North Korea says leader Kim Jong Un has observed test-flights of hypersonic missiles and underscored the need to bolster the country’s nuclear war deterrent.

The teenager is increasingly being viewed as the probable successor to her father, and there is speculation she could assume some kind of official position during the upcoming Workers’ Party congress

Kim Jong Un oversaw hypersonic missile tests as North Korea ramped up weapons displays ahead of a major political conference, state media reported.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the firing of "cutting-edge" hypersonic missiles to ready Pyongyang's nuclear forces for war, state media reported Monday, saying "geopolitical crisis" made the test even more urgent in a clear nod to this weekend's US attack on Venezuela.

North Korea fired several ballistic missiles from its capital Pyongyang towards the sea off its east coast at around 7:50 a.m. local time on Sunday, South Korea’s military said.

Lee's visit this week was the first by a South Korean leader to China in six years, with Seoul seeking a reset in relations with its largest trading partner as well as help with the North.View on euro

N. Korea's Kim inspects new housing construction in Pyongyang In this Korean Central News Agency photo published on Jan. 11, 2026, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (2nd from L) inspects the construction of 10,

And yet: some observers wonder whether a society as patriarchal as North Korea’s could accept a female leader. Under Mr Kim, several women have gained big jobs. The second-most powerful person in the country is Mr Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong. For the first time in its history North Korea has a female foreign minister: Choe Son Hui.