North Korea | featured news

North Korea's power brokers publicly declared Kim Jong Un the supreme leader for the first time at Thursday's massive public memorial for his father Kim Jong Il, cementing the family's hold on power for another generation....

North Korea's next leader escorted his father's hearse in an elaborate state funeral on a bitter, snowy day Wednesday, bowing and saluting in front of tens of thousands of citizens who wailed and stamped their feet in grief for Kim Jong Il.

Thousands of people likely will file past a glass case housing the body of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il during his funeral Wednesday to pay respects to the dictator, revered as a godlike "dear leader" by his people, an expert said.

North Korea displayed the body of ruler Kim Jong Il in a glass coffin surrounded by red flowers Tuesday, and his young heir was one of the first to pay respects -- a strong indication that a smooth leadership transition was under way.

The United States’ close ties with the South are likely to prove crucial as the two countries navigate through the perilous days ahead.

North Korea's heir apparent Kim Jong Un has swiftly risen to power since being made a four-star general a year ago, but he is even more of an enigma than his late father was during 17 years of absolute power....

Mr. Kim had been grooming his third son, Kim Jong-un, believed to be in his late 20s, to be his successor, as his country struggled to fight widespread food shortages and international sanctions imposed for its nuclear weapons development.

New Zealand is perceived as the least corrupt nation on earth, and Somalia and North Korea are seen as the most corrupt, a German watchdog organization said in a report released this week.

North Korea threatened to engulf South Korea’s presidential palace in a “sea of fire” if the south fires even one bullet or shell toward its territorial waters. The Supreme Command of the Korean People’s Army issued the threat today after the South Korean military conducted a drill in disputed waters in the Yellow Sea yesterday, the anniversary of a deadly artillery exchange between the two nations.

South Korea's president called Monday for cooperation with rival North Korea and pledged limited humanitarian support for suffering North Koreans as the two nations try to set aside animosity and pursue dialogue....