Korean Central News Agency

North Korea will halt all road and rail connections with South Korea starting Wednesday in an effort to "completely separate" the two nations. The North's military announced plans to "permanently shut off and block the southern border" while reinforcing positions on its side of the boundary.

The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has signaled that he will speed up procedures to make his country a military superpower with nuclear weapons, the use of which he would not rule out if attacked, state news agency KCNA reported today.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday told his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un that Beijing hoped to "deepen friendly... cooperation" with Pyongyang, as the two leaders exchanged messages to mark a major diplomatic anniversary.

South Korea is closely observing reports suggesting that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may have executed officials in response to flood-related casualties earlier this year, according to local media in Seoul. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) of South Korea is said to be monitoring the situation after detecting potential signs of such actions, as reported by Yonhap.

China's top legislator and a senior North Korean official emphasised opening a "new chapter" of Beijing-Pyongyang relations, the North's state media said Saturday, as they met for one of the most high-level talks between the allies in years.

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.

North Korea said on Monday it had developed a new control system for a multiple rocket launcher that would lead to a "qualitative change" in its defence capabilities.

The order comes after US and South Korean forces released footage from a joint exercise that simulated the removal of the North Korean leader.

China's vice foreign minister met with North Korea's top diplomats in Pyongyang on Friday, state media said, as the nuclear-armed state has accelerated its weapons testing and threats toward Seoul in recent months.

Barely two weeks into 2024, tensions on the Korean Peninsula are rapidly escalating, as IFIMES Institute was periodically writing.