North Korea in April 2026: the most important developments in politics
North Korea's politics in April 2026 centered on the question of succession and on ties with China and Russia. On April 6 South Korea's intelligence agency said it had credible information that Kim Jong Un's teenage daughter is being positioned as his successor, the first official confirmation from Seoul on the likely heir. The agency also assessed that North Korea is distancing itself from Iran, which it said could leave a door open for talks with the United States.
China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, visited North Korea around April 9 to 11. He and his North Korean counterpart pledged closer cooperation, and Kim Jong Un, according to state media, backed China's push for a multipolar world in talks with him. Chinese media reported that China would work with North Korea to promote practical cooperation.
Relations with Russia also deepened. On April 12 Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin discussed cooperation with North Korea, with a focus on coordination among Belarus, Russia and North Korea. On April 26 Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov arrived for a working visit, met Kim, and the two sides agreed on long-term military cooperation. A Russian parliamentary delegation had visited shortly before. A Russian speaker thanked Kim for the liberation of Kursk, and on April 27 Kim spoke at a memorial for North Korean soldiers killed fighting for Russia.
On the Korean Peninsula, Kim Yo-jong described an expression of regret by a South Korean official over a drone incursion as wise behavior, and Kim Jong Un praised South Korean President Lee Jae-myung for apologizing. North Korea also criticized South Korea's designation of it as an enemy state.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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