Russia’s pact with North Korea will deepen U.S. ties in East Asia

SEOUL, Nov 1: North Korea is poised to close as many as a dozen embassies including in Spain, Hong Kong, and multiple countries in Africa, according to media reports and analysts, in a move that could see nearly 25 percent of Pyongyang's missions close worldwide.

WASHINGTON, Sept 28: US soldier Travis King has been freed by North Korea and is heading home, nearly three months after he ran across the border from South Korea, the White House said Wednesday.

SEOUL, South Korea, July 23: North Korea fired several cruise missiles toward its western sea Saturday, South Korea’s military said, marking the second launch event this week, apparently in protest of the docking of a nuclear-armed U.S. submarine in South Korea.

SEOUL, South Korea: North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters Wednesday, its neighbors said, two days after the North threatened “shocking” consequences to protest what it called a provocative U.S. reconnaissance activity near its territory.

SEOUL, March 14: North Korea said Monday it had test-fired two strategic cruise missiles from a submarine, as South Korea and the United States kicked off their largest joint military exercises in five years.

SEOUL, Feb 19: North Korea said on Sunday it had fired a Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) the day before in a "sudden launching drill" that confirmed its readiness for "mobile and mighty counterattack" against hostile forces.

SEOUL, Nov 29: China not only has the responsibility but the capability to influence North Korea's behaviour, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said, calling on Beijing to dissuade Pyongyang from pursuing banned development of nuclear weapons and missiles.

SEOUL, Nov 17: North Korea warned on Thursday of "fiercer military responses" to U.S. efforts to boost its security presence in the region with its allies, state media said, saying Washington is taking a "gamble it will regret".

SEOUL, South Korea: North Korea on Tuesday accused the United States of cooking up a “plot-breeding story” on its alleged arms transfer to Russia, arguing it has never sent artillery shells to Moscow.

SEOUL, Nov 7: North Korea said on Monday that its recent missile launches were simulated strikes on South Korea and the United States as the two countries held a "dangerous war drill", while the South said it had recovered parts of a North Korean missile near its coast.

WASHINGTON, Nov 6: A train crossed from North Korea into Russia on Friday, two days after the United States said it had information indicating Pyongyang is covertly supplying Russia with artillery shells for its war in Ukraine, a Washington think tank said, citing commercial satellite imagery.

SEOUL, Nov 4: South Korea said it scrambled warplanes in response to 180 North Korean military flights near the countries' shared border on Friday, hours after the North fired about 80 artillery rounds in protest of Seoul's joint military drills with the United States.

TOKYO/SEOUL, Nov 3: North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles on Thursday, including a possible failed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that triggered an alert for residents in parts of central and northern Japan to seek shelter.

SEOUL, Nov 3: North Korea fired at least 23 missiles into the sea on Wednesday, including one that landed less than 60 km (40 miles) off South Korea's coast, which the South's President Yoon Suk-yeol described as "territorial encroachment."

SEOUL, South Korea, Nov 2: Air raid sirens sounded in South Korea after the North fired about a dozen missiles in its direction Wednesday, at least one of them landing near the rivals’ tense sea border.

SEOUL, Oct 28: North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) off its east coast on Friday, South Korea's military said, while South Korean forces were wrapping up nearly two weeks of exercises aimed at deterring their northern neighbour.

SEOUL, South Korea: North Korea fired a ballistic missile and hundreds of artillery shells toward the sea Friday and flew warplanes near the tense border with South Korea, further raising animosities triggered by the North’s recent barrage of weapons tests.

SEOUL, South Korea, Oct 14: North Korea early Friday launched a short-range ballistic missile toward its eastern waters and flew warplanes near the border with South Korea, further raising animosities triggered by the North’s recent barrage of weapons tests.

SEOUL, Oct 5: South Korea and the U.S. military conducted missile drills in response to North Korea's launch of a ballistic missile over Japan, as the United Nations Security Council prepares to meet over what was Pyongyang's longest-range test.

SEOUL/TOKYO, Oct 4: Nuclear-armed North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in five years on Tuesday, prompting a warning for residents to take cover and a temporary suspension of train operations in northern Japan.

SEOUL, Oct 1: North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles towards the sea off the east coast on Saturday, South Korea's military said, marking Pyongyang's fourth launch in a week as it ratchets up tension around the Korean peninsula.

SEOUL, Sept 25: North Korea fired a ballistic missile towards the sea off its east coast on Sunday, ahead of planned military drills by South Korean and U.S. forces involving an aircraft carrier and a visit to the region by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.

WASHINGTON, Sept 6: The Russian Ministry of Defense is in the process of purchasing millions of rockets and artillery shells from North Korea for its ongoing fight in Ukraine, according to a newly downgraded U.S. intelligence finding.

SEOUL, June 6: The U.S. and South Korean militaries launched eight ballistic missiles into the sea Monday in a show of force matching a North Korean missile display a day earlier that extended a provocative streak in weapons demonstrations.

