired, with the cluster warheads slamming into an island target. The North's Missile Administration called the test "a part of regular scientific research activities aimed at boosting the power of combat systems."

Kim Jong Un calls for North Korea's drone technology superiority Kim Jong Un calls for North Korea's drone technology superiority North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits a drone exhibition showcasing the country's latest military technology, calling for "absolute superiority" in drone capabilities and for measures to boost unmanned aircraft development. Share Kim Jong Un calls for North Korea's drone technology superiority on social media Senators briefed on Trump's'insane' plan to restart war on Iran Senators briefed on Trump's'insane' plan to restart war on Iran

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends an unmanned aeronautical technology exhibition and weapons demonstration in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on Friday. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for his country to seize "absolute superiority" in drone technology as he attended an exhibition and demonstration of unmanned aeronautical technology, state media KCNA reported on Friday. The firepower demonstration following the exhibition involved tactical suicide attack drones, tactical cruise missiles, multipurpose drones and a battalion of 600 mm multiple rocket launchers, KCNA said. The display highlights Kim's push to modernize North Korea's armed forces by using drones and artificial intelligence as Pyongyang draws lessons from its forces' experience in Russia's war against Ukraine and from other global conflicts. KCNA photographs showed unmanned aerial vehicles bearing the North Korean Air Force's emblem at the exhibition attended by Kim and some of his generals.

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President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea, citing costs and a hostile signal to North Korea's Kim Jong Un ahead of Ulchi Freedom Shield.

North Korea will'never' get nuclear recognition, EU and South Korea say European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung next to European Council President Antonio Costa on the day of an EU-South Korea summit in Brussels on Wednesday. South Korea and the European Union have said that North Korea will "never" be recognized as a nuclear-weapon state, reaffirming their commitment to denuclearization days after China and North Korea pledged closer ties at a summit that made no public mention of the issue. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung held talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa on Wednesday in Brussels, where they agreed to step up defense ties, including efforts to facilitate the exchange of classified information. "The DPRK will never be accepted as a nuclear-weapon state," the EU and South Korea said in a joint statement, referring to North Korea's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

Sakie Yokota (center, back), mother of North Korean abductee Megumi Yokota, and others attend a rally held in Tokyo on Saturday that called for the immediate return of Japanese people abducted by North Korea. A large-scale rally was held in Tokyo on Saturday to seek the immediate return home of all Japanese abductees in North Korea. Relatives of those abducted to North Korea decades ago expressed hopes for the return of abductees immediately and while their parents are still alive. The event, organized by the association of families of abduction victims and other entities, was attended by about 800 people, including Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. "We will never give up," said Takuya Yokota, 57, head of the association and the younger brother of Megumi Yokota, who was abducted in 1977 at the age of 13. He called on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to release all abductees to "chart a bright future for both countries."

Kim Jong Un praises troops who'self-blasted' to avoid capture by Ukraine Kim Jong Un has praised North Korean soldiers who killed themselves by detonating their grenades while fighting for Russia against Ukraine, confirming a long-suspected battlefield policy. In a speech this week, the North Korean leader said those who unhesitatingly opted for self-blasting, suicide attack, in order to defend the great honour were heroes. South Korea estimates at least 15,000 North Koreans have been sent to help Russia recapture parts of western Kursk, and more than 6,000 have been killed so far. Neither Pyongyang nor Moscow have confirmed the numbers. Intelligence agencies and defectors have said the soldiers were under Pyongyang's orders to kill themselves rather than be taken prisoner by Ukraine.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrive for a reception marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2025. Moscow and Beijing are driving closer collaboration between authoritarian states and such networks help advance repression globally, according to researchers who used artificial intelligence to drill into the activities. The U.S.-based nonprofit Action for Democracy said in a report Wednesday that its researchers built an index to track seven types of cooperation, including on funding, diplomatic activities, propaganda and tech sharing. It found that China and Russia sit at the center of global authoritarian collaboration" and were jointly involved in around half of all recorded activity. The report's authors said that such cooperation generated compound returns because, for example, surveillance infrastructure exported to one regime becomes a template for the next." In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.

N Korea's Kim unveils 50 rocket launchers ahead of key congress North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has unveiled dozens of nuclear-capable rocket launchers ahead of a key congress of the governing Workers' Party, according to state media. Kim hailed the 600mm-calibre rocket launchers as "wonderful" and "attractive" during the ceremony on Wednesday, adding that new military and construction goals will be set during the upcoming congress. "When this weapon is used, actually, no force would be able to expect God's protection," Kim said, according to the KCNA "It is really a wonderful and attractive weapon," Kim said, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency. He described the launchers as the "world's most advantageous weapon for concentrated super-powerful attack", according Yonhap. Photos released by state media showed dozens of launch vehicles parked in neat rows on the plaza of Pyongyang's House of Culture, which will host the congress.