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Quotes of the Day:
"The truth has no defense against a fool determined to believe a lie."
– Mark Twain
"We have to abandon the idea that schooling is something restricted to youth. How can it be, in a world where half the things Amanda knows at twenty are no longer true at age forty – and half the things he knows at forty hadn't been discovered when he was twenty."
– Arthur C. Clarke
"One who believes in himself has no need to convince others."
– Lao Tzu
1. South's unification minister optimistic on possibility of North-U.S. summit on APEC sidelines
2. Bloody letters, violent art: Russia’s new tribute to North Korea war ties
3. China has forcibly repatriated over 400 North Koreans since last year: Report
4. Trump, China's Xi may both pay state visits to S. Korea during APEC gathering: sources
5. Hanwha open to acquiring other US shipyards, expanding Philly
6. Russian delegation arrives in Pyongyang for joint committee meeting on economic cooperation
7. Chinese national sentenced to 5 years in prison for trying to obtain military secrets
8. South Korea resumes excavation of war remains at DMZ battle site
9. Unification minister says requested EU to designate special envoy on Korean Peninsula affairs
10. S. Korea, UNHCR discuss response to global refugee crisis
11. Arms agency to open promotion booth with affiliated organs at int'l arms exhibition
12. Trump expected to visit S. Korea on Oct. 29-30 for APEC: security adviser
1. South's unification minister optimistic on possibility of North-U.S. summit on APEC sidelines
There must be something going on behind the scenes for there to be this much speculation. Then again we are only hearing the speculation from the MInister of Unification. Is this simply wishful thinking or is something really being worked? I remain skeptical because I cannot imagine the ROK or US meeting the extortion level demands that would likely be made by Kim Jong Un for just a meeting. But I could be wrong, very wrong.
Thursday
October 16, 2025
dictionary + A - A
South's unification minister optimistic on possibility of North-U.S. summit on APEC sidelines
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-10-16/national/diplomacy/Unification-minister-optimistic-on-possibility-of-USNorth-Korea-summit-on-APEC-sidelines/2421308?utm
Published: 16 Oct. 2025, 10:47
Updated: 16 Oct. 2025, 11:17
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young answers questions from lawmakers during a parliamentary audit of the Unification Ministry at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Oct. 14. [LIM HYUN-DONG]
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump could take place on the sidelines of the Oct. 31 APEC summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang.
“If President Trump decides to go forward, a North-U.S. summit at APEC is quite possible,” Chung said on the MBC program “Son Seok-hee’s Questions” on Wednesday. "If the meeting takes place, the likely venue would be the North Korean side of Panmunjom.”
Related Article
Panmunjom is a truce village located in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between South and North Korea, where the two sides held armistice talks during the Korean War and continue to conduct inter-Korean and international meetings.
Chung cited recent diplomatic developments as signs of momentum toward a possible summit. He pointed to the White House’s openness to “unconditional talks,” Trump’s stated willingness to meet within the year and Kim’s recent messaging that appears to exclude denuclearization from the agenda while carefully managing public signals toward Washington.
According to Chung, Kim’s letter to Trump included complaints about the South Korea-U.S. combined military exercises, and whether a summit occurs may hinge on what kind of proposal Trump makes in response.
“The success of the summit will depend on what kind of proposal President Trump makes to discuss the issue,” Chung said.
Chung also noted Kim devoted around “40 percent” of his speech at the Supreme People’s Assembly in September to messaging aimed at the United States and South Korea. Kim’s recent participation in China’s Victory Day event, where he reinforced ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, was also described by Chung as “securing allies ahead of a possible summit.”
“President Trump is the only U.S. president who has both the willingness and capacity to fundamentally shift the situation on the Korean Peninsula,” Chung said. “Kim must realize that missing this Trump window could mean losing the opportunity altogether.”
