YONHAP NEWS AGENCY

North Korea launched a series of short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea early Tuesday morning, an act confirmed by military sources in South Korea and Japan just hours before the United States began its presidential elections.

North Korea sent hundreds more trash-carrying balloons over the border, Seoul's military said Monday, after Kim Jong Un's powerful sister warned of further responses if the South keeps up its "psychological warfare."

South Korea on Tuesday slammed Pyongyang's failed attempt to put a second spy satellite in orbit, saying the abortive launch was a "provocative act" that threatened regional stability.

North Korea said late Monday that the rocket carrying its "Malligyong-1-1" reconnaissance satellite exploded minutes after launch due to a suspected engine problem.

Amid escalating geopolitical tensions, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has issued a stark warning, emphasizing the imperative for heightened war readiness in the face of prevailing uncertainties.

South Korea called Monday for trainee doctors to return to work, saying they would be spared punitive actions if they went back to the hospitals, as protests over medical reforms entered a second week.

The leaders of Japan, the United States and South Korea issued a joint statement today after their trilateral summit at the Camp David residence outside Washington, condemning China's "dangerous and aggressive behavior" in regional waters.

In an apparent protest over a regular South Korea-US combined military exercise to begin this week, North Korea fired two "strategic cruise missiles" from a submarine in waters off its east coast over the weekend, state media said on Monday, reported Yonhap News Agency.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will soon visit Russia for a summit with President Vladimir Putin, North Korean state media said on Tuesday, with a Russian newspaper reporting they will meet on Thursday in Vladivostok, reported Reuters. 

SEOUL: A prominent South Korean lawmaker who was being probed over a bribery scandal has committed suicide, police said this morning.

Roh Hoe-chan, a three-term lawmaker of the left-leaning Justice Party had been under investigation for allegedly receiving 50 million won (RM180,000) from a powerful political blogger linked to many top politicians.

CNBC - President Donald Trump canceled his historic nuclear summit with Kim Jong Un on Thursday, accusing North Korea of "tremendous anger and open hostility."

The meeting, which would have marked the first face-to-face encounter between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader, was set for June 12 in Singapore.