#North Korea

#North Korea

"I do not think the timing of Iron Mace is in response to any particular event, but it is an overdue exercise to learn effective ways to prevent and counter a possible North Korean nuclear threat," said Chun In-bum, a retired lieutenant general in the South Korean army and now a senior fellow with the National Institute for Deterrence Studies. "And even though we may not be able to link these exercises with a single event in the North, it is clear that the North is becoming increasingly militarily capable and the alliance needs to be prepared for a possible nuclear scenario on the peninsula in order to prevent it," he told DW.

When Western spies look for signs that Kim Jong Un is leaving on an overseas trip, they try to locate his dark green train. The North Korean leader seldom opts to use his country's ageing fleet of planes, instead relying on the bullet-proof carriages that have been fav­oured by Pyongyang for decades to carry him on rare ventures out of the country.

Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un are among the world leaders who will attend a military parade with President Xi Jinping in Beijing next week, in a show of collective defiance amid western pressure. No western leaders will be among the 26 foreign heads of state and government attending the parade next week with the exception of Robert Fico, prime minister of Slovakia, a member of the European Union according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise is aimed at strengthening readiness against North Korean threats and involves computer simulations and field training with 21,000 troops.

Chapman ran a laptop farm from her home, helping North Korean IT operatives pose as US-based remote workers, resulting in a $17 million fraud that impacted more than 300 companies.

Ukrainian troops are successfully using drones to target and destroy North Korean artillery systems, particularly the exposed Type-75 and M1991 launchers, showcasing vulnerabilities.

Hackers have stolen more than $2 billion in cryptocurrency in the first half of 2025, indicating the worst year-to-date on record for such thefts.