Chung suggested the meeting should not involve South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
“When President Moon Jae-in joined in 2019, it didn't seem so great,” Chung said. “If the meeting happens on the North’s side of Panmunjom, the South Korean president should not be present,” citing Kim’s apparent refusal to engage directly with the South.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un congratulates and encourages participants of the Oct. 12 event celebrating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea. [YONHAP]
Addressing concerns about a possible return to tongmi bongnam, a Korean term meaning North Korea's dialogue with the United States while sidelining the South, Chung said, “A temporary period of tongmi bongnam is acceptable. There’s no need to worry under the Lee Jae Myung administration.”
Regarding North Korea’s stance on denuclearization, Chung said Pyongyang has carried out all eight stages of nuclear development outlined in the 1992 Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, except for importing nuclear materials.
He stressed that while the South maintains denuclearization as a long-term goal, “the immediate priority should be to halt the expansion of the North’s nuclear capabilities,” calling it a necessary first step.
Chung also addressed the recent controversy surrounding his remark that North Korea is one of the “three countries capable of striking the United States,” saying it was “not about technological capabilities but the range of intercontinental ballistic missiles and the political message they carry.”
"The United States genuinely fears North Korea’s delivery systems,” Chung said. "Kim has spent nearly a month carefully calibrating his messaging toward the United States. The key lies in Trump’s hands, and if he makes the decision, a summit on the sidelines of APEC is a strong possibility.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY BAE JAE-SUNG [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]
2. Bloody letters, violent art: Russia’s new tribute to North Korea war ties
The relationship with Russia is arguably the most important reason why Kim feels he does not need to talk to the South and the US and does not need to "beg" for sanctions relief.
Bloody letters, violent art: Russia’s new tribute to North Korea war ties
History exhibition in Moscow embraces DPRK propaganda linking cooperation against Ukraine to fight with colonial Japan
https://www.nknews.org/2025/10/bloody-letters-violent-art-russias-new-tribute-to-north-korea-war-ties/
Anton Sokolin October 16, 2025
Figures of Russian and DPRK soldiers shaking hands as part of the Victory Museum exhibition in Moscow | Image: Russian culture ministry
A new exhibition in Moscow on “unbreakable” Russia-North Korea ties features blood-stained letters by DPRK soldiers and artwork portraying the killing of Ukrainian troops, photos show, promoting Pyongyang propaganda about the allies’ history of wartime cooperation.
The “Shoulder to Shoulder” exhibition at Moscow’s Victory Museum opened on Monday and seeks to provide a “comprehensive and accurate look at the history” of bilateral relations, according to the Russian culture ministry.
The project features more than 300 artifacts, reportedly including a pistol that belonged to DPRK founder Kim Il Sung, and frames military cooperation against Ukraine as continuing their shared history of fighting against colonial Japan.
Lawmaker Marina Kim and Ambassador Sin Hong Chol look at exhibits featuring pencil drawings, propaganda notes, bullets and letters provided by General Kim Yong Bok on Oct. 13, 2025. | Images: Marina Kim via Telegram, edited by NK News
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Balazs Szalontai, a professor of North Korean studies at Korea University, said the narrative reflects a new compromise between the two countries, stressing that Russia has “made the greater concession by outwardly accepting a falsified North Korean narrative at face value.”
“In reality, Kim Il Sung’s partisans played no role in the Soviet operations against Japan,” he told NK News.
The DPRK’s troop deployment to the Kursk region to support Russia’s fight against Ukrainian forces has received a special spotlight in the exhibition, photos show.
North Korean Ambassador to Russia Sin Hong Chol said the exhibition attests to the “friendly and allied character” of DPRK-Russia ties and both sides’ “desire to boost cooperation in their joint anti-imperialist struggle.”
The display follows the opening of a Moscow gallery show featuring North Korean paintings of DPRK soldiers in Kursk, and coincides with a smaller and less widely publicized exhibition in St. Petersburg titled “Kim Il Sung and His Family.”
