South Korean President Lee Jae Myung highlighted the importance of cooperation with Japan and stopped short of criticizing Tokyo or mentioning thorny history issues. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/03/01/japan/politics/south-korea-lee-jae-myung-japan-ties/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #southkoreajapanrelations #leejaemyung #china #northkorea #southkorea #history #wwii

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Pyongyang could “get on well” with the United States, suggesting he may be open to talks with Washington, but he rejected South Korea’s outreach as “deceptive,” state-run media said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/26/asia-pacific/north-korea-kim-jong-un-us-trump-nukes/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #northkorea #us #nuclearweapons #missiles #kimjongun #donaldtrump #defense #southkorea #leejaemyung

North Korea's ruling party has elevated leader Kim Jong Un's powerful younger sister to a top position, state media said Tuesday, a sign of her far-reaching influence within the reclusive nation. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/24/asia-pacific/politics/north-korea-promote-kim-jong-un-sister/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #kimyojong #kimjongun #northkorea

North Korea’s ruling party reelected leader Kim Jong Un as its general-secretary at a rare party congress, state-run media said Monday, as the body praised his effort to build up the country’s nuclear arsenal. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/23/asia-pacific/politics/north-korea-kim-jong-un-secretary-general/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #northkorea #southkorea #russia #russiaukrainewar #nuclearweapons #missiles #kimjongun #us

North Korea has kicked off a ruling party congress — just the fourth in 45 years — during which the country is expected to unveil the direction of its foreign and defense policies for the next five years. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/20/asia-pacific/politics/north-korea-party-congress-opens/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #northkorea #kimjongun #southkorea #us #donaldtrump #missiles #nuclearweapons #indopacific #defense

@euronews @europe-euronews IDC & IDGAF!

People learn to use @torproject / #Tor & #TorBridges as well as #XMPP+ #OMEMO ffs!

• Or do they really delive they'd get anonymity and privacy under #Putin who's chilling with #NorthKorea?

South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said that three civilians had sent drones to North Korea on four occasions since President Lee Jae Myung took office last year, harming inter-Korean ties. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/18/asia-pacific/south-korea-north-drones/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #southkorea #northkorea #drones

"Google on Thursday said it observed the North Korea-linked threat actor known as UNC2970 using its generative artificial intelligence (AI) model Gemini to conduct reconnaissance on its targets, as various hacking groups continue to weaponize the tool for accelerating various phases of the cyber attack life cycle, enabling information operations, and even conducting model extraction attacks.

"The group used Gemini to synthesize OSINT and profile high-value targets to support campaign planning and reconnaissance," Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) said in a report shared with The Hacker News. "This actor's target profiling included searching for information on major cybersecurity and defense companies and mapping specific technical job roles and salary information."

The tech giant's threat intelligence team characterized this activity as a blurring of boundaries between what constitutes routine professional research and malicious reconnaissance, allowing the state-backed actor to craft tailored phishing personas and identify soft targets for initial compromise.

UNC2970 is the moniker assigned to a North Korean hacking group that overlaps with a cluster that's tracked as Lazarus Group, Diamond Sleet, and Hidden Cobra. It's best known for orchestrating a long-running campaign codenamed Operation Dream Job to target aerospace, defense, and energy sectors with malware under the guise of approaching victims under the pretext of job openings.

GTIG said UNC2970 has "consistently" focused on defense targeting and impersonating corporate recruiters in their campaigns, with the target profiling including searches for "information on major cybersecurity and defense companies and mapping specific technical job roles and salary information.""

https://thehackernews.com/2026/02/google-reports-state-backed-hackers.html

#CyberSecurity #Gemini #AI #GenerativeAI #Google #NorthKorea #OSINT #StateHacking

"Google on Thursday said it observed the North Korea-linked threat actor known as UNC2970 using its generative artificial intelligence (AI) model Gemini to conduct reconnaissance on its targets, as various hacking groups continue to weaponize the tool for accelerating various phases of the cyber attack life cycle, enabling information operations, and even conducting model extraction attacks.

"The group used Gemini to synthesize OSINT and profile high-value targets to support campaign planning and reconnaissance," Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) said in a report shared with The Hacker News. "This actor's target profiling included searching for information on major cybersecurity and defense companies and mapping specific technical job roles and salary information."

