South Korea–United States relations

Major arms exporter South Korea is not ruling out providing weapons directly to Ukraine, President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday, signaling a possible shift in Seoul's stance on the issue.

Yoon also revealed he had discussed North Korea with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump in a phone conversation that laid the groundwork for a meeting in the "near future."

A man reads a newspaper displayed on a street for the public in Seoul on Oct. 21, 2024, showing a photo (L) of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (R) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin toasting at a banquet in Pyongyang earlier this year. (Photo by Anthony WALLACE / AFP)

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.

North Korea denounced on Sunday joint military drills by South Korea, Japan and the United States, calling them an "Asian version of NATO" and warning of "fatal consequences".

It comes a day after the allies wrapped up three-day exercises, dubbed "Freedom Edge", in ballistic missile and air defences, anti-submarine warfare and defensive cyber training.

North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations said efforts to set up a new panel to monitor sanctions against his country would end in failure, state media reported on Sunday.

Kim Song's comments come after Russia's veto in March which effectively ended official U.N. monitoring of sanctions imposed on the isolated country for its pursuit of banned nuclear and weapons programmes.

North Korea has tested a "super-large warhead" designed for a strategic cruise missile, state media said Saturday, the most recent test since U.N. sanctions monitoring against the nuclear-armed nation was upended last month by Russia.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told his top military officers to use maximum force against South Korea and the United States if they initiate a military confrontation, state media reported Monday.

Seoul and Washington have ramped up defence cooperation in the face of a record-breaking series of weapons tests by Pyongyang over the past year.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wrapped up the year with fresh threats of a nuclear attack on Seoul and orders for a military arsenal build-up to prepare for a war that can "break out any time" on the peninsula, state media reported Sunday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged his party to "accelerate" war preparations including its nuclear programme, state media said Thursday.

The comments came just a week after Kim warned Pyongyang would not hesitate to launch a nuclear attack if "provoked" with nukes.

South Korea has sanctioned the head of North Korea's intelligence agency over illicit cyber activities following Pyongyang's recent launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said yesterday.