DRAWINGS, LETTERS AND DOGTAGS
Several works at the new exhibition depict the heroism of DPRK soldiers fighting Ukrainian troops and even blowing themselves up instead of surrendering. North Korean state media has glorified soldier suicides as a sacrifice for the state.
Other drawings show snippets of troop operations, such as drone warfare and saving wounded comrades. Several depict wounded or frightened Ukrainian soldiers facing DPRK servicemen.
“Don’t spare a single one,” one pencil drawn poster reads.
A North Korean soldier’s personal notebook with a bullet hole as displayed at the Victory Museum in Moscow | Image: Vasily Kuzmichonok for MSK Agency, used with permission
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Fyodor Tertitsky, a North Korea scholar at Korea University, assessed that North Korea likely pushed to hold the exhibition, citing its overall style emphasizing self-sacrifice and lack of restraint in depicting brutality as typical of the DPRK.
He said this aligns with Pyongyang’s policy of expanding ties to ensure continued assistance from Moscow even after the Ukraine war ends.
Russian lawmaker Marina Kim, who released a documentary about DPRK troops in Kursk and visited Pyongyang last week, said she contributed dogtags, letters and other items to the exhibition that she received from General Kim Yong Bok, the leader of North Korean forces in Kursk.
Photos show that many of the blood-stained letters are addressed to family members, parents and wives, while others pledge allegiance to the DPRK leader.
In one letter to his wife, a North Korean soldier asks for forgiveness for failing to give her “real warm love” and show “fatherly love” to their children, urging them to stay loyal to the “supreme leader” who has shown soldiers “special warmth.”
‘HISTORICAL TIES’
The exhibition narrates the USSR’s military operation against colonial Japan on the Korean Peninsula in 1945, displaying propaganda posters, Soviet and DPRK uniforms and archival photos paying tribute to bilateral military ties.
In one corner, a Soviet marshall’s quote describes how the USSR’s 25th Army and Pacific Fleet advanced south across the peninsula, fighting Japan’s Kwantung Army at the end of World War II.
“The Japanese samurai has been put on his knees,” reads a TASS propaganda poster, featuring a mocking caricature of a Japanese officer surrendering.
From left to right: Soviet Marshal Alexander Vasilevsky’s quote about the USSR’s operations in Korea in 1945; a portrait of nurse Maria Tsukanova, who fought near Chongjin alongside Soviet marines during WWII and was brutally killed by Japanese soldiers, later posthumously receiving the Hero of the Soviet Union title; a Japanese sword possibly belonging to an officer stationed in Korea during World War II; caricature of a Japanese officer surrendering; a Soviet navy uniform, archival photos and sabres | Image: Russian culture ministry
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The exhibition similarly highlights the Soviet Union’s assistance to North Korea during the Korean War, singling out Soviet jets’ role in aerial battles and post-war aid to Pyongyang. Another section features posters praising “unbreakable” friendship and ideological cooperation from the 1960s to 1990s.
Szalontai of Korea University compared the exhibition to a new monument in Moscow honoring Korean partisans, which similarly promotes the liberation of Korea as a joint endeavor.
“During the Cold War, the USSR expected the North Koreans to show gratitude for the liberation of their country,” Szalontai explained.
“In turn, post-1961 North Korean propaganda was increasingly reluctant to do so, and instead emphasized that Kim Il Sung played an equally important, or even dominant, role in liberating Korea, which predictably irritated the Soviets.”
The ongoing DPRK-themed exhibitions in Russia thus represent a departure from past policy and have “allowed North Korea to promote itself on Russian soil,” he said.
Edited by Bryan Betts
3. China has forcibly repatriated over 400 North Koreans since last year: Report
China is complicit in north Korean human rights abuses. And if they do not forcibly repatriate them, they allow them to be trafficked and abused in China.
China has forcibly repatriated over 400 North Koreans since last year: Report
Human Rights Watch says actions violate principle of non-refoulment, with UN warning that those sent back face torture
https://www.nknews.org/2025/10/china-has-forcibly-repatriated-over-400-north-koreans-since-last-year-report/
Ifang Bremer October 16, 2025
A woman on a train in North Korea | Image: NK News
China has forcibly repatriated 406 North Koreans since last year, according to a new report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday, despite U.N. warnings that these people face harsh repercussions back in the DPRK.
