North Korea

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.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Dec. 21 faced accusations of siding with sexual aggressors after saying film icon Gerard Depardieu, charged with rape and facing a litany of sexual assault claims, was the target of "a manhunt."

Recent reports from the UN nuclear watchdog and independent experts suggest that North Korea has initiated operations at a new reactor within the Yongbyon nuclear complex. This reactor could potentially produce plutonium, fueling concerns about the nation's nuclear weapons program, according to Reuters.

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".

South Korea, the United States and Japan on Tuesday activated a system to share real-time data on North Korean missile launches, Seoul's defence ministry said, as the three countries seek to bolster security cooperation against the nuclear-armed North.

North Korea initiated the firing of an unspecified ballistic missile towards the East Sea (Sea of Japan) in the early hours of Monday, as reported by the South Korean military, intensifying concerns amid speculation about its nature.

According to officials in Seoul and Tokyo, North Korea launched another long-range ballistic missile on Monday with the potential to strike the United States, continuing a record-breaking number of weapons tests this year that the West has denounced.

The Israeli army's offensive in the southern Gaza Strip continues, while the Hamas-run health ministry claims more than 17,700 Palestinians have died. A number of countries, including North Korea, criticized the United States' veto of the UN Security Council resolution on the ceasefire.

North Korea warned Saturday it would "destroy" US spy satellites if Washington tries "any attack" on its space asset, after Pyongyang launched its first military eye in the sky last week.

A spokesman for the North's defence ministry said it would consider such a move a "declaration of war", according to a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

The news was announced today by North Korean state media, after Pyongyang announced that it will deploy stronger armed forces and new weapons along the border with South Korea.
During a visit to North Korea's Air Force Command on Air Force Day on Thursday, Kim presented guidelines for improving the military's combat capabilities, the KCNA news agency reported.