North Korea

The order comes after US and South Korean forces released footage from a joint exercise that simulated the removal of the North Korean leader.

North Korea initiated a fresh round of missile tests today, marking an expansion of its recent weapons trials, as reported by the military in Seoul. Analysts speculate that these weapons might be intended for use in Russia's conflict with Ukraine, according to AFP.

China's vice foreign minister met with North Korea's top diplomats in Pyongyang on Friday, state media said, as the nuclear-armed state has accelerated its weapons testing and threats toward Seoul in recent months.

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.

Barely two weeks into 2024, tensions on the Korean Peninsula are rapidly escalating, as IFIMES Institute was periodically writing.

North Korea has announced the successful testing of its "underwater nuclear weapons system," specifically a nuclear-armed underwater drone known as the Haeil-5-23 system, as reported by the BBC. While North Korea has previously mentioned tests of this system, the weapon's existence has not been independently verified.

North Korea said Friday that it had tested an "underwater nuclear weapon system" in response to joint naval exercises by Washington, Seoul and Tokyo that involved a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

Kim Jong Un threatened South Korea with war if "even 0.001 mm" of the North's territory is violated, as Pyongyang abolished agencies that oversaw cooperation and reunification, state media said Tuesday.

North Korea initiated its first missile launch of the year by firing an unidentified ballistic missile towards the East Sea on Sunday, as confirmed by the South Korean military. While details remain limited, the Joint Chiefs of Staff acknowledged the launch without providing further information.

The United States, alongside allied nations including Bulgaria, has issued a resounding condemnation of arms transfers between North Korea and Russia. This statement, undersigned by major European Union countries excluding Hungary and Slovakia, castigates the acquisition of North Korean ballistic missiles by Russia, allegedly utilized against Ukraine on December 30 and January 2.