According to the rights group, the individuals were among more than 1,000 people repatriated to North Korea since 2020, where they face possible torture, imprisonment, sexual violence, forced labor and even execution.
HRW said the Chinese government’s actions contravene international obligations under treaties prohibiting refoulement, or the return of individuals to countries where they face serious harm.
“Chinese authorities are sending hundreds of North Koreans back to a place where they know returnees will be severely persecuted,” said Lina Yoon, HRW’s senior researcher on the Koreas. She urged Beijing to allow the U.N. Refugee Agency access to those at risk and to release data on detentions and deportations.
Among those forcibly returned were 108 North Korean overseas workers repatriated in Jan. 2024 following a protest in Jilin Province, and 212 trafficked women detained in southern Chinese cities during the same year.
For its figures, HRW cited “credible” reports from a source with contacts in China and North Korea.
On the use of just a single source, Yoon of HRW told NK News that in the past she has been able to corroborate information from the source “through triangulated reports from family members and other groups or contacts, documents, and other data,” giving Yoon “confidence in the reliability of the current reports.”
“What’s deeply concerning now is how much harder it has become to get any reliable information from North Korea and China on this issue,” she said. “China’s detention and forced repatriation of North Koreans hasn’t stopped. What’s changed is our ability to document it.”
Unique Kim of the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB) told NK News that the number of cases appears smaller than in 2023.
“China has shifted to carrying out repatriations in smaller waves following the large-scale mass repatriation that took place at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.
According to the South Korean government and NGOs’ assessments, China conducted mass repatriations in 2023 following North Korea’s border reopening.
Kim added that “China has increased its monitoring of North Korean escapees whom it has unofficially and conditionally permitted to remain in the country due to their family ties with Chinese nationals.”
“Consequently, those who are recently forcibly repatriated are likely individuals who have failed to comply with invasive surveillance measures or have tried to reach South Korea — making them particularly vulnerable to harsher punishment upon their return to North Korea,” she said.
Beijing has rejected repeated U.N. recommendations to halt the practice. China considers undocumented North Koreans within its borders as economic migrants who do not require protection under the principles of non-refoulement, despite the assessment of 18 U.N. special rapporteurs that “there are substantiated grounds for believing” that those repatriated will be tortured.
Earlier this year, U.N. human rights experts called on the North Korean government to clarify whether it executed two women forcibly repatriated from China, as well as reported sentences of life imprisonment for nine other women. Pyongyang has not responded to this inquiry.
The HRW assessment comes as North Korean human rights groups face both financial strain and a lack of political support in South Korea.
U.S. President Donald Trump has defunded some of the core organizations that supported North Korean human rights work. And under ROK President Lee Jae-myung, the South Korean government has dissolved offices working on North Korean human rights while eying rapprochement with the North.
Meanwhile, North Korea has significantly expanded and upgraded its prisons and detention facilities nationwide, NK Pro investigations have found.
Edited by Bryan Betts
Updated at 4:52 p.m. KST with additional expert comment
4. Trump, China's Xi may both pay state visits to S. Korea during APEC gathering: sources
Walking the diplomatic tightrope.
Excerpts:
A state visit is the highest form of diplomatic visit by a foreign head of state, during which the host country extends the utmost ceremonial protocol, including an elaborate official welcome with military honors and a state banquet.
If realized, their visits would take place in Gyeongju, the host city for APEC in southeastern South Korea, rather than Seoul, possibly in a simplified manner in terms of the protocol, considering the schedules coinciding with the multilateral gathering, the sources said.
Trump is expected to make a two-day trip starting Oct. 29, holding summit talks with President Lee Jae Myung on the first day, according to sources. A state banquet for Trump may be held the same day.
