North Korea in January 2026: the most important developments in politics
North Korea in January 2026 was dominated by the dismissal of a vice premier just ahead of a major party congress. On 20 January leader Kim Jong Un publicly fired the vice premier over failures on a factory construction project, calling him 'a goat yoked to pull an ox cart'. Earlier in the month Kim pledged 'unconditional' support for Russian President Vladimir Putin's policies and, in a letter, promised to continue Russia-North Korea cooperation. South Korea's Unification Ministry said North Korea had replaced three of the four key officials in charge of Kim's personal security.
Relations with South Korea stayed tense. On 10 January North Korea accused the South of flying drones across the border and vowed a response, and on 12 January the trial of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol began over a drone allegedly sent to Pyongyang. Kim's sister Kim Yo-jong demanded an apology and said inter-Korean relations cannot change, while the Unification Ministry said it saw room for communication. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on 7 January that he had asked China's Xi Jinping to play a mediator role on the Korean Peninsula, and on 21 January he vowed efforts to restart US-North Korea talks as early as possible.
Separately, a South Korean lawmaker said Kim had agreed to visit Seoul in 2018 but canceled the trip the day before its announcement, citing security concerns.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
Click a day in the chart above for that day's brief.