Aftermath of the Korean War

Japan and South Korea, whom the US is trying to involve in provocations against North Korea, will become the first victims if conflict breaks out in the region, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned.

The United States warned North Korea's leadership it would be "utterly destroyed" if war were to break out after Pyongyang test fired its most advanced missile, putting the U.S. mainland within range, in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, Reuters.

The United States has asked China to cut off oil supply to North Korea, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Wednesday, warning that "if war comes, make no mistake, the North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed," Reuters reported.

North Korean troops who were unable to stop one of their colleagues defecting across the border on November 13 have been replaced. South Korean intelligence sources told Yonhap news agency that border security personnel at the Joint Security Area have been withdrawn after the most high-profile defection across the Demilitarised Zone in decades, Daily Telegraphreported. 

A North Korean defector shot at least five times as he dashed across the Demilitarised Zone has woken up, as video of his desperate dash to freedom was released.

The man, a North Korean soldier, was found unconscious and critically injured under a pile of leaves on the southern side of the Joint Security Area (JSA) after fleeing amid a hail of at least 40 gunshots on November 13.

An experienced South Korean surgeon operating on a defector from North Korea has described his shock upon finding dozens of unusual parasites inside the man’s stomach, suggesting widespread health issues among the population of the secretive state.

The situation around North Korea's nuclear and missile programs requires urgent action, US President Donald Trump said after his Asian tour.

In another aggressive warning Donald Trump threatened North Korea, Nova TV reported. In a speech before the South Korean Parliament, he said, "Do not underestimate us, do not test our patience."

The US president also turned to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying the weapons he obtained for Pyongyang did not make the country more secure but exposed the regime to a "death threat".

 NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg urged all United Nation members on Tuesday to fully and transparently implement sanctions against North Korea, which he said has emerged as a global threat able to fire ballistic missiles as far as Europe and North America, reported Reuters. 

North Korean hackers stole a vast cache of data, including classified wartime contingency plans jointly drawn by the United States and South Korea, when they breached the computer network of the South Korean military last year, a South Korean lawmaker said Tuesday.