https://www.scmp.com/rss/522817/feed The latest news and top stories on Kim Yo-jong, the Deputy Department Director of the Publicity and Information Department of the Workers’ Party of the People's Democratic Republic of Korea and a member of the State Affairs Commission. She has been instrumental in shaping her brother Kim Jong Un’s public image and managing his affairs. Her responsibilities include overseeing relations with the US and South Korea, and she has played a key role in high-profile diplomatic engagements, including the... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong The latest indirect exchange of comments between North and South Korea has raised hopes of easing tensions on the Korean peninsula even as conflict roils other parts of the globe. Hours after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over drone incursions into the North on Monday, Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, issued a warm statement. The powerful politician welcomed Lee’s remarks as “extremely fortunate and a wise move”, citing her brother as praising Lee’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349224/whats-behind-sudden-thaw-north-south-korea-exchange-warm-words?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349224/whats-behind-sudden-thaw-north-south-korea-exchange-warm-words?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 05:24:16 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press North Korea on Saturday fired about 10 ballistic missiles towards the eastern sea, South Korea’s military said, staging its own show of force as the rival South conducts a joint military exercise with the United States. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were fired from an area near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, but did not immediately say how far they flew. Japan’s Defence Ministry said the weapons landed in waters outside the country’s exclusive economic zone. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3346587/north-korea-fires-10-ballistic-missiles-during-us-south-korea-military-drills?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3346587/north-korea-fires-10-ballistic-missiles-during-us-south-korea-military-drills?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 07:11:31 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong As war with the United States and Israel batters Iran’s missile and nuclear infrastructure, analysts say Tehran is likely to turn to North Korea once again after the fighting stops, reviving a long-suspected partnership built on shared hostility towards Washington and years of military cooperation. North Korea has long been suspected of supplying missile technology to Iran and providing technical help with uranium enrichment, and analysts say it is likely to do so again once the war ends. “North... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346232/why-iran-and-north-korea-are-highly-likely-revive-missile-and-nuclear-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346232/why-iran-and-north-korea-are-highly-likely-revive-missile-and-nuclear-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un criticised the United States and South Korea for proceeding with their annual joint military exercises at a perilous moment for global security and warned that any challenge to the North’s safety would bring “terrible consequences”. Kim Yo-jong’s statement Tuesday came a day after the allies started their 11-day Freedom Shield exercise involving thousands of troops, while Washington also wages an escalating war in the Middle East. Without... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3346078/terrible-consequences-north-korea-hits-out-over-us-south-korea-military-exercises?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3346078/terrible-consequences-north-korea-hits-out-over-us-south-korea-military-exercises?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 07:19:03 +0000 Rob York Rob York A recent report by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service suggests Kim Jong-un has selected his daughter, Ju-ae (or possibly Ju-hae), to succeed him as North Korea’s supreme leader. This is not the first time analysts have had to consider if North Korea, supposedly the most traditionalist of communist states, could have a female leader, but it is the most definitive. In 2020, Kim spent three weeks out of the spotlight, including missing the April 15 birth celebration of his grandfather, Kim... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3344613/kim-jong-uns-daughter-may-well-become-north-koreas-first-female-leader?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3344613/kim-jong-uns-daughter-may-well-become-north-koreas-first-female-leader?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 01:30:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gifted new sniper rifles to top government and military officials following a weeklong ruling party congress celebrating his leadership, with state media highlighting an image of his teenage daughter taking aim at a shooting range as her increasingly prominent appearances fuel speculation Kim is grooming her as a future leader. Kim presented the rifles to senior party and military officials on Friday, calling them a sign of his “absolute trust” and gratitude for... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3344959/north-korea-unveils-image-kims-teenage-daughter-firing-rifle-shooting-range?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3344959/north-korea-unveils-image-kims-teenage-daughter-firing-rifle-shooting-range?