Xi's visit is anticipated for Oct. 30, with a summit between Lee and Xi and a state banquet widely expected to take place on that day.
The APEC summit is set for Oct. 31-Nov. 1, with ministerial and business leaders' meetings to be held earlier in the week.
Trump, China's Xi may both pay state visits to S. Korea during APEC gathering: sources | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · Kim Seung-yeon · October 16, 2025
By Kim Seung-yeon
SEOUL, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are both likely to pay state visits to South Korea during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering later this month, diplomatic sources said Thursday.
Seoul is in talks with Washington and Beijing over the arrangements for the highly anticipated trips by the two leaders and is fine-tuning details to host both with a state visit, the sources said.
A state visit is the highest form of diplomatic visit by a foreign head of state, during which the host country extends the utmost ceremonial protocol, including an elaborate official welcome with military honors and a state banquet.
If realized, their visits would take place in Gyeongju, the host city for APEC in southeastern South Korea, rather than Seoul, possibly in a simplified manner in terms of the protocol, considering the schedules coinciding with the multilateral gathering, the sources said.
Trump is expected to make a two-day trip starting Oct. 29, holding summit talks with President Lee Jae Myung on the first day, according to sources. A state banquet for Trump may be held the same day.
Xi's visit is anticipated for Oct. 30, with a summit between Lee and Xi and a state banquet widely expected to take place on that day.
The APEC summit is set for Oct. 31-Nov. 1, with ministerial and business leaders' meetings to be held earlier in the week.
This composite photo, created with AP and EPA file photos, shows U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Their visits would carry significance for the Lee Jae Myung government, as Seoul hosts the world's two most powerful leaders, with attention focused on whether Trump and Xi will hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of APEC.
"We are in close communication with member leaders attending APEC regarding the format and schedule of possible bilateral meetings. Details will be officially shared once they are ready to be announced," foreign ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said in a press briefing, when asked about the potential state visits.
Separately, the possibility of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visiting South Korea ahead of APEC appears slim, considering the upcoming major party meetings in China, another source said.
By diplomatic custom, a country's top diplomat usually visits the counterpart nation to make final preparations before a planned visit by its leader.
The source said, "Nothing's final at this stage, but if everything were already prepared, there'd be no need to come, would there?"
elly@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · Kim Seung-yeon · October 16, 2025
5. Hanwha open to acquiring other US shipyards, expanding Philly
MASGA - Make American Shipbuilding Great Again.
Hanwha open to acquiring other US shipyards, expanding Philly - Breaking Defense
“We are all in on Philly, and we're looking at expanding even in and around Philly shipyard, but ultimately, it’s a geographically isolated island where there’s not enough space to do everything that we’d like to do. So, we are looking at other opportunities," Hanwha Global Defense chief Michael Coulter told Breaking Defense in an exclusive interview.
By Justin Katz and Aaron Mehta on October 15, 2025 9:10 am
breakingdefense.com · Justin Katz · October 15, 2025
AUSA 2025 — The head of Hanwha Global Defense said “everything is on the table” moving forward as the company aims to increase ship production capacity inside the United States, including both expansion at its new Philadelphia shipyard and acquisitions of other existing yards.
“We would like to recreate the capacity we have at our shipyard in Korea, in the United States,” Michael Coulter, the company’s CEO and president, told Breaking Defense in an interview Monday. “We are all-in on Philly, and we’re looking at expanding even in and around Philly Shipyard, but ultimately, it’s a geographically isolated island where there’s not enough space to do everything that we’d like to do. So, we are looking at other opportunities.”
Asked specifically if that includes further acquisitions, Coulter said “We’re looking at everything. Everything’s on the table.”
Since closing its $100 million acquisition of Philly Shipyard last December, the South Korean conglomerate has aggressively expanded its presence in the United States to include recruiting Coulter, a former Leonardo DRS executive, in his current role as the head of global defense.
The shipyard is currently building National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMV) — platforms being purchased by the Transportation Department for mariner training — and commercial tankers ordered by Hanwha Shipping.
