North Korea in May 2026: the most important developments in security
North Korea in May 2026 carried out a series of weapons launches. On 26 May it fired multiple projectiles, including short-range ballistic missiles, into the Yellow Sea, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, who described it as the country's eighth ballistic missile test this year. On 27 May it fired multiple cruise missiles, and leader Kim Jong Un claimed major progress in weapons development. State media said the country also tested a new missile system and improved artillery shells.
Earlier in the month Kim inspected new long-range artillery systems capable of striking Seoul, and North Korea said it would deploy them along the border this year. Kim ordered a new destroyer to be handed over to the navy in mid-June. Around 17 and 18 May he called for making the border with South Korea an 'impregnable fortress' and told the military to bolster frontline defences against what he called the 'arch enemy'.
On nuclear matters, North Korea's envoy said on 7 May that the country is not bound by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and on 10 May North Korea was reported to have adopted a new nuclear law to protect Kim. On 28 May its foreign ministry said the country will never give up nuclear weapons. A probe reported on 13 May that a Russian cargo ship sunk off Spain had carried nuclear reactors for North Korea.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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