SEOUL, June 5: North Korea fired eight short-range ballistic missiles towards the sea off its east coast on Sunday, likely its largest single test, a day after South Korea and the United States ended joint military drills.

BEIJING/SEOUL, May 27: In the months before it acknowledged its first official COVID-19 outbreak, North Korea suddenly imported millions of face masks, 1,000 ventilators, and possibly vaccines from China, trade data released by Beijing showed.

SEOUL/TOKYO, May 7: North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Saturday, South Korea's military said, three days before the inauguration of South Korean president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, who has vowed to take a hard line against the North.

SEOUL, April 28: Visiting Asia next month for the first time since becoming U.S. president in 2021, Joe Biden will hold talks with allies in Japan and South Korea over China's growing influence in the region and the latest threats from nuclear-armed North Korea.

SEOUL, South Korea, Jan 31: North Korea confirmed Monday it test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. territory of Guam, the North’s most significant weapon launch in years, as Washington plans to respond to demonstrate it’s committed to its allies’ security in the region.

SEOUL, South Korea, Jan 30: North Korea on Sunday fired what appeared to be the most powerful missile it has tested since President Joe Biden took office, as it revives its old playbook in brinkmanship to wrest concessions from Washington and neighbors amid a prolonged stalemate in diplomacy.

SEOUL, Jan 27: Nuclear-armed North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday, drawing condemnation from the United States for what would be the sixth round of missile tests this month.

SEOUL, South Korea, Jan 17: North Korea on Monday fired two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea in its fourth weapons launch this month, South Korea’s military said, with the apparent goal of demonstrating its military might amid paused diplomacy with the United States and pandemic border closures.

SEOUL, Jan 1: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un capped off his 10th year in power with a speech that made more mention of tractor factories and school uniforms than nuclear weapons or the United States, according to summaries by state media on Saturday.

SEOUL, Oct 24: A senior U.S. diplomat on Sunday urged North Korea to end a recent series of missile tests and resume negotiations, days after the North performed its first underwater-launched ballistic missile launch in two years.

SEOUL, South Korea, Oct 4: North and South Korea restored a stalled communication hotline after weeks of a hiatus in a small, fragile reconciliation step Monday, as the North pushes hard to win outside concessions with a mix of conciliatory gestures and missile tests.

SEOUL, Oct 1: North Korea fired a newly developed anti-aircraft missile on Thursday, state media KCNA reported on Friday, the latest in its recent series of weapons tests amid deadlocked denuclearisation talks with the United States.

SEOUL, South Korea, Sept 28: North Korea fired a short-range missile into the sea early Tuesday, its neighboring countries said, in the latest weapon tests by North Korea that has raised questions about the sincerity of its recent offer for talks with South Korea.

SEOUL, Sept 13: North Korea carried out successful tests of a new long-range cruise missile over the weekend, state media said on Monday, seen by analysts as possibly the country's first such weapon with a nuclear capability.

SEOUL, April 6: North Korea said it will not participate in the Tokyo Olympics because of the coronavirus pandemic.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, March 26: North Korea on Friday confirmed it had tested a new guided missile, as President Joe Biden warned of consequences if Pyongyang escalates tensions amid stalled nuclear negotiations.

SEOUL/TOKYO, March 25: North Korea launched two ballistic missiles into the sea near Japan on Thursday, Japan’s prime minister said, fueling tension ahead of the Tokyo Olympics and ramping up pressure on the Biden administration as it finalises its North Korea policy.

WASHINGTON/SEOUL, March 24: North Korea fired two short-range missiles at the weekend, U.S. and South Korean officials said, but Washington played down the first such tests under President Joe Biden and said it was still open to dialogue with Pyongyang.

NEW YORK, March 12: China, Russia, North Korea, Iran and others are seeking support for a coalition to defend the United Nations Charter by pushing back against the use or threat of force and unilateral sanctions, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday.

SEOUL, South Korea Last year was a disaster for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

SEOUL, South Korea, Jan 15: North Korea rolled out developmental ballistic missiles designed to be launched from submarines and other military hardware in a parade that punctuated leader Kim Jong Un’s defiant calls to expand his nuclear weapons program.

SEOUL, Jan 11: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been elected as general secretary of the ruling Workers’ Party, state media KCNA said on Monday, taking over the title from his late father in a largely symbolic move seen aimed at further cementing his power.

SEOUL, Jan 9: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for more advanced nuclear weapons and said the United States is “our biggest enemy,” state media said on Saturday, presenting a stark challenge to President-elect Joe Biden just days before he takes office.

SEOUL, Oct 12: South Korean officials have seized on conciliatory comments by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the weekend as a sign that tension could be easing but also worry the huge number of rockets he showcased is evidence that peace may be elusive.

SEOUL, Oct 11: North Korea unveiled previously unseen intercontinental ballistic missiles at an unprecedented predawn military parade on Saturday that showcased the country’s long-range weapons for the first time in two years.