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Kim Jong-un

North Korea ratifies defence treaty with Russia

Pact seals deepening security cooperation between the nations as North Korea becomes one of most vocal backers of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

12 Nov 2024 - 12:40PMvideocam

Letters | Hong Kong’s working class deserve world-class medical care

11 Nov 2024 - 11:30AM

My Take | How North Korea’s troop deployment to Russia is changing attitudes in China

9 Nov 2024 - 4:04AMvideocam

Opinion | US-China war diplomacy vital as North Korea complicates Ukraine fray

The scale and speed of Pyongyang’s reported troop deployment to Russia strongly suggests premeditation. The US and China must act to prevent escalation.

8 Nov 2024 - 9:30AMvideocam

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Pyongyang Sunan International Airport in North Korea on June 19. Photo: Kremlin pool photo via AP

Trump’s victory is ‘good news’ for North Korea. But will Kim denuclearise?

Trump and Kim met twice in Singapore in 2018 and Hanoi in 2019 but the summits failed to yield a commitment by Pyongyang to denuclearise.

8 Nov 2024 - 3:37PM

Opinion | North Korea’s support for Russia won’t be a game changer in Ukraine

Pyongyang’s support for Russia is part of a public relations campaign for Kim Jong-un, who has his eye on Russian supplies and tech.

7 Nov 2024 - 6:01AMvideocam

How rise of Kim Jong-un’s daughter raises questions on North Korea’s leadership

Kim Jong-un’s daughter is emerging in the public eye, but her future leadership role in North Korea remains a mystery.

5 Nov 2024 - 9:18AMvideocam

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter Ju-ae visit the Central Cadres Training School of the Workers’ Party of Korea last month. Photo: KCNA via KNS/AFP

Ahead of US election, Asians see little difference in candidates’ policies

Many US plans for the region are baked in, analysts note, and won’t change regardless of whether Trump or Harris becomes president.

5 Nov 2024 - 10:38PMvideocam

Ukraine attacks North Korea troops near Russia border, says official

‘The first North Korean troops have already come under fire in the Kursk region,’ a Ukrainian official said on the Telegram messaging platform.

4 Nov 2024 - 11:39PMvideocam

Opinion | North Korea’s missile test days before US election sends powerful message

No isolated act of aggression, the missile test was a calculated show of a strengthened alliance and a preview of mounting challenges.

3 Nov 2024 - 9:30AMvideocam

This picture taken and released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on October 31 shows the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile during a test-fire conducted by the Missile Administration at an undisclosed location in North Korea. Photo: KCNA via KNS/ AFP

North Korea says South’s president has raised risk of nuclear war

A white paper from Pyongyang lays the blame for tensions squarely with South Korea’s president.

3 Nov 2024 - 9:13AMvideocam

People visit the Mansu Hill to lay flowers to the bronze statues of former North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang. File photo: AP

North Korea to stand by Russia until ‘victory’ in Ukraine, expand nuclear arsenal

Comments from North Korea’s foreign minister comes as the US warns thousands of Pyongyang’s troops could be deployed to the Ukraine conflict.

1 Nov 2024 - 7:43PMvideocam

North Korea says record test was new Hwasong-19 ICBM

North Korea lauded the Hwasong-19 that was test-fired Thursday as ‘the world’s strongest strategic missile’.

1 Nov 2024 - 4:25PMvideocam

Amid Ukraine war tensions, Pyongyang’s ICBM test may be sign of things to come

Missile test is Pyongyang’s way of showing its deepening ‘nuclear alliance’ with Russia and a message to the US ahead of the election, analysts say.

1 Nov 2024 - 9:37AMvideocam

An image released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency on Thursday shows the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile during a test-fire at an undisclosed location in the country. Photo: KCNA via KNS / AFP

Dozens of North Koreans ‘vanish’ after being caught trying to defect

TJWG report says 80 per cent of disappearances occurred inside North Korea, rest in China or Russia.

