North Korea in June 2026: the most important developments in politics
North Korea's June 2026 centred on a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping. State media in both countries announced on June 5 that Xi would make a state visit on June 8-9, his first trip to North Korea since 2019, and he held a summit with Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang. North Korea described the meeting as producing a "far-reaching blueprint" for bilateral ties, and China and North Korea reaffirmed their friendship. Commentators saw the visit as an effort by China to reassert its influence over Pyongyang while Russia also courts it.
The nuclear question ran alongside the visit. On June 5 the United States signalled readiness for denuclearisation talks. On June 6 and 7 North Korea called its nuclear programme "absolutely non-negotiable", and Kim Jong Un's sister called US demands for denuclearisation an "anachronistic dream". Later in the month, South Korea's Lee asked US President Trump to lead peaceful diplomacy with North Korea and said on June 19 that Trump was open to considering a phased approach to the nuclear issue.
Relations with Russia continued. Russia and China agreed a common position on sanctions against North Korea on June 1, the Kremlin said no date had been set for a Kim visit to Moscow, and on June 11 Kim sent wishes to the Russian people and President Putin. On June 12 a South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison for ordering drone flights over Pyongyang, as part of a broader case tied to his martial law plans. On June 23 Kim told a party meeting that Japan was turning into a "war state".
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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