Japan’s Ministry of Defense has raised serious concerns in its latest annual defense report, “Defense of Japan 2025.” The report, published on July 15, 2025, highlights a troubling trend: North Korea is now focusing more on improving the quality of its nuclear weapons and missiles.

China is using “cultural development” to shape “an ideologically and psychologically friendly environment in North Korea.”

A sign of the shifting outlook toward North Korea is the government’s desire to describe North Korea not as the South’s ‘main enemy’ but simply as

Socket has identified a new malware loader called XORIndex incorporated into malicious packages published to the npm registry, with over 9000 downloads so far

North Korea made similar comments in April, after the U.S. flew B-1B Lancers over the peninsula alongside South Korean fighter jets. The exercise was a “grave provocation” that raised military tension to an “extreme dangerous level,” North Korea’s military said April 17 via KCNA.

Uploading malicious code to npm is just a setup. The real attack most likely happens elsewhere - on LinkedIn, Telegram, or Discord. North Korean attackers would pose as recruiters, or HR managers in large, reputable tech companies, and would reach out to software developers offering work.

North Korea appears unlikely to deliberately escalate tensions in the coming year as the regime will prioritize domestic development. However, its nuclear policy, burgeoning relations with Russia, and evolving geopolitical factors will increase the risks of North Korea becoming a flash point in the medium to long term.

Special counsel prosecutors investigating former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s alleged abuse of power conducted sweeping raids on July 14, targeting military and security offices tied to covert drone missions into North Korea last year.