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 12:00:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been given a promotion in the ruling party structure during a rare party congress, state media reported Tuesday. The Workers’ Party Central Committee on Monday named Kim Yo-jong – previously a deputy department director – as a full department director, Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Thousands of party elites have packed the capital for a once-in-five-years summit of the ruling Workers’ Party, a gathering... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3344391/north-korean-leader-kim-jong-uns-sister-takes-major-step-party-rungs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3344391/north-korean-leader-kim-jong-uns-sister-takes-major-step-party-rungs?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 01:03:35 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korea’s ruling party congress, convened only once every five years, opened in Pyongyang this weekend with supreme leader Kim Jong-un poised to formalise a military doctrine with far-reaching implications for security on the Korean peninsula and beyond. State media described the opening of the ninth congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea as unfolding “with splendour” in “the capital city of the revolution”, with 5,000 delegates and 2,000 observers in attendance. The carefully choreographed... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344165/where-kim-ju-ae-succession-question-hangs-over-north-koreas-ruling-congress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344165/where-kim-ju-ae-succession-question-hangs-over-north-koreas-ruling-congress?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 00:00:18 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse North Korea on Friday threatened a “terrible response” if it detects any more drones buzzing across the border from the South. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has sought to repair ties with North Korea since taking office last year, criticising his predecessor for allegedly sending drones to scatter propaganda over Pyongyang. But North Korea said it shot down a surveillance drone just last month, an incident which threatens to blight Lee’s efforts to patch things up. Kim Yo-jong, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3343409/north-korea-threatens-dire-consequences-if-seoul-doesnt-stop-drone-incursions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3343409/north-korea-threatens-dire-consequences-if-seoul-doesnt-stop-drone-incursions?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 04:40:08 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday ordered an investigation into claims that the country’s military intelligence command supported a civilian accused of sending drones into North Korea. The civilian at the centre of the allegations, a graduate student in his thirties identified only by his surname Oh, claims he flew drones into North Korea three times since September last year. He previously worked in ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol’s office and allegedly received – according to local... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340527/south-korea-probes-if-spies-funded-drones-flown-north-student?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340527/south-korea-probes-if-spies-funded-drones-flown-north-student?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 07:27:00 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong The summit between South Korea and Japan has exposed a growing divergence in how the two neighbours are responding to a more volatile regional order, as supply chains harden into strategic tools and great-power rivalry sharpens, analysts have said. During a meeting in Nara, the hometown and electoral district of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung pressed the case for broader regional cooperation that included China, while Tokyo emphasised closer... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339886/south-korea-japan-summit-exposes-strategic-divide-amid-great-power-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339886/south-korea-japan-summit-exposes-strategic-divide-amid-great-power-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 09:58:52 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s influential sister has delivered a scathing warning to the South’s government after drones were reportedly flown across the border earlier this month. Kim Yo-jong, de facto spokeswoman for the ruling Workers’ Party, denounced South Korea’s leaders as a “gang of hooligans” and said the recent drone incidents had reinforced Pyongyang’s view that inter-Korean relations were fundamentally hostile. In a statement released on Sunday via the official Korean Central... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339529/why-north-koreas-gang-hooligans-rebuke-signals-freeze-inter-korean-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339529/why-north-koreas-gang-hooligans-rebuke-signals-freeze-inter-korean-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 02:07:45 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korea’s supreme leader, has been spotted with what appears to be a Chinese-made foldable phone. Images released by state media on Sunday showed Kim holding the phone in her right hand during a trip to a hospital opening alongside her brother, Kim Jong-un. Although the brand name cannot be seen in the picture, the phone closely resembles the Chinese brand Honor’s “Magic” line, advertised as “the world’s thinnest foldable smartphone”. The V3 model of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3336430/does-north-koreas-kim-yo-jong-have-new-chinese-smartphone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3336430/does-north-koreas-kim-yo-jong-have-new-chinese-smartphone?