According to data submitted by the South Korean Ministry of Unification to the National Assembly, the New Yalu River Bridge opened to traffic on October 15. Satellite images from October 22 identified about 280 trucks waiting for inspection at the North Korean customs facility, with an additional 6 container trucks entering North Korea from the Chinese side.
According to clashreport, on October 19, 2026, Kim Yo-jong, Vice Department Director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, issued a statement claiming that the southern border of the Korean Peninsula is currently in a highly unstable state. She indicated that Pyongyang is considering resuming psychological warfare, such as sending balloons or using loudspeakers to broadcast toward South Korea, posing a risk of further escalation.
According to a report reposted by X user @QuanLujun, Dutch anti-fraud blogger Deeveeaar exposed a group of suspected North Korean remote IT workers. These people work in military barracks wearing military uniforms, hide their real location through VPNs, and use AI to forge resumes to pose as European and American job seekers in order to enter companies, after which they steal corporate data and cryptocurrency to raise funds for the North Korean government. Previously, 11 countries including the US, Japan and South Korea issued a joint warning, pointing out that North Korean IT workers plan to raise huge sums of money for Pyongyang.
According to Radio France Internationale, the new bridge across the Yalu River connecting China and North Korea officially opened to traffic on Thursday, October 15, 2026. The bridge was completed in 2014, but its opening was delayed multiple times due to various factors. A month earlier, the first road bridge between North Korea and Russia had already opened.
According to @__Inty__, North Korea has used its largest submarine, the Hero Kim Kun-ok, to conduct a weapons test in the Sea of Japan for the first time. The submarine is a converted Romeo-class diesel-electric submarine equipped with about 10 vertical launch tubes. During this test, the submarine launched one submarine-launched cruise missile each through its vertical launch system and its torpedo tubes. The South Korean military said the entire launch process was under its surveillance.
According to Radio France Internationale (RFI), South Korean experts have analyzed that the official opening of the new Yalu River Bridge further strengthens North Korea’s economic and logistical dependence on China, drawing attention to the impact on China-North Korea border trade and geopolitics.
On October 14, 2026, Beijing time, a netizen posted on X that they had been threatened via WeChat by hackers suspected of having North Korean ties after commenting on North Korea on social media. According to the individual, the hackers not only used WeChat to precisely identify their personal identity but also sent screenshots of their comments on X, warning them to stop posting remarks unfavorable to North Korea or face punishment. This incident has sparked concerns regarding the personal privacy of overseas social media users and transnational cyber surveillance.
According to Radio France Internationale (RFI), the new bridge across the Yalu River between China and North Korea is scheduled to officially open on Thursday. The opening of this new bridge will further strengthen transportation and economic and trade exchanges between the two countries.
North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles from the Pyongyang area toward the East Sea at around 9:20 a.m. local time, flying more than 900 kilometers, and both Japan and South Korea expressed protest and concern.
North Korea held a performance in a Pyongyang gymnasium on October 10 to mark the 81st anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party. Kim Jong Un attended with his wife Ri Sol Ju and daughter Kim Ju Ae, while surrounding officials and spectators stood and applauded.
North Korea's Korean Central News Agency published a commentary condemning U.S. fighter jet sales to Taiwan, warning that the United States should think twice about the consequences, while the White House stressed that Trump would decide on arms sales to Taiwan as planned.
Xi Jinping, top leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), visited Pyongyang, North Korea, from June 8 to 9, and was welcomed by Kim Jong Un at Kim Il Sung Square.
On September 20, North Korea fired an unidentified projectile toward the Sea of Japan. Subsequently, North Korean state media announced the successful testing of a new important combat weapon system and released photos.
Around September 12, 2026, North Korea launched an unidentified projectile toward the Sea of Japan in the early morning. South Korea said it had detected the launch but provided no details; the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command issued a statement saying it was aware of the situation and that it posed no immediate threat to U.S. personnel, territory, or allies.
On the 78th anniversary of the founding of North Korea, Xi Jinping sent a letter saying that he would continue to strengthen strategic guidance over China-DPRK relations, while Putin sent a letter saying he would carry out the closest joint work with Kim Jong-un and strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership. Kim Jong-un published the congratulatory letters on the front page of North Korean media.