KIM TONG-HYUNG

Reporter

Kim has been covering the Koreas for the AP since 2014. He has published widely read stories on North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, the dark side of South Korea’s economic rise and international adoptions of Korean children.
In this photo released by the Khabarovsky Krai region government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, looks at a military jet cockpit while visiting a Russian aircraft plant that builds fighter jets in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, about 6,200 kilometers (3,900 miles) east of Moscow, Russia, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. (Khabarovsky Krai region government via AP)
North Korea’s Kim gets a close look at Russian fighter jets as his tour narrows its focus to weapons
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected Russia’s most advanced fighter jet at an aircraft factory on his extended visit to the country.
 
The special train of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un is seen at the railway station upon his arrival by in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, about 6200 kilometers (3,900 miles) east of Moscow, in the Russian Far Eastern Amur region, on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. (AP Photo)
Kim Jong Un arrives in Russian city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur for expected visit to fighter jet plant
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in far eastern Russia where he is expected to tour a Russian aircraft plant that builds fighter jets.
 
FILE - This photo provided by the North Korean government shows what it says a launch of the newly developed Chollima-1 rocket carrying the Malligyong-1 satellite at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground on May 31, 2023. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)
How Kim’s meeting with Putin at Russian spaceport may hint at his space and weapons ambitions
The talks that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held at a rocket launch facility in Russia’s Far East ended a global guessing game of when and where they would meet.
 
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands as they pose for a photo before their talk at the Vostochny cosmodrome outside the city of Tsiolkovsky, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the city of Blagoveshchensk in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
North Korea’s Kim arrives in eastern Russian city for expected visit to fighter jet plant
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in the far eastern Russian city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur where he was expected to visit a plant that builds fighter jets.
 
FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un shake hands during their meeting in Vladivostok, Russia on April 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool, File)
A timeline of the complicated relations between Russia and North Korea
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has met President Vladimir Putin. at a cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East. It was the two isolated leaders’ second meeting.
 
This Tuesday. Sept. 12, 2023, photo provided by the North Korean government shows that North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, right, is greeted by Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexander Kozlov, left, after crossing the border to Russia at Khasan, about 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
North Korea’s leader is in Russia to meet Putin, with both locked in standoffs with the West
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has rolled into Russia on an armored train toward a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
 
This Sept. 10, 2023 photo provided by the North Korean government shows that North Korea leader Kim Jong Un waves from a train in Pyongyang, North Korea, as he leaves for Russia. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrives in Russia before an expected meeting with Putin
Joined by his top military officials handling his nuclear-capable weapons and munitions factories, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia on Tuesday, where he is expected to hold a rare meeting with President Vladimir Putin that has sparked Western concerns about a potential arms deal for
 
In this photo provided Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, by the North Korean government, North Korea leader Kim Jong Un attends a paramilitary parade ceremony, marking North Korea’s 75th founding anniversary in Pyongyang, North Korea Friday, Sept. 8. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
Kim Jong Un hosts Chinese and Russian guests at a parade celebrating North Korea’s 75th anniversary
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un invited visiting Chinese delegates and Russian artists to a paramilitary parade featuring rocket launchers pulled by trucks and tractors. That’s according to state media Saturday.
 
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, second left, looks at what is says a new nuclear attack submarine "Hero Kim Kun Ok" at an unspecified place in North Korea Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
North Korea says its latest submarine can launch nuclear weapons, but there are doubts
North Korea says its new submarine has nuclear attack capabilities after years of development. Leader Kim Jong Un described the step as crucial in his efforts to build a nuclear-armed navy to counter the United States and its Asian allies.
 
Liu Guozhong, then vice governor of China's Heilongjiang provincial government, speaks during a presentation about economic cooperation between South Korea and the Chinese northeastern province in Seoul, South Korea, July 25, 2012. A Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier Liu will visit North Korea to participate in celebrations for its 75th founding anniversary, which is on Saturday, the North's state media said Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. (Park Ji-ho/Yonhap via AP)
China will send delegation to North Korea to celebrate its founding as the nations foster ties
North Korea says a Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier Liu Guozhong will visit the country to help celebrate its 75th founding anniversary, which is on Saturday.
 
A green train with yellow trimmings, resembling one used by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on his previous travels, is seen steaming by a slogan which reads "Towards a new victory" on the North Korea border with Russia and China seen from China's Yiyanwang Three Kingdoms viewing platform in Fangchuan in northeastern China's Jilin province on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023. Russia and North Korea confirmed Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will visit Russia in a highly anticipated meeting with President Vladimir Putin that has sparked Western concerns about a potential arms deal for Moscow's war in Ukraine. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Kim’s trip to Russia could be like his last one and involve a daylong ride on his armored train
Kim Jong Un’s trip to Russia for a possible meeting with President Vladimir Putin has drawn attention to the traditional method of travel for North Korean leaders: luxury, armored trains that have long been a part of the dynasty’s lore and are symbols of its deep isolation.
 
FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un shake hands during their meeting in Vladivostok, Russia, Thursday, April 25, 2019. A North Korean train presumably carrying North Korean leader Jong Un has departed for Russia for a possible meeting with Russian President Putin, South Korean media said Monday, Sept. 11, 2023. Citing unidentified South Korean government sources, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported that the train likely left the North Korean capital of Pyongyang on Sunday evening and that a Kim-Putin meeting is possible as early as Tuesday. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool, File)
Kim Jong Un meets Vladimir Putin in Russia. What do Pyongyang and Moscow want from each other?
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with President Vladimir Putin at a cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East on Wednesday for talks that are likely to focus on Russia’s desire to buy ammunition to refill reserves drained by its war in Ukraine.
 
FILE - In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, toast at a banquet hall of the ruling Workers' Party's headquarters in Pyongyang, North Korea on July 27, 2023. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)
Seoul’s spy agency says Russia has likely proposed North Korea to join three-way drills with China
Russia has likely proposed that North Korea participate in three-way naval exercises with China, according to a lawmaker who attended a closed-door briefing with the director of South Korea’s top spy agency.
 
People hold banners and posters to protest Japan's plan to release treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant, during a match along a street in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023. Anxious about Japan’s impending release of treated nuclear wastewater from the tsunami-damaged Fukushima power plant, hundreds of South Koreans marched in their capital on Saturday. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
South Koreans rally in Seoul against Japanese plans to release treated nuclear wastewater into sea
Anxious about Japan’s impending release of treated nuclear wastewater from the tsunami-damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant, hundreds of South Koreans marched in their capital Saturday.
 
Workers check for the closing ceremony of the World Scout Jamboree and the "K-pop super live" concert at the World Cup Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. Flights and trains resumed and power was mostly restored Friday after a tropical storm blew through South Korea, which was preparing the pop concert for 40,000 Scouts whose global Jamboree was disrupted by the weather. (Jin Yeon-soo/Yonhap via AP)
Tropical storm weakens after leaving scattered damage in South Korea, which turns to Scout concert
Flights and trains resumed and power was mostly restored after a tropical storm blew through South Korea, which was preparing a pop concert for 40,000 Scouts whose global Jamboree was disrupted by the weather.
 
In this undated photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, attends a meeting of the North Korean ruling Workers’ Party’s central military commission in Pyongyang, North Korea Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
North Korean leader Kim calls for his military to sharpen war plans as his rivals prepare drills
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered his military to sharpen its war plans and signed off on expanding combat operations of frontline units. That’s according to state media Thursday.
 
Rescue workers on a boat search for missing people in floodwaters caused by the tropical storm named Khanun in Daegu, South Korea, Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023. Khanun was pouring intense rain on South Korea on Thursday, turning roads into chocolate-colored rivers as it advanced north toward major urban centers near the capital. (Yun Kwan-shick/Yonhap via AP)
Tropical Storm Khanun pounds South Korea’s coastal regions before reaching Seoul in weakened state
Tropical Storm Khanun has poured intense rain on South Korea and left at least one person dead before weakening as it reached major population centers near the capital.
 
High waves crash a shore as the tropical storm named Khanun approaches to the Korean Peninsular, on Jeju Island, South Korea, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Dozens of flights and ferry services were grounded in South Korea on Wednesday ahead of the tropical storm that has dumped heavy rain on Japan's southwestern islands for more than a week. (Park Ji-ho/Yonhap via AP)
Khanun begins blowing into South Korea with strong winds after dumping rain on Japan for a week
Dozens of flights and ferry services have been grounded in South Korea ahead of a tropical storm that dumped rain on Japanese islands for a week.
 
Attendees of the World Scout Jamboree leave a scout camping site in Buan, South Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. Buses began moving thousands of global Scouts from their campsite on South Korea's coast to inland venues Tuesday ahead of a tropical storm that is forecast to bring intense rains and strong winds to the peninsula within days. (Kim Myung-nyeon/Newsis via AP)
South Korea evacuates thousands of Scouts from coastal campsite as tropical storm nears
Tens of thousands of Scouts carrying backpacks and water bottles began arriving at university dormitories, government and corporate training centers, and hotels around Seoul and other inland cities as the South Korean government evacuated the World Scout Jamboree ahead of a tropical storm.
 
Attendees of the World Scout Jamboree prepare to leave a scout camping site in Buan, South Korea, Monday, Aug. 7, 2023. South Korea will evacuate tens of thousands of scouts by bus from a coastal jamboree site as Tropical Storm Khanun looms, officials said Monday. (Na Bo-bae/Yonhap via AP)
Tens of thousands of young scouts to evacuate world jamboree in South Korea as storm Khanun looms
South Korea is preparing to evacuate tens of thousands of scouts from a coastal jamboree site as Tropical Storm Khanun looms, scouting officials said Monday.
 
