North Korea

S Korean leader urges defectors: Come to 'bosom of freedom'

In a speech, President Park Geun-Hye said she was aware of the "gruesome realities" North Koreans face daily.

"We will keep the road open for you to find hope and live a new life," she said. "Please come to the bosom of freedom in the South."

Her comments come after a North Korean soldier crossed the heavily-protected Demilitarized Zone to the South.

"The universal values of freedom, democracy, human rights and welfare are the precious rights you should also enjoy," she said in a speech to mark the country's armed forces day.

US slaps sanctions on Chinese firm over North Korea ties

Dandong Hongxiang is accused of acting on behalf of a North Korean bank that is on a UN sanctions list to stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

The sanctions come after North Korea sparked a global outcry this month byconducting its fifth nuclear test.

The engineering company and its bosses are also under investigation by Chinese authorities.

North Korea: US faces consequences

Ri's comments came as the US and Asian nations gathered in New York Friday with a fresh reminder of what they consider the gravest threat facing the region: North Korea's announcement this week that it had successfully tested its most powerful rocket engine yet.

The test Tuesday was followed by a US show of force, as the Pentagon on Wednesday flew two B-1B bombers alongside the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea, setting the the stage for US-South Korea joint military exercises in October that will include a simulated nuclear facility strike.

South Korea reveals it has a plan to assassinate Kim Jong Un

Asked in parliament Wednesday if there was a special forces unit already assembled that could eliminate North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, Han Min-koo said: "Yes, we do have such a plan. "

"South Korea has a general idea and plan to use precision missile capabilities to target the enemy's facilities in major areas as well as eliminating the enemy's leadership," he added.

It has long been suspected that such a plan was in place but the minister's candid answer surprised some.

PNG condemns North Korea’s nuclear test

The test had strained the nerves of neighboring countries and caused a 5.0-magnitude quake, with an epicenter at zero kilometer depth, in Punggye-ri, northeastern Korean Peninsula, a place believed to be Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK’s) nuclear test site.

Speaking on behalf of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and the Government of Papua New Guinea at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration, Rimbink Pato joins the rest of the international community and condemned the action by DPRK.

North Korea's ground test of rocket engine is 'a success'

Kim Jong-un, the country's leader, asked scientists and engineers to make preparations for a satellite launch as soon as possible, KCNA reported.

It is the latest in a series of missile-related tests this year.

Meanwhile, the US and China have agreed to step up co-operation at the UN to address the North's fifth nuclear test.

North Korea conducts 'fifth and biggest nuclear test'

South Korean President Park Geun-hye called it an act of "self-destruction" which showed the "maniacal recklessness" of leader Kim Jong-un.

It was detected as a 5.3 magnitude quake close to the nuclear test site.

The North has not commented, but analysts fear this could be a sign of the rogue state's nuclear progress.

Previous artificial earthquakes in the same area and of that magnitude have all been nuclear tests.

North Korea executes top education official, South Korea says

Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon Hee held a press conference early on Wednesday to address media reports of a public execution of a senior-level North Korean official.

Two other officials, Kim Yong Chol, the head of North Korea's United Front Department (UFD), and a senior member of North Korea's propaganda department, received "revolutionary measures," commonly referred to as re-education, according to the spokesman.

No other details are immediately available.

North Korea submarine fires ballistic missile

The KN-11 missile was launched off the coast of Sinpo and flew about 500km (300 miles) before falling into the Sea of Japan, a US official said.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the missile had fallen inside Japan's Air Defence Identification Zone.

North Korea, believed to be developing nuclear weapons, is banned by the UN from any use of ballistic missiles.

The reported test follows an attempted launch last month that South Korea said failed in its initial flight stage.

North Korean athlete selfie: What happens next?

But as North Korea analyst and sports fan Michael Madden explains, that is unlikely to be the case.

North Korea has pursued "sports diplomacy" as a