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.
NATO and Europe are crying hoarse about North Korean troops being deployed in Russia. According to the Pentagon, about 10,000 North Korean troops are ready to be deployed in the war zone, most of whom are undergoing training in Russia. This would imply strength of about one division.
Guided by Kim, North Korea carried out a "crucial" missile test that set milestones in "perpetuating the absolute superiority" of the country's armed forces, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Russia said on Monday it will continue its cooperation with North Korea but declined to comment on allegations that it plans to use North Korean soldiers in military operations against Ukraine.
The defence ministry's stance was echoed by the ruling People Power Party (PPP) on Sunday.
Abe said that he wants his country to normalize relations with North Korea by resolving their outstanding issues, including the abduction of Japanese nationals by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s.
Negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington have been gridlocked since a second summit between the North’s leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in February ended without a deal.
The negotiations stalled after a failed summit in February between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but the two agreed to revive talks when they met in June at the inter-Korean border.
Trump said that Bolton had made mistakes, including offending North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un by demanding that he follow a "Libyan model" and hand over all his nuclear weapons.
On Tuesday, North Korea fired a new round of short-range projectiles, South Korean officials said, only hours after it signalled a new willingness to resume stalled denuclearisation talks with the United States in late September.