31 Oct 2024 - 12:23PMvideocam

North Korean soldiers at a guard post, as seen from Paju, South Korea. Photo: AP

North Korean troops in Russian uniforms are heading toward Ukraine, US says

Some advance units have already arrived in the Kursk region, and ‘the likelihood is pretty high’ that Moscow will use them in combat.

31 Oct 2024 - 7:04AMvideocam

Russian soldiers voice frustration over North Korean troops in leaked audio

Russian soldiers can be heard using expletives and calling the North Koreans ‘Chinese’ in the audio clips released by Ukrainian intelligence.

29 Oct 2024 - 3:50PMvideocam

Video | How North Korea became the world’s most reclusive country

North Korea watchers say the main reason for the country’s extreme isolation and aggressive rhetoric is the regime’s extreme paranoia and fear of collapse.

26 Oct 2024 - 10:00AM

How North Korea became the world’s most reclusive country

26 Oct 2024 - 9:00AM

Ukraine war: what does North Korea gain by sending troops to Russia?

The US, South Korea and Ukraine say North Korean troops have been sent to Russia as analysts warn of an escalation in the Ukraine war.

25 Oct 2024 - 4:25PMvideocam

How Kim Jong-un keeps Russia-bound troops on a tight leash to stop desertion

Kim, who fears information from abroad entering his country, uses family hostages to ensure loyalty from soldiers sent to fight in Ukraine.

25 Oct 2024 - 2:19PMvideocam

North Korean soldiers march during a military parade in Pyongyang. Photo: AP

‘Fight and die for Russia’: North Korean troops shift balance in Indo-Pacific

Analysts warn the troop deployment could prompt other nations to ‘join the fight’ against Ukraine, triggering a broader global conflict.

24 Oct 2024 - 5:18PMvideocam

North Korea has reportedly sent thousands of troops to Russia for possible deployment in Ukraine. Photo: AP

US confirms Pyongyang troops in Russia, Seoul warned against hasty reprisal

South Korean official had earlier said the country was considering sending lethal weapons to Kyiv if the North is involved in the Ukraine war.

23 Oct 2024 - 10:30PMvideocam

Opinion | What North Korea’s Kim Jong-un is really up to

North Korea’s true aim is not to take military action against the South but rather to create tensions to its own advantage.

23 Oct 2024 - 5:30AMvideocam

US election winner might find North Korea ‘most dangerous flashpoint’ with China

Kim Jong-un’s ratcheting up of nuclear tensions may leave China in a no-win situation as he seeks to pile pressure on the next president.

22 Oct 2024 - 11:35PMvideocam

North Korea UN representative denies Pyongyang sent troops to Russia

South Korea’s spy agency has claimed that North Korea sent 1,500 special operation forces to Russia for the war with Ukraine.

22 Oct 2024 - 2:50PMvideocam

A TV screen in Seoul shows an image of soldiers believed to be from North Korea receive supplies from Russia. Photo: AP

Seoul protests to Russia over North Korean troops’ likely deployment in Ukraine

North Korea has committed to sending a total of 12,000 troops to Russia, media reports say, citing South Korea’s spy agency.

22 Oct 2024 - 8:00AMvideocam

Ukraine releases video allegedly showing North Korean soldiers in Russia

The footage is said to show troops sent by Pyongyang standing in line to pick up bags, clothes and Russian uniforms.

20 Oct 2024 - 2:46AM

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Kim Jong-un

Kim Jong-un is the supreme leader of North Korea, the third and youngest son of Kim Jong-il (1941–2011) and the grandson of Kim Il-sung (1912–1994). Following his father's death in 2011, he was announced as the "Great Successor" by North Korean state television. He has held the titles of the First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, First Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea, the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, and also a presidium member of the Central Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea.

Born

8 Jan 1983

Industry

Politics

Job Title

Leader of North Korea

last updated:

5 November, 2024