In this undated photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un tries a weapon during his three-day inspection from Aug. 3 until Aug. 5, 2023 at major munitions factories in North Korea. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
North Korean leader Kim tours weapons factories and vows to advance his arms and his war readiness
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has toured the country’s key weapons factories producing artillery systems, engines for cruise missiles and drones, and launch vehicles for nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, and pledged to speed up efforts to advance his military’s arms and war readiness.
 
Attendees of the World Scout Jamboree lie down to rest at a scout camping site in Buan, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023. More than 4,000 British Scouts will leave the World Scout Jamboree at a campsite in South Korea and move into hotels this weekend, the U.K. Scout Association said Friday, as concerns grow after more than 100 participants were treated for heat-related ailments. (Kim-yeol/Newsis via AP)
South Korea presses on with World Scout Jamboree as heat forces thousands to leave early
South Korea is plowing ahead with the World Scout Jamboree, rejecting a call by the world scouting body to cut it short. Thousands of British and U.S. scouts started leaving the coastal campsite Saturday because of a punishing heat wave.
 
Attendees of the World Scout Jamboree cool off with water at a scout camping site in Buan, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023. More than 4,000 British Scouts will leave the World Scout Jamboree at a campsite in South Korea and move into hotels this weekend, the U.K. Scout Association said Friday, as concerns grow after more than 100 participants were treated for heat-related ailments. (Kim-yeol/Newsis via AP)
Scouting body asks South Korea to cut World Scout Jamboree short as heat wave prompts exodus
The world scouting body is urging South Korea to cut short the World Scout Jamboree as thousands of British scouts have begun leaving the coastal campsite because of a punishing heat wave. American scouts were preparing to pull out, too.
 
Police officers patrol around the Seohyeon subway station in Seongnam, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023. A man rammed a car onto a sidewalk Thursday and then stepped out of the vehicle and began stabbing people near the subway station in the city of Seongnam. On Friday, South Korean police are chasing the suspect in a stabbing attack in at a high school in the central city of Daejeon. (Hong Ji-won/Yonhap via AP)
South Korea detains suspect in high school teacher’s stabbing a day after separate attack wounded 14
South Korean police have detained a man suspected of stabbing a high school teacher with a knife in the city of Daejeon. Police and fire department authorities did not specify the teacher’s health condition.
 
Police officers cordon off the scene near a subway station in Seongnam, South Korea, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023. A dozen of people were injured in South Korea on Thursday when a man rammed a car onto a sidewalk and then stepped out of the vehicle and began stabbing people near a subway station in the city of Seongnam. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
South Korean police pursue suspect in 2nd stabbing attack in 2 days
A man rammed a car onto a sidewalk Thursday in South Korea, then stepped out of the vehicle and began stabbing people at a shopping mall, which left at least 14 people were wounded in the city of Seongnam.
 
FILE - A North Korean flag flutters in the wind atop a 160-meter (525-foot) tower in the North's Kijong-dong village near the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone in Paju, South Korea on Sept, 28, 2017. North Korea hurled misogynistic insults Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023 at a newly confirmed United States special envoy to monitor the country’s human rights issues and warned of unspecified security consequences if Washington continues to criticize its human rights conditions. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)
North Korea calls US human rights envoy a ‘political housemaid’ in protest of criticisms
North Korea on Wednesday hurled misogynistic insults at a newly confirmed United States special envoy to monitor the country’s human rights issues and warned of unspecified security consequences if Washington continues to criticize its human rights conditions.
 
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, and China's Vice Chairman of the standing committee of the country’s National People’s Congress Li Hongzhong, right, attend a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the armistice that halted fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War, on Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea Thursday, July 27, 2023. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
Russian and Chinese delegates join North Korean leader Kim at a parade showing his newest missiles
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shared center stage with senior delegates from Russia and China as he rolled out his most powerful nuclear-capable missiles in a military parade.
 
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, with Russian delegation led by its Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visits an arms exhibition in Pyongyang, North Korea Wednesday, July 26, 2023, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the armistice that halted fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with Russian defense minister to discuss military cooperation
North Korean state media say leader Kim Jong Un has met with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu for discussions on military issues and the regional security environment.
 
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 Phones displayed during the Galaxy Unpacked 2023 event at the COEX in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Samsung Electronics on Wednesday unveiled two foldable smartphones as it continues to bet on devices with bending screens, a budding market that has yet to fully take off because of high prices. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Samsung unveils foldable smartphones in a bet on devices with bending screens
Samsung Electronics has unveiled two new foldable smartphones in a bet on devices with bending screens.
 
FILE - In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, watches a military parade to mark the 90th anniversary of North Korea's army at the Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea on April 25, 2022. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)
Rival Koreas mark armistice anniversary in two different ways that highlight rising tensions
The truce that stopped the bloodshed in the Korean War turns 70 on Thursday and the two Koreas are marking the anniversary in starkly different ways, underscoring their deepening nuclear tensions.
 
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