North Korea–United States Singapore Summit

China's vice foreign minister was in Pyongyang on Friday for a meeting with his North Korean counterpart.

China and Russia are North Korea's traditional allies, and Washington warned last year that military ties between Pyongyang and Moscow were "growing and dangerous".

The United States has called on Beijing — the North's biggest economic benefactor — to restrain Pyongyang.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has escalated tensions with South Korea, branding it as the nation's "main enemy" and issuing a stark warning of obliteration if provoked.

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 has recently issued orders to the country's military, emphasizing the need to expedite war preparations in response to what he perceives as increasingly hostile actions by the United States.

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".

Construction of the satellite was completed this month, and Kim Jong Un ordered the launch to go ahead as planned during a visit to the North Korean space agency.
Details of the launch date have not been announced.
In his address to the space agency officials, Kim Jong-un spoke about the deployment of "several reconnaissance satellites in different orbits."

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called on his country to expand production of "nuclear materials for weapons" and create more powerful weapons, AFP reported.

Kim's latest threat came ahead of the planned arrival of a US Navy strike group in South Korea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a ballistic missile factory in Pyongyang. He was accompanied by his daughter Ju Ae. This is her first official appearance at the Ordnance Factory Inspection.