The tech giant's threat intelligence team characterized this activity as a blurring of boundaries between what constitutes routine professional research and malicious reconnaissance, allowing the state-backed actor to craft tailored phishing personas and identify soft targets for initial compromise.

UNC2970 is the moniker assigned to a North Korean hacking group that overlaps with a cluster that's tracked as Lazarus Group, Diamond Sleet, and Hidden Cobra. It's best known for orchestrating a long-running campaign codenamed Operation Dream Job to target aerospace, defense, and energy sectors with malware under the guise of approaching victims under the pretext of job openings.

GTIG said UNC2970 has "consistently" focused on defense targeting and impersonating corporate recruiters in their campaigns, with the target profiling including searches for "information on major cybersecurity and defense companies and mapping specific technical job roles and salary information.""

https://thehackernews.com/2026/02/google-reports-state-backed-hackers.html

#CyberSecurity #Gemini #AI #GenerativeAI #Google #NorthKorea #OSINT #StateHacking

Aging families of missing persons believed to have been abducted by North Korea but not designated as such by the Japanese government are seeking broader support. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/14/japan/possible-north-korea-abductees-families/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #northkorea #abductees

Sanae Takaichi’s election victory is boosting regional support for a stronger Japan as Asian countries seek stability amid U.S. unpredictability and rising Chinese pressure, even as Beijing views her leadership warily. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/12/japan/asia-wants-a-stronger-japan/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #sanaetakaichi #japan #china #donaldtrump #us #indopacific #southkorea #leejaemyung #northkorea #taiwan #xijinping #india #sdf #defense

North Korea will convene a rare ruling party congress later this month, a key event where leader Kim Jong Un is expected to unveil his regime’s military and foreign policy goals for the next five years. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/08/asia-pacific/politics/north-korea-ruling-party-congress/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #northkorea #nuclearweapons #us #kimjongun #donaldtrump #missiles

The U.N. Security Council sanctions committee on North Korea is to give exemptions for humanitarian aid projects in the impoverished country, diplomatic sources in Seoul have said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/07/asia-pacific/north-korea-aid-ease/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #northkorea #nuclearweapons #missiles #us #donaldtrump #kimjongun #southkorea #un

Sakie Yokota, the 90-year-old mother of a Japanese national abducted by North Korea in 1977, laments the lack of progress in fulfilling her long-cherished wish to bring her daughter back to Japan. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/04/japan/north-korea-abductee-mother-sakie-yokota/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #northkorea #abductions #sakieyokota #megumiyokota #minorukihara

The expiration of New START ends the last formal limit on U.S. and Russian nuclear arms, ushering in a more dangerous era marked by destabilizing tactical weapons and growing risks of miscalculation. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/01/world/hello-nuclear-anarchy/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #nuclearweapons #russia #us #newstarttreaty #china #northkorea #defense #wmds

Japan’s fading global profile highlights a deeper diplomatic decline and raises questions about whether Takaichi or Japan’s next leader can restore influence in a shifting world. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/30/japan/japans-diminishing-relevance/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #worldeconomicforum #davos #markcarney #canada #southkorea #us #donaldtrump #xijinping #g7 #canada #shigeruishiba #ukraine #sanaetakaichi #shinzoabe #russia #china #iran #northkorea #ukraine #greenland #asean

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will unveil plans to bolster his nuclear forces at an upcoming ruling party meeting, state media reported Wednesday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/28/asia-pacific/north-korea-nextstage-nuclear/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #northkorea #nuclearweapons #kimjongun

North Korea has fired off at least two apparent ballistic missiles, Japan's Defense Ministry has said, following a military drill featuring a hypersonic missile system earlier this month. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/27/asia-pacific/north-korea-missile-january-27/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #northkorea #missiles #nuclearweapons #southkorea #defense #defenseministry

Japan is moving from ambiguity to clarity on Taiwan, signaling a shift in East Asian security that challenges China and pressures Europe to make harder choices. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/23/europe-should-follow-japans-taiwan-lead/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #china #taiwan #europe #eu #southkorea #us #northkorea #russia #eujapanrelations #chinajapanrelations

In the newly released U.S. National Defense Strategy, the Pentagon takes a softer stance on China and says it will offer “more limited U.S. support” to allies and partners — a shift likely to unnerve Japan. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/24/asia-pacific/us-national-defense-strategy-2026/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #us #usmilitary #budgets #defense #donaldtrump #uschinarelations #china #pla #taiwan #northkorea #southkorea