While the contracts to build NSMVs pre-date Hanwha’s acquisition of the shipyard, Coulter said the theory behind the company ordering ships from its own shipyards revolves around training the workforce.
“We are in the process already of hiring the right workforce [and] transferring the technology, but it’s going to take a little bit of time to get there,” he said. “The idea is a lot of that work is going to end up happening for the first ship or two in Korea. But we’re bringing workforce from the United States to Korea to understand how it’s done. … As we proceed through the ship class, we’ll do more and more work to ultimately build them here in Philly.”
Separately, Coulter said that Hanwha is actively approaching other American shipbuilders to become an outsourcing partner for larger programs, a concept that major primes and the Pentagon have described as “distributed shipbuilding.”
“I wouldn’t say they’ve [talks] progressed very far, but I would say we have put the offer on the table, both with the US government, US Navy, and all of the major shipbuilders in the United States that we’re interested in being a partner,” he said. “We believe we have technology that can help the United States solve its shipbuilding problem, and we’re interested in having those conversations.”
Since Hanwha acquired Philly Shipyard, several other international companies have moved or shown interest in making similar purchases inside the United States. Reuters reported in September that South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy was considering such an acquisition, and Canada’s Davie is working through the process of purchasing facilities in Texas where it plans to build icebreakers.
breakingdefense.com · Justin Katz · October 15, 2025
6. Russian delegation arrives in Pyongyang for joint committee meeting on economic cooperation
Russian delegation arrives in Pyongyang for joint committee meeting on economic cooperation | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · Park Boram · October 16, 2025
SEOUL, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- A delegation from Russia's industry and trade ministry has arrived in Pyongyang to attend a meeting of the joint committee on economy and trade cooperation between the two countries, the North's state media reported Thursday.
The forestry-sector delegation, led by Grigory Gusev, deputy director of the industry and trade ministry's timber industry department, arrived in the country via Pyongyang International Airport the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
The delegation will attend the 28th meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for Cooperation in Trade, Economy and Science's subcommittee on forestry, the KCNA said without providing further details.
The forestry subcommittee has been in operation for nearly three decades between the two countries, with the North having dispatched woodcutters to Russia to earn foreign currency.
The trip comes as the two countries expand cooperation in various fields, including the economy, public health and education, since North Korea dispatched troops to support Russia late last year in its war against Ukraine.
This photo from the Korean Central News Agency on Oct. 11, 2025, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (R) shaking hands with Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, in Pyongyang on Oct. 10, 2025, during the former Russian president's visit to North Korea to attend celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
pbr@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · Park Boram · October 16, 2025
7. Chinese national sentenced to 5 years in prison for trying to obtain military secrets
Chinese national sentenced to 5 years in prison for trying to obtain military secrets | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · Chae Yun-hwan · October 16, 2025
SEOUL, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court on Thursday sentenced a Chinese national to five years in prison for attempting to bribe active duty soldiers into leaking military secrets.
The defendant, only identified by their nationality, is accused of colluding with a Chinese intelligence agent and approaching South Korean service members five times from May 2024 to March this year to obtain military secrets.
The Seoul Central District Court handed down the five-year term to the Chinese national and ordered the forfeiture of 4.57 million won (US$3,200), noting the ruling took into consideration that no military secrets were actually leaked.
During investigation by authorities, the Chinese national was found to have searched for active duty soldiers on social media chatrooms, offering them money in return for military secrets.
The Chinese national attempted to send spying equipment, such as watches with hidden cameras, to the soldiers and exchange military secrets for money without meeting in person.
The Defense Counterintelligence Command apprehended the Chinese national in March before transferring the case to the prosecution.
The court complex used by the Seoul Central District Court and the Seoul High Court in southern Seoul is seen in this undated file photo provided by the high court. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · Chae Yun-hwan · October 16, 2025
8. South Korea resumes excavation of war remains at DMZ battle site
Shared values. Leave no one behind.
