If you are an American who has been dreaming of planning a holiday to North Korea, you will have to wait at least another year:

The United States will extend its ban on its citizens’ travel to North Korea for another year, a State Department notice showed Tuesday, citing “serious” risks associated with travel to the reclusive state.

The department posted the notice on the Federal Register on Monday, announcing the decision on the extension, which will make the restriction valid from Sept. 1 this year to Aug. 31 next year, as the current measure is set to expire on Aug. 31.

Under the measure, all U.S. passports are to be declared invalid for travel to, in or through the North unless specially validated for such travel.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

N. Korea-China-Russia children’s camp

North Korean, Chinese and Russian children take part in a ceremony at the Songdowon International Children’s Camp in the North’s eastern coastal city of Wonsan on July 19, 2026, to mark their entry into the camp as part of deepening their friendship, in this photo released by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

Fortunately firefighters were able to get the Coupang warehouse fire under control before it spread to the floor with the lithium ion batteries:

A massive fire at a Coupang logistics center in Incheon was brought under control at around 8 p.m. Monday, about 61 hours after it broke out Saturday morning.

Incheon Fire Headquarters said the blaze at Coupang’s No. 32 logistics center in Seoknam-dong, Seohae-gu, had been contained. The fire began at 6:54 a.m. Saturday on the sixth floor of the eight-story facility, which has a total floor area of about 299,000 square meters, before spreading to the seventh floor.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.

It seems trying to use an ear piece to cheat would be challenging without also have a camera to relay what is on the test? If the person had to speak to relay what is on the test that would be highly suspicious. No wonder they got caught:

Police said Tuesday they have apprehended about 10 people suspected of either taking the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) on behalf of others for money or using advanced equipment, such as tiny earpieces, to relay answers to test-takers.

Most of them are Chinese nationals based in China who are believed to have promoted cheating on TOPIK through Chinese social media, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA).

TOPIK is a language proficiency test for foreigners whose native language is not Korean.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

The North Koreans have done it again where they have released water from their Imjim Dam without letting the ROK know:

Authorities on Tuesday upgraded a flood alert to a full warning for the Imjin River near the border with North Korea as water levels rose sharply due to heavy downpours and the North’s release of water.

The Han River Flood Control Office upgraded the alert from an advisory at 3:30 p.m. shortly after the water level at Imjin Bridge in Yeoncheon County, about 60 kilometers northeast of Seoul, reached 10.3 meters, rising 0.1 to 0.2 meters every 10 minutes. (…….)

The bridge’s water level has been on a sharp rise as heavy rainfall pounded the county and North Korea appeared to have released water from a dam near the inter-Korean border without giving prior notice.

The environment ministry said late Monday that satellite imagery confirmed the release of water from the Hwanggang Dam on the upper reaches of the Imjin River. (…..)

In 2009, North Korea agreed to notify South Korea in advance when it plans to discharge water from the Hwanggang Dam, following an accident that killed six South Koreans after the North discharged water from the dam without notice.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

The money the Kim regime has made selling tungsten has made up 1/3 of its exports to China this year:

North Korea earned a windfall from soaring tungsten prices, largely thanks to China’s tighter export controls on the mineral in the first half of this year, but the gains were too small to offset a sharp slide in its currency and rising inflation, a report showed.

Between January and May, North Korea’s exports to China rose to $287 million, up 68 percent on-year from about $171 million. Tungsten ore accounted for $88 million, or nearly one-third of the total, according to a report released last week by the US-based monitoring website 38 North.

According to the report, North Korea’s tungsten exports by value showed an almost tenfold jump year-on-year. The mineral also overtook wigs and false hair to become the country’s largest export to China.

The increase, however, was driven mostly by higher prices rather than greater shipments.

Tungsten export volume rose only about 15 percent, while the average unit value surged from around $8 to nearly $70 per kilogram. The report estimated that higher prices accounted for about 98 percent of the increase in export earnings.

Korea Herald

You can read more at the link.