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 04:03:27 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk South Korea flew military drones over Pyongyang just weeks before then-president Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law last December, a provocation that triggered North Korea to prepare for war, according to Seoul’s defence intelligence agency. The revelation, disclosed in a closed-door parliamentary briefing on Wednesday, adds to mounting scrutiny over Yoon’s final months in office, with opposition lawmakers accusing him of attempting to fabricate a national security crisis to justify an... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331899/north-korea-prepared-war-after-souths-drone-mission-during-yoons-last-months-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331899/north-korea-prepared-war-after-souths-drone-mission-during-yoons-last-months-report?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Nov 2025 06:43:58 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korea has threatened military retaliation in response to joint drills by South Korea, the United States and Japan, with the powerful sister of ruler Kim Jong-un and a top military official issuing parallel statements. Both denounced the ongoing drills and signalled that Pyongyang was prepared to answer with its own show of force. “Reckless muscle-flexing by the US, Japan and South Korea in the wrong location, in the surrounding areas next to the DPRK, will definitely bring unfavourable... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325569/north-korea-threatens-unfavourable-consequences-us-led-drills?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325569/north-korea-threatens-unfavourable-consequences-us-led-drills?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Sep 2025 07:00:11 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi When North Korea unveiled a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) development a day before its leader visited China last week, it was sending a message to Beijing and Washington that it would not renounce its nuclear weapons, according to analysts. Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un travelled to attend China’s military parade in Beijing and hold bilateral summits with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. The trio stood side by side, looking out... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3325159/did-kim-use-attending-chinas-parade-chance-send-his-own-missile-message?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3325159/did-kim-use-attending-chinas-parade-chance-send-his-own-missile-message?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Sep 2025 08:27:55 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed a pledge to strengthen strategic coordination with North Korea in a congratulatory message to leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday. The greetings marked the 77th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the official name of the country. The message was delivered only days after a historic trip by Kim to Beijing, when the North Korean leader – for the first time – stood together with Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324876/chinas-xi-jinping-reaffirms-pledge-closer-north-korea-ties-after-historic-kim-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324876/chinas-xi-jinping-reaffirms-pledge-closer-north-korea-ties-after-historic-kim-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Sep 2025 11:00:09 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his sister Kim Yo-jong have once again drawn attention for flaunting luxury European brands during their recent trip to Beijing despite Pyongyang’s own crackdowns on capitalist culture and an international ban on luxury imports. According to an analysis by NK News on Thursday, photos released by the Kremlin show Kim Jong-un wearing what appears to be an IWC Schaffhausen Portofino Automatic wristwatch while embracing Russian President Vladimir Putin during... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3324406/north-koreas-kim-jong-un-sister-flaunt-swiss-watch-dior-bag-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3324406/north-koreas-kim-jong-un-sister-flaunt-swiss-watch-dior-bag-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 02:09:10 +0000 Dewey Sim,Fan Chen Dewey Sim,Fan Chen Beijing and Pyongyang should deepen strategic coordination in regional and international affairs to safeguard “mutual interests”, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday in his first sit-down with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in six years. “The Chinese Communist Party and government attach great importance to the traditional friendship between China and North Korea and are willing to maintain, consolidate and develop China-North Korea relations,” he said, according to state news agency... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324359/chinese-leader-xi-jinping-holds-talks-north-koreas-kim-jong-un-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324359/chinese-leader-xi-jinping-holds-talks-north-koreas-kim-jong-un-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 10:06:30 +0000 Gagan Hitkari Gagan Hitkari In his first Liberation Day address, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung spoke optimistically and promised timely action in inter-Korean affairs. As he addressed the nation on August 15, Lee laid emphasis on peace as the foundation of his administration’s policy towards North Korea, stressing that reconciliation and stability must form the future of inter-Korean relations. However, Pyongyang’s reaction to Lee’s overtures so far has been less than reconciliatory. North Korea has not wavered from... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3323225/how-lee-jae-myungs-outreach-north-korea-could-fall-flat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3323225/how-lee-jae-myungs-outreach-north-korea-could-fall-flat?