North Korea's Kim Yo-jong blames Seoul's propaganda leaflets for the country's Covid outbreak even as Pyongyang declares "shining victory" against the disease.
"Work at Punggye-ri nuclear test site paves way for additional nuclear tests for development of nuclear weapons," says a UN report prepared by independent sanctions monitors.
North Korea said earlier this month it was on a path to "finally defuse" its first publicly declared coronavirus crisis even as Asian neighbours experience a resurgence in infections driven by Omicron subvariants.
While Kim has increasingly threatened his rivals with nuclear weapons, it’s unlikely that he would use them first against the superior militaries of the US and its allies, observers say.
South Korean ministry officials say the country will allow access to North Korean broadcasts to encourage Pyongyang to take similar steps and prepare for future unification.
Kim Jong-un convenes unprecedented gathering that focuses on the ruling party's powerful sections that monitor and police loyalty of officials and members across the country.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has also ordered steps to be taken to “enhance the operational capabilities of the frontline units.”
Some observers say the new “enteric epidemic” in North Korea refers to an infectious disease like typhoid, dysentery or cholera, which are illnesses caused by germs via contaminated food and water.
The situation on the Korean peninsula poses a global threat, South Korean Defence Minister Lee Jong-sup says at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a top regional security summit.
The veteran diplomat served as a close aide to Kim Jong Un during nuclear talks with the United States and accompanied the North Korean leader to summits with then US president Donald Trump.
North Korea fired eight ballistic missiles in a drill that adds to its record pace of launches for the year.
Kim Jong Un looks set to soften Covid-19 restrictions amid possible fears by the country's political leadership that North Korea's economy is too fragile to handle extended lockdowns.
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