World News Oct. 15, 2025 / 5:45 AM
South Korea resumes excavation of war remains at DMZ battle site
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2025/10/15/korea-South-Korea-excavation-remains-White-Horse-Ridge-DMZ-Korean-War/1771760511828/
By Thomas Maresca
South Korea resumed a project to excavate the remains of soldiers killed at a battle site in the DMZ, its military said Wednesday. The move was intended to help reduce inter-Korean tensions in the heavily militarized DMZ, as seen in 2019. File Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo
SEOUL, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- South Korea on Wednesday resumed an excavation project for the remains of soldiers killed in the Korean War at a battle site in the demilitarized zone, its military said, as Seoul looks to improve frosty inter-Korean relations.
"As part of measures to ease military tensions between the South and the North, the Ministry of National Defense has resumed the excavation of remains around White Horse Ridge in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, which was suspended in 2022," the ministry said in a message to reporters.
"This is an effort to return the remains of soldiers killed in the Korean War to their families ... and is a practical measure to transform the DMZ into a zone of peace," the ministry said.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has made efforts to rehabilitate relations between the two Koreas since he took office in June, with conciliatory gestures such as removing propaganda loudspeakers from border areas.
Related
Lee has also said he would take "proactive and gradual steps" to restore the 2018 inter-Korean military pact that was suspended amid tensions between Seoul and Pyongyang during the administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol in 2024.
The pact established buffer zones along the border and included measures such as the removal of some guard posts in the DMZ and the banning of live-fire exercises in certain areas.
In April 2018, Seoul and Pyongyang agreed to launch a joint project to retrieve remains of soldiers killed during the Korean War from Arrowhead Ridge, the site of one of the fiercest battles of the 1950-53 Korean War.
However, after the failed 2019 summit in Hanoi between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the North refused to participate.
South Korea began excavation work alone on the site in 2019 and retrieved remains of some 424 soldiers. Seoul later expanded efforts to White Horse Ridge, where teams found the remains of 67 soldiers, but the project was suspended in 2022 amid deteriorating ties with the North.
9. Unification minister says requested EU to designate special envoy on Korean Peninsula affairs
Unification minister says requested EU to designate special envoy on Korean Peninsula affairs | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · Kim Soo-yeon · October 15, 2025
SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Wednesday that he has requested the European Union (EU) to name a special envoy in charge of Korean Peninsula affairs, hoping for the 27-member bloc's active role for peace efforts.
Chung made such a request to Olof Skoog, deputy secretary general for political affairs at the European External Action Service, when he recently visited Belgium as part of his trip to Europe.
In a meeting with French Ambassador to South Korea Philippe Bertoux on Wednesday, Chung said he asked for the EU's attention and role for addressing Korean Peninsula issues.
"I proposed to Skoog the EU designate a special envoy in charge of Korean Peninsula affairs in a bid to play a positive role in addressing issues of (the two Koreas') peaceful coexistence," Chung said, noting that Skoog had said he will actively consider his proposal.
In the meeting with the French envoy, Chung also voiced hope that Paris could make more engagement for peace efforts on the Korean Peninsula, highlighting that France and Estonia are the only European countries that have not established diplomatic ties with North Korea.
This undated file photo shows Unification Minister Chung Dong-young. (Yonhap)
sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · Kim Soo-yeon · October 15, 2025
10. S. Korea, UNHCR discuss response to global refugee crisis
S. Korea, UNHCR discuss response to global refugee crisis | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · Kim Na-young · October 16, 2025
SEOUL, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- The foreign ministry said Thursday it has discussed ways to resolve the global refugee crisis sparked by recent geopolitical conflicts with the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs Kweon Ki-hwan met with Filippo Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, in Seoul to discuss the response to the recent increase of global refugees, according the ministry.
The number of forcibly displaced people across the world has surpassed 120 million amid the escalation of armed conflicts and geopolitical tensions across various regions.
