The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said on Sunday that South Korea will have to pay a "dear price" for sending propaganda leaflets across the border the previous day.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has once again called for enhancing the country's war deterrence, including the readiness of its nuclear capabilities, in response to what he described as "growing nuclear threats" from the US, state media said on Wednesday.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has expressed gratitude for Russian President Vladimir Putin's offer of assistance with rain damage recovery, saying that he will seek Russia's help when necessary, the North's official news agency said on Sunday.
In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin made two significant overseas visits, first to North Korea where he signed a landmark security treaty with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and then to Vietnam, one of Asia’s fastest growing economies and one of the most diplomatically active countries in the 21st century.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong on Monday denounced South Korea's resumption of live-fire artillery drills near the border as "suicidal hysteria" and warned of possible military actions against such acts.
Arguably, President Kim has also obfuscated reality as he turned up at the testing site without a face mask, even as South Korea has been battling the scourge.
The timing of the missile launches is interesting. At a time when the attention of the world is focussed on how to contain the spread of the deadly virus, North Korea has controlled information to the outside world and has reported no infections. It has projected an image of normality. Though the country closed the borders and all tourist traffic into the country well in time, it remains to be seen how it remained insulated from the spread of the virus when as many as 177 countries are reeling under its severity. Kim Jong-un often boasts of showing his presence at the site of missile launches but was not seen wearing a mask.
The latest launch by Pyongyang comes as a prolonged hiatus in disarmament talks with the United States drags on.
North Korea has not reported a single coronavirus case, but was widely suspected to be covering up an outbreak.
It comes as North Korea announced it would be holding a session of the Supreme People's Assembly, the country's parliament, on 10 April. Analysts say the meeting will involve almost 700 of the country's leaders in one spot.