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse North Korea accused the South’s military on Saturday of firing warning shots at its troops near their heavily fortified border, saying it risked raising tensions to “uncontrollable” levels. South Korea’s new leader Lee Jae-myung has sought to ease tensions with the nuclear-armed North and vowed to build “military trust”, but Pyongyang has said it has no interest in improving relations with Seoul. The latest confrontation occurred on Tuesday as North Korean soldiers worked to permanently seal the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3322898/north-korea-claims-south-fired-shots-near-border-risking-uncontrollable-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3322898/north-korea-claims-south-fired-shots-near-border-risking-uncontrollable-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Aug 2025 00:46:39 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s attempt at engagement with the North by unilaterally reviving some inter-Korean agreements despite Pyongyang’s persistent hostility is a long-term reconciliation strategy, according to analysts. Lee on Monday ordered government ministries to prepare for a phased implementation of the suspended agreements, beginning with those that Seoul could act on independently. His latest call for trust building came as the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322248/south-korea-revives-inter-korean-pacts-despite-norths-hostility?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322248/south-korea-revives-inter-korean-pacts-despite-norths-hostility?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 00:00:14 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press South Korea’s new liberal President, Lee Jae-myung, said on Friday he will seek to restore a 2018 military agreement with North Korea aimed at reducing border tensions and urged Pyongyang to respond to Seoul’s efforts to rebuild trust and revive dialogue. Speaking on the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule, Lee’s overture came amid soaring tensions fuelled by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s nuclear ambitions and deepening ties with Russia over the war in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3321934/seoul-rules-out-unification-north-korea-absorption-pushes-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3321934/seoul-rules-out-unification-north-korea-absorption-pushes-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Aug 2025 03:42:07 +0000 Lee Min-Yong Lee Min-Yong With wars dragging on in Europe and the Middle East, the risk of conflict spilling over to Taiwan and the Korean peninsula is coming into sharper focus. Against this backdrop, it is a welcome development that South Korea’s new government has signalled its commitment to easing inter-Korean tensions. Reflecting the maxim of “the best victory is to win without fighting”, the South Korean government, inaugurated in June, has made peacebuilding the core of its North Korea policy. Its first step was... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3321665/south-koreas-peace-push-chance-stability-northeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3321665/south-koreas-peace-push-chance-stability-northeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Aug 2025 21:30:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday dismissed South Korean claims that the North is removing some of its loudspeakers along the inter-Korean border, mocking the government in Seoul for clinging to hopes of renewed diplomacy between the war-divided rivals. Kim Yo-jong’s statement came after South Korea’s military said on Saturday it had detected the North removing some of its loudspeakers, days after the South dismantled its own frontline speakers used for... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3321783/kim-yo-jong-denies-north-korea-removing-its-border-loudspeakers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3321783/kim-yo-jong-denies-north-korea-removing-its-border-loudspeakers?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Aug 2025 23:02:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press South Korea’s military said Saturday it detected North Korea removing some of its loudspeakers from the inter-Korean border, days after the South dismantled its own front-line speakers used for anti-North Korean propaganda broadcasts in a bid to ease tensions. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff did not disclose the sites where the North Koreans were removing speakers and said it wasn’t immediately clear whether the North would take all of them down. In recent months, South Korean border... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3321318/north-korea-removes-border-loudspeakers-days-after-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3321318/north-korea-removes-border-loudspeakers-days-after-south?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Aug 2025 10:43:57 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall A new book published in Japan has shed fresh light on the life of Ko Yong-hui, the mother of Kim Jong-un, whose background the North Korean leader would prefer remains shrouded in secrecy. Published last month, Ko Yong-hui: The Zainichi Korean Who Became Kim Jong-un’s Mother, was written by journalist and author Yoji Gomi and draws on interviews with relatives still based in Japan, detailing how Kim Jong-un’s maternal grandfather made a precarious living as a smuggler and had to flee to North... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3317580/secret-japanese-past-kim-jong-uns-mother-threatens-north-koreas-propaganda-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3317580/secret-japanese-past-kim-jong-uns-mother-threatens-north-koreas-propaganda-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Jul 2025 00:00:09 +0000