In the meeting, Kweon said South Korea will continue to play an active role in addressing the refugee issue as a member of the UNHCR Executive Committee and a major donor country, the ministry said.
This photo provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs Kweon Ki-hwan (R) and Filippo Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, holding a meeting in Seoul on Oct. 16, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
nyway@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · Kim Na-young · October 16, 2025
11. Arms agency to open promotion booth with affiliated organs at int'l arms exhibition
Arms agency to open promotion booth with affiliated organs at int'l arms exhibition | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · Kim Hyun-soo · October 16, 2025
SEOUL, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- The state arms procurement agency will run a joint promotion booth with related agencies during an international defense exhibition set to kick off next week, officials said Thursday.
The promotion booth will be showcased at the upcoming Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition slated for Oct. 20-24 at KINTEX in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul, according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).
DAPA aims to promote the process of developing weapons systems and the outcome of arms exports with its four affiliated agencies, including the Agency for Defense Development.
The arms agency plans to hold government-to-government meetings, seminars on international arms cooperation and consultations over arms exports from Monday to Thursday.
It will also host various programs open to the public Friday, such as a book concert on rifles and an information session about South Korea's military satellite project, known as the "425 project."
This photo shows the homegrown KF-21 fighter jet having a test flight session in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, ahead of the upcoming Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition on Oct. 15, 2025. (Yonhap)
sookim@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · Kim Hyun-soo · October 16, 2025
12. Trump expected to visit S. Korea on Oct. 29-30 for APEC: security adviser
(LEAD) Trump expected to visit S. Korea on Oct. 29-30 for APEC: security adviser | Yonhap News Agency
en.yna.co.kr · Kim Eun-jung · October 16, 2025
(ATTN: UPDATES with more details, comments from 5th para)
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to arrive in South Korea on Oct. 29 and stay until Oct. 30 for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings, National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said Thursday.
President Lee Jae Myung is expected to hold summit talks with Trump during the visit, Wi told reporters.
"President Trump is expected to arrive on Oct. 29 and stay until Oct. 30," Wi said. "A Korea-U.S. summit is expected to take place around that time, and if a U.S.-China summit is arranged, it could also be held during his stay."
If confirmed, Trump is expected to attend ministerial and business leaders' meetings to be held ahead of the APEC summit slated for Oct. 31-Nov. 1.
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac briefs on the government's response to crimes targeting South Koreans in Cambodia during a meeting with reporters at the presidential office in Seoul on Oct. 16, 2025. (Yonhap)
When asked whether Trump could meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his visit to South Korea, Wi said he was unaware of such a possibility, calling it a matter between Washington and Pyongyang.
"We are not aware of any such developments yet," he added.
On the possibility of Trump's summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea, Wi said the meeting could take place during the leaders' stay in the country "if it happens" but declined to elaborate further.
According to diplomatic sources, Xi is expected to visit South Korea on Oct. 30 and hold summit talks with Lee on the first day of his visit.
As senior South Korean officials are scheduled to meet U.S. negotiators in Washington this week to iron out details of Seoul's US$350 billion investment pledge, Wi said both sides share a consensus on the need to make progress before the Lee-Trump summit in South Korea.
Their visit comes amid growing expectations for an agreement after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington is about to "finish up" trade negotiations with Seoul.
On Seoul's request for a currency swap arrangement to cushion potential market impacts from the large-scale investment, Wi struck a cautious tone, saying there has been "no progress" in discussions over whether the scope of a swap would be limited or unlimited.
When asked if the U.S. could provide such an arrangement on Wednesday, Bessent avoided giving a direct answer, saying the Federal Reserve handles the currency swap matters, not the Treasury Department.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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en.yna.co.kr · Kim Eun-jung · October 16, 2025
13.
De Oppresso Liber,
David Maxwell
Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
Senior Fellow, Global Peace Foundation
Editor, Small Wars Journal
Twitter: @davidmaxwell161
Phone: 202-573-8647
email: david.maxwell161@gmail.com
| 
