South Korea–United States relations

North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations said efforts to set up a new panel to monitor sanctions against his country would end in failure, state media reported on Sunday.

Kim Song's comments come after Russia's veto in March which effectively ended official U.N. monitoring of sanctions imposed on the isolated country for its pursuit of banned nuclear and weapons programmes.

North Korea has tested a "super-large warhead" designed for a strategic cruise missile, state media said Saturday, the most recent test since U.N. sanctions monitoring against the nuclear-armed nation was upended last month by Russia.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told his top military officers to use maximum force against South Korea and the United States if they initiate a military confrontation, state media reported Monday.

Seoul and Washington have ramped up defence cooperation in the face of a record-breaking series of weapons tests by Pyongyang over the past year.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wrapped up the year with fresh threats of a nuclear attack on Seoul and orders for a military arsenal build-up to prepare for a war that can "break out any time" on the peninsula, state media reported Sunday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged his party to "accelerate" war preparations including its nuclear programme, state media said Thursday.

The comments came just a week after Kim warned Pyongyang would not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if "provoked" with nukes.

South Korea has sanctioned the head of North Korea's intelligence agency over illicit cyber activities following Pyongyang's recent launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned Pyongyang will not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if "provoked with nukes", state media said Thursday, while Seoul and its allies called for "dialogue without preconditions".

A tactical nuclear strike simulation has been carried out on South Korean command centers and military airfields, Pyongyang said, Reuters reported.

North Korea said the exercise was a "warning" in connection with the US deployment of strategic bombers in the region, BTA reported.

The leaders of Japan, the United States and South Korea issued a joint statement today after their trilateral summit at the Camp David residence outside Washington, condemning China's "dangerous and aggressive behavior" in regional waters.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has dismissed his top general and called for stepping up war preparations "in an offensive way", including boosting weapons production and conducting more drills, state media reported Thursday.