North Korea's Kim fires new sniper rifle while visiting troops / Photo: STR - KCNA VIA KNS/AFP
-
Settlement champion Huckabee confirmed as US Israel envoy
-
Trump pauses tariffs for 90 days but hits China harder
-
US federal judges halt deportations of Venezuelans under wartime law
-
No direct LIV path to Masters but Ridley wants one elite tour
-
UK cinemas fight viral 'chicken jockey' trend
-
Russia denounces brief detention of government employee in France
-
Nepal fights wildfires and pollution amidst drier winter
-
Jamaican speed merchant Thompson seeks fast progress in 2025
-
'Horrible' Djokovic falls in Monte Carlo, first win for Alcaraz
-
Masters chief defends Cabrera invite after domestic violence convictions
-
Pentagon chief in Panama vows to counter China 'threat'
-
Trump's NASA chief pick says will 'prioritize' Mars mission
-
Europe's first Universal theme park to bring 'joy to Britain': PM
-
Trump tells US to 'be cool' as China, EU strike back
-
Djokovic crashes out in Monte Carlo, first win for Alcaraz
-
Over 120 dead in Dominican Republic nightclub disaster
-
Delta to trim capacity in light of weakening travel demand
-
Pressure builds on Afghans fearing arrest in Pakistan
-
From Freddy Kruegers to Peaky Blinders: a look at Ecuador's drug gangs
-
Postecoglou says 'general sentiment' points to Spurs exit
-
French group gets death threats over renaming of 'Negresse' district
-
Beijing rejects Ukraine claim 'many' Chinese fighting for Russia
-
Germany 'back on track' says Merz, unveiling new coalition
-
France struggles to find new home for two orcas after park closes
-
Alcaraz recovers from sluggish start to move into Monte Carlo last 16
-
Trump trade war escalates as China, EU counterattack
-
Stocks volatile, oil plunges as trade war cranks higher
-
US Treasury chief defends tariffs, warns against aligning with China
-
Beijing consumers mull spending habits as 'worrying' tariffs kick in
-
Stocks, oil plunge as US, China crank up trade war
-
Onana 'one of worst goalkeepers in Man Utd's history': Matic
-
Tata Steel to cut jobs at Dutch plant by 15%
-
Tata Steel to cut jobs at Dutch plant by 15 pct
-
Ex-Italy World Cup winner Cannavaro sacked as Dinamo Zagreb coach
-
'Curve ball': Irish whiskey producers fret over US tariffs
-
Trade war escalates as China hits US with huge tariff
-
Trade war escalates as China hit US with huge tariff
-
China hawk Peter Navarro has Trump's ear
-
How tariffs in the EU work
-
Gaza rescuers say 23 killed in Israel strike on residential block
-
'Catastrophe': Volkswagen town rattled by Trump trade war
-
Premier League claims fifth Champions League spot
-
Race to save Sweden's 17th century warship in preservation project
-
Russia demands France explain detention of government employee
-
Equities, oil plunge as US, China crank up trade war
-
Greek general strike hits transport and commerce
-
How the EU is responding to Trump's trade assault
-
'Terrifying' French film abuses report prompts calls for change
-
Beijing consumers mull spending habits as tariffs kick in
-
Trump's steep tariffs trigger fresh market panic
NYSE - LSE
North Korea's Kim fires new sniper rifle while visiting troops
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has test-fired a newly developed sniper rifle, state media said Saturday, as he inspected special forces whose training he said bolstered "actual war capability for guaranteeing victory".
Such units are among the thousands of troops that South Korea's spy agency says Pyongyang has deployed to Russia to support Moscow's war against Ukraine.
During the visit to a special operations unit on Friday, Kim said the "actual war capability for guaranteeing victory in the war field is bolstered up through intensive training," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
He added that their training is "the most vivid expression of patriotism and loyalty to the country," according to the agency.
Images released by state media showed Kim peering through the scope of a sniper rifle that KCNA said was going to be "newly supplied to special operation units".
Other images showed him pointing to the bullseye of a target, crouching alongside heavily camouflaged soldiers, and smiling and waving to troops.
Kim supervised "automatic rifle firing drills and sniper rifle firing drills" and, after personally test-firing the weapon, expressed "great satisfaction over the performance and power of the sniper rifle developed in our own way", KCNA said.
Kim's visit to the special forces came on the same day that South Korea's Constitutional Court upheld president Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment over his disastrous martial law declaration, booting him from office and triggering fresh elections.
Yoon had defended his December 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule as necessary to root out "anti-state forces" and what he claimed were threats from North Korea.
KCNA reported Yoon's dismissal for the first time on Saturday, citing foreign media.
South Korea's opposition leader Lee Jae-myung is seen as a frontrunner in the next election, experts say, and his party has taken a more conciliatory approach towards North Korea.
US President Donald Trump, who met Kim three times during his first administration, said this week that he is in "communication" with Kim and intends to "do something at some point", according to Seoul's Yonhap news agency.
F.Wilson--AT