In a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea’s Foreign Ministry criticized NATO leaders for characterizing the country’s military activities as a threat, describing them instead as the legitimate exercise of its sovereign rights.

The ministry said the alliance had reinforced what it called bloc-to-bloc confrontation through higher military spending and closer security cooperation with partners in the Asia-Pacific region.

The remarks followed the NATO summit held in Turkiye on Tuesday, where officials announced more than $50 billion in military procurement and industrial agreements as European allies continued efforts to strengthen defense capabilities amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to assume a greater share of the alliance’s security burden.

North Korea argued that the summit demonstrated NATO’s commitment to military confrontation rather than peace, accusing the alliance of pursuing exclusive geopolitical interests that undermine security in both Europe and the Asia-Pacific.

Pyongyang also rejected renewed international calls for it to abandon its nuclear weapons program, maintaining that such demands were no longer relevant. Instead, the Foreign Ministry said denuclearization discussions should first focus on what it described as nuclear ambitions by U.S. allies, including South Korea and Japan under the American nuclear umbrella, as well as NATO members participating in the alliance’s nuclear-sharing arrangements.

The statement reiterated that North Korea would continue safeguarding its sovereignty, security interests and regional stability through what it called the responsible exercise of its sovereign rights.

The comments came a day after KCNA reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had approved measures to strengthen the country’s nuclear forces both “quantitatively and qualitatively” as part of broader efforts to modernize the military.

The latest statement underscores Pyongyang’s continued refusal to consider unilateral nuclear disarmament, a position it has increasingly emphasized as tensions on the Korean Peninsula and in the wider Indo-Pacific region remain elevated.

Meanwhile, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, speaking on the sidelines of the NATO summit, said Seoul hoped to expand cooperation with NATO members in research and development, including advanced technologies and weapons production, reflecting growing defense ties between South Korea and the alliance.

Relations between North Korea and Western countries have remained strained over Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, while the United States, South Korea and Japan have continued to strengthen trilateral security cooperation in response to North Korea’s military activities.

The announcement followed an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea held on Thursday, where senior officials discussed measures aimed at reinforcing the country’s defense posture. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the meeting approved steps to bolster the country’s nuclear force “both in quality and quantity.”

KCNA also reported that the meeting endorsed a broader mandate for the General Reconnaissance and Intelligence Bureau, North Korea’s military intelligence agency responsible for operations involving South Korea. The agency said the bureau plays a key role in assessing potential threats and collecting strategic intelligence.

According to KCNA, the meeting reviewed plans to significantly strengthen the bureau’s military reconnaissance and intelligence capabilities, reflecting Pyongyang’s stated objective of improving its ability to monitor and respond to perceived security threats.

North Korea remains subject to extensive international sanctions over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. The Korean Peninsula also remains technically at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

Friday’s announcement came after Pyongyang repeatedly rejected conciliatory overtures by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. North Korea has described the South as its “most hostile” adversary and has declared its status as a nuclear weapons state to be “irreversible.”

Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said the latest decisions reflect North Korea’s evolving policy of treating the two Koreas as separate and hostile states rather than parties operating under the armistice framework.

“Military reconnaissance takes on a different meaning under a state-to-state approach, as intelligence activities targeting another sovereign state can carry diplomatic implications,” Hong told AFP.

Security analysts have previously said North Korea is seeking advanced military technologies, including satellite capabilities, as part of its growing defense cooperation with Russia following the deployment of North Korean troops in support of Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

In 2023, North Korea successfully launched what it described as a military reconnaissance satellite and later claimed it had captured images of key U.S. and South Korean military installations, although independent verification of those claims has been limited.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry said it was closely monitoring developments related to the reported expansion of North Korea’s military intelligence organization.

North Korea has a long history of intelligence operations directed at South Korea. Since the end of the Korean War, its activities have ranged from intelligence gathering to covert operations, including the 1997 assassination of high-profile defector Lee Han-young.

Among the country’s most prominent intelligence operatives was Jeong Su-il, who entered South Korea in 1984 under the identity of Muhammed Kansu, presenting himself as a Filipino-Lebanese academic. After his identity was uncovered, he served prison terms in South Korea before later pursuing a career as a historian specializing in the Silk Road and the history of West Asia.

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac announced on Friday that Lee will attend the NATO summit from July 7 to 8, where he is expected to hold talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and participate in a meeting of leaders from the alliance’s Indo-Pacific partner countries, including Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

According to Wi, Lee will use the summit to expand cooperation between South Korea’s defense industry and NATO member states, reflecting Seoul’s broader effort to strengthen security partnerships amid rising geopolitical uncertainty.

Lee is also scheduled to participate in the NATO Defense Industry Forum, where he will deliver remarks during one of the conference sessions focused on defense cooperation and industrial collaboration.

“As geopolitical instability deepens, NATO member states are increasing their defense spending and also pursuing efforts to strengthen their own domestic defense production capabilities,” Wi told reporters.

He said South Korea, despite not being a NATO member, should deepen cooperation with the alliance by aligning with NATO standards to facilitate exports of South Korean defense equipment and expand opportunities for its defense industry.

Wi added that Lee’s office is arranging additional bilateral meetings with foreign leaders during the summit to discuss defense cooperation, although he did not identify the countries involved.

Following the conclusion of the Ankara meetings, Lee will travel to Mongolia on July 9 for a three-day state visit at the invitation of Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa.

The two leaders are expected to hold a bilateral summit on the opening day of the visit before issuing a joint statement and signing several memorandums of understanding designed to strengthen cooperation across multiple sectors.

South Korea considers Mongolia an increasingly important strategic partner because of its substantial reserves of critical minerals, which are essential for advanced manufacturing, clean energy technologies and high-tech industries.

Seoul also views Mongolia as a valuable diplomatic partner in regional security affairs due to its close relations with North Korea and its potential role in supporting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

The trip underscores the Lee administration’s effort to diversify South Korea’s international partnerships by expanding defense exports, strengthening ties with NATO and reinforcing strategic engagement with countries that play an important role in regional security and supply chains.

South Korea has steadily expanded cooperation with NATO in recent years through dialogue, joint initiatives and defense industry collaboration, even though it remains outside the alliance, while simultaneously pursuing closer relations with partners across the Indo-Pacific region.

Lee’s visits to Türkiye and Mongolia are expected to advance Seoul’s broader foreign policy agenda of enhancing defense cooperation, securing critical mineral partnerships and reinforcing diplomatic engagement with countries viewed as strategically significant to South Korea’s long-term security interests.

The tests, conducted on Thursday, evaluated the performance of a “special mission” warhead for a tactical ballistic missile, an upgraded multiple rocket launch system and extended-range shells for a self-propelled gun-howitzer, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

KCNA said Kim described the results as evidence of technological progress aimed at transforming North Korea’s firepower posture along the southern border, indicating that the systems are intended to target strategic facilities in South Korea, including airfields, ports and U.S. military installations.

Kim said North Korea’s self-defense strategy requires strengthening “the deadly and destructive offensive posture to make no enemy dare to confront,” adding that maintaining constant uncertainty and fear among adversaries is a key element of the country’s deterrence policy, KCNA reported.

The state news agency said the newly tested special mission warhead is designed to inflict significant damage on critical enemy infrastructure, including airfields, ports and power facilities.

The latest weapons demonstrations came only days after North Korea commissioned the Choe Hyon, a 5,000-ton destroyer that Kim has described as a symbol of the country’s expanding naval and nuclear capabilities. The vessel is regarded as North Korea’s most advanced warship to date.

Pyongyang has accelerated the development of its strategic and conventional weapons since negotiations with the United States collapsed in 2019. North Korea has maintained that any future dialogue would require Washington to abandon its demand for denuclearization as a precondition for talks.

Kim has also adopted a more confrontational stance toward South Korea, designating it as North Korea’s “principal enemy” and reinforcing military infrastructure along the heavily fortified inter-Korean border.

North Korea has simultaneously expanded its diplomatic engagement with Russia through support for Moscow’s war in Ukraine, while also strengthening ties with China. Earlier this month, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Pyongyang for his first summit with Kim in seven years.

Kim made the remarks during a three-day plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea that concluded on Monday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

In a closing speech, Kim reaffirmed what KCNA described as the government’s commitment to rapidly strengthening national defense capabilities amid what North Korea views as a deteriorating regional security environment.

“The steadfast policy stand of our Party and state is to beef up the national defense capabilities faster,” KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

North Korea remains subject to multiple international sanctions over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. The Korean Peninsula technically remains in a state of war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a formal peace treaty.

According to KCNA, Kim accused Washington and Seoul of intensifying military preparations, citing efforts to modernize armed forces and developments related to South Korea’s pursuit of advanced naval capabilities, including plans involving nuclear-powered submarines.

Kim said such actions were pushing the Korean Peninsula “to the brink of a nuclear war” and argued that North Korea must continue expanding what he described as a reliable self-defense deterrent.

The party meeting concluded that strengthening the country’s nuclear forces remained the most effective way to respond to evolving international military and political challenges, KCNA reported. It added that efforts to develop a strategic deterrent based on nuclear technology would proceed at an accelerated pace.

The statements reinforce Pyongyang’s long-standing position that its nuclear arsenal is central to national security and non-negotiable. North Korea has repeatedly characterized itself as an irreversible nuclear weapons state since the collapse of denuclearization talks between Kim and then-U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi in 2019.

Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s influential sister, reiterated that position earlier this month, describing the country’s nuclear doctrine as a “line of no retreat” and signaling continued resistance to future disarmament demands.

The latest comments come amid renewed discussion of North Korea policy following talks between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump during the Group of Seven summit in France earlier this month.

Lee said Trump agreed that new approaches may be required to address North Korea’s nuclear program. The South Korean leader also argued that existing sanctions have not produced the intended results and that Pyongyang cannot be approached in the same manner as other nuclear-related challenges.

North Korea’s latest pledge to accelerate military development underscores the continued stalemate in denuclearization diplomacy and highlights the widening gap between Pyongyang’s strategic objectives and international efforts to curb its nuclear ambitions.

The Seoul Central District Court found Park guilty of involvement in an insurrection stemming from the short-lived martial law order issued by Yoon in December 2024, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Park’s sentence exceeded the 20-year prison term sought by prosecutors, who argued that he had abused his authority to facilitate the implementation of martial law and undermined the rule of law.

According to prosecutors, Park convened a meeting of senior Justice Ministry officials during the early hours of the martial law declaration and reviewed prison capacity in anticipation of potential arrests of political opponents and government critics.

The court ruled that, as justice minister, Park had instructed officials to cooperate with the martial law command structure on the assumption that its decrees would take effect, Yonhap reported.

The verdict marks the latest conviction arising from Yoon’s controversial declaration of martial law, which lasted approximately six hours before lawmakers entered the National Assembly and voted to overturn the measure during an emergency session.

The move triggered a political and institutional crisis that shook South Korea’s democratic system, sparked nationwide protests and rattled financial markets while drawing concern from key allies, including the United States.

Yoon has since been convicted of leading an insurrection and is appealing a life sentence. Earlier this month, he was also sentenced to 30 years in prison in a separate case after being found guilty of sending drones into North Korea in an alleged attempt to manufacture a security crisis that could justify emergency rule.

Several senior members of Yoon’s administration have also received prison terms.

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is serving a 15-year sentence, while former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min was sentenced to nine years in prison. A former defense minister was jailed last week for three years after being convicted of disclosing classified military information connected to the martial law operation.

Separately, former first lady Kim Keon Hee is serving a four-year prison sentence for stock manipulation and bribery offenses unrelated to the martial law case.

The convictions represent one of the most extensive legal reckonings involving a former South Korean administration since the country’s transition to democratic rule, with prosecutors continuing to pursue accountability for officials involved in the failed attempt to impose emergency military authority.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency questioned Yang Jong-hwan, head of Shinsegae Group’s audit team, as a witness on Wednesday, according to a company spokesperson. The inquiry is linked to public complaints filed over Starbucks Korea’s “Tank Day” reusable cup promotion held on May 18.

The campaign sparked nationwide outrage because it took place on the 46th anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju uprising, a pro-democracy movement that was violently suppressed by military forces. Official figures state that 165 civilians were killed during the crackdown, although activists and historians have long argued the actual death toll was significantly higher.

Starbucks Korea operates more than 2,000 stores nationwide under a licensing agreement with Shinsegae Group, making South Korea one of the coffee chain’s most important international markets. The controversy quickly escalated into a major corporate crisis, prompting Shinsegae to dismiss the head of its Korean operations on the day the scandal emerged.

Shinsegae Chairman Chung Yong-jin later issued a public apology, acknowledging the seriousness of the incident and expressing regret for the distress caused to victims’ families, survivors and the wider public.

Despite those measures, a civic organization filed a legal complaint against Chung and other company executives. The complaint alleges violations of a 2016 law related to the Gwangju uprising, including provisions prohibiting the dissemination of false information about the historical event. The filing also includes allegations of defamation and insult.

The company said it would cooperate fully with investigators and hoped the facts surrounding the case would be clarified promptly and transparently. Police have not publicly commented on the investigation.

The backlash has had tangible business consequences. According to the company, sales declined sharply in the days immediately following the controversy as public anger intensified. Demonstrations were held in both Seoul and Gwangju, with critics accusing the company of insensitivity toward a defining moment in South Korea’s democratic history.

In response, Starbucks Korea announced that all stores nationwide will close for half a day next Monday to allow employees to attend educational sessions on the Gwangju uprising. Senior executives, including Shinsegae’s chairman, are scheduled to participate in a separate history program later in the week.

An internal review by Shinsegae concluded that a series of procedural failures contributed to the launch of the campaign, including the approval of promotional materials without adequate review of design content and timing.

The controversy also drew criticism from President Lee Jae Myung, who described the incident as “inhumane” and “disgraceful,” reflecting the sensitivity that still surrounds the legacy of the Gwangju uprising more than four decades after it became a symbol of South Korea’s democratic struggle.

The investigation remains ongoing.

The decision comes after the chain faced heavy criticism for its “Tank Day” reusable cup promotion, which coincided with the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, a pro-democracy movement in which at least 165 civilians were killed by military forces, with some estimates higher.

The controversy led to protests outside stores, a reported drop in sales, and the dismissal of the country’s Starbucks chief executive by Shinsegae Group, which operates the brand locally.

The company said all employees would receive education on social sensitivity and historical context, including watching training videos. Stores nationwide will close at 3 p.m. local time for three hours next Wednesday and will reopen the following day.

The campaign drew accusations that it trivialised a painful moment in South Korea’s democratic history. South Korea’s president also condemned the incident as “inhumane and disgraceful.”

Starbucks Korea said the promotion was part of a broader tumbler campaign and apologised for the disruption caused.

The Gwangju Uprising remains a defining event in South Korea’s modern political history and a symbol of the country’s democratic struggle.

A spokesperson for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said US and South Korean efforts to strengthen nuclear cooperation against Pyongyang would not change the country’s status as a nuclear weapons state.

“The ‘denuclearization’ is an irreversibly finalized matter,” the statement carried by state media KCNA said.

The remarks came after US and South Korean officials held talks in Seoul under the Nuclear Consultative Group, where they discussed strengthening nuclear deterrence and military readiness in response to North Korea’s expanding weapons program.

Washington and Seoul have repeatedly called for the dismantlement of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal, while Pyongyang has insisted that its nuclear capabilities are necessary for national security.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have continued to rise as North Korea expands missile testing and deepens military cooperation with Russia.

The statement issued Wednesday during South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to Brussels described what it called “illegal military cooperation” between North Korea and Russia and urged third parties to stop supporting Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

North Korea’s foreign ministry rejected the criticism, saying its cooperation with Russia constituted an “exercise of sovereign rights” and accusing Seoul and Brussels of issuing a “grave hostile act,” according to the Korean Central News Agency.

The EU–South Korea statement said: “We condemn support by third parties, in particular the DPRK, which enable Russia to sustain its war of aggression against Ukraine.”

Pyongyang separately reiterated its long-standing position that South Korea is its primary “enemy state” and accused Seoul of acting in line with Washington’s security strategy in the region.

The North Korean response also referenced recent remarks by a senior US military official in South Korea, which Pyongyang and Beijing previously criticized as reflecting US containment policy in Asia.

North Korea has deepened its alignment with Russia during the Ukraine conflict, including reports of weapons transfers and troop deployments, according to Western and South Korean intelligence assessments.

Kim Jong Un has expanded cooperation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent years, while also strengthening diplomatic engagement with China amid shifting regional alliances.