North Korea is a sovereign state in East Asia. Known for its nuclear weapons program, ballistic missile development, tight authoritarian rule under Kim Jong Un, and deep alignment with Russia and China. Recently, North Korea has expanded its naval capabilities, enshrined automatic nuclear retaliation in its constitution, and deepened ties with both Moscow and Beijing. Last updated Jul 4th, 2026
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un says Pyongyang will build 10,000 tonne warships and arm its navy with nuclear weapons, state media reported, announcing the plans at the commissioning of the 5,000 tonne destroyer Choe Hyon.
North Korea commissioned the guided-missile frigate Choe Hyon (51) into its navy following 14 months of trials. Kang Kon (52), the second in the class, is currently being evaluated, and two additional vessels are already being built.
Seoul: North Korean soldiers captured fighting for Russia in Ukraine can resettle in South Korea if they choose. The government opposes forced repatriation of POWs to either Russia or North Korea.
“I do want to be recorded for history’s purposes, for I know what is going to happen with regards to this, if it goes through. Iran will immediately use the money it is receiving in sanctions reli...
Marco Rubio, Senate floor, September 2015
“I do want to be recorded for history’s purposes, for I know what is going to happen with regards to this, if it goes through. Iran will immediately use the money it is receiving in sanctions relief to begin to build up its conventional capabilities. It will establish the most dominant military power in the region outside of the United States and it will raise the price of us operating in the region. They’re going to build anti-access capabilities, rockets capable of destroying our aircraft carriers and ships, continue to build these swift boats that are able to come on us, these fast boats that are able to swarm our naval assets, and they’ll make it harder and harder for U.S. troops to be in the region.
“They’ll also work with other terrorist groups in the region to target American service men and women, and they may or may not deny that they’re involved but they will target us and raise the price of our presence in the Middle East until they hope to completely pull us out of that region.
“They’ll also continue to build long-range missiles, missiles capable of reaching the United States. Those are not affected by this deal, and they’ll continue to build them as they have been doing.
“And then, at some point in the near future, when the time is right, they will build a nuclear weapon, and they will do so because at that point they will know that they have become immune, that we will no longer be able to strike their nuclear program because the price of doing so will be too high.
“This is not just a work of imagination. It exists in the world today. It’s called North Korea, where a lunatic possesses dozens of nuclear weapons and a long-range rocket that can already reach the United States. And we cannot do anything about it. An attack on North Korea today would result in an attack on Tokyo or Seoul or Guam or Hawaii or California. And so the world must now live with a lunatic in possession of nuclear weapons.
“And this is the goal Iran has as well, to reach a point where they become immune to any sort of credible military threat because the price of a military strike would be too high. And then they become an established nuclear weapons power. And never in the history of the world has such a regime ever possessed weapons so capable of destruction. Iran is led by a Supreme Leader who is a radical Shia cleric with an apocalyptic vision of the future. He is not a traditional geopolitical actor who makes decisions on the basis of borders or simply history or because of ambitions. He has a religious apocalyptic vision of the future, one that calls for triggering a conflict between the non-Muslim world and the Muslim world, one that he feels especially obligated to trigger. And he’s going to possess nuclear weapons?
“This is the world that we are on the verge of leaving our children to inherit, and perhaps we ourselves will have to share in.
“So I want to be recorded for history’s purposes, if nothing else, to say that those of us who oppose this deal understood where it would lead, and we are making a terrible mistake. And I fear that passage of this deal will make it even harder for us to prevent it.
“And I hope there’s still time for us to change our minds, but here’s the good news: Iran may have a Supreme Leader, but America does not. In this nation we have a republic, and soon we will have new leaders, perhaps in this chamber, but also in the executive branch. And I pray that on their first day in office they will reverse this deal and reimpose the sanctions and back them up with a credible threat of military force, or history will condemn us for not doing what needed to be done at this critical moment in the world’s history.”
A Seoul court sentenced former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison for ordering drone infiltrations into North Korea in an attempt to escalate inter-Korean tensions and justify his December 2024 martial law declaration, Yonhap reports.
Russia's Foreign Minister Lavrov on nuclear weapons:
Gaddafi gave up his nuclear program, and he was mocked and killed on live television to the delight of Hillary Clinton, who literally applauded in front of the screen.
North Korea simpl...
Russia's Foreign Minister Lavrov on nuclear weapons:
Gaddafi gave up his nuclear program, and he was mocked and killed on live television to the delight of Hillary Clinton, who literally applauded in front of the screen.
North Korea simply concluded that without nuclear weapons, they would be wiped off the face of the earth.
They are acting on this choice, and no one touches them.
With Iran, all of this started because Iran had supposedly been promoting international terrorism for 47 years. It very quickly became clear that the reason was once again oil.
The Americans proposed that they and Iran control the Strait of Hormuz 50/50. It's all about oil again, all about the world's energy markets.
North Korea says it will never surrender its nuclear arsenal, accusing the U.S.-led Quad (U.S., India, Japan and Australia) of hostile policies toward Pyongyang and the region - KCNA
"Iran has effectively tried to use the North Korea strategy, with such overwhelming capabilities, conventionally, that no one would dare prevent them from pursuing a nuclear weapon, and it took President Trump to have the courage to make that historic decision, and hopefully we can get that across the finish line with negotiations, which are ongoing right now."
A Russian cargo ship believed to be carrying two nuclear reactors, possibly bound for North Korea, sank under unexplained circumstances off the coast of Spain, according to a CNN investigation.
North Korea amended its constitution to require an automatic nuclear retaliation if leader Kim Jong Un is killed by a foreign enemy, according to The Telegraph.
North Korea dramatically increased executions during the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly for consuming South Korean dramas, K-pop, and other foreign culture.
North Korea test-fired five missiles from its new 5,000-ton destroyer off the west coast, 2 strategic cruise missiles and 3 anti-ship missiles. State media claimed all hit their targets.
