Republic of Korea

North Korea, formally the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, has told the United Nations that its status as a nuclear-armed state is irreversible and that it rejects outside pressure to abandon its weapons programme. The declaration signals Pyongyang's continued refusal of denuclearisation talks and is likely to draw condemnation from the US, South Korea, Japan and other governments backing sanctions and diplomatic pressure.

A Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea addressed the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The speech was carried on the UN's official broadcast platform as part of the annual high-level debate, where member states set out their positions before the international body. Details of what the vice minister said were not provided.

Piotr Serafin, the EU Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Corruption and Public Administration, said in an interview that EU bonds are AAA-grade safe assets and pitched investment in them as a way to strengthen ties between the European Union and the Republic of Korea. His remarks aim to encourage Korean institutional investors to buy EU debt while deepening bilateral financial and political relations between Brussels and Seoul.

The World Intellectual Property Organization has released its Global Innovation Index 2026, with Switzerland, Sweden, the United States, South Korea and Singapore taking the top five spots. The report highlights artificial intelligence reshaping innovation investment, with deep science startups now valued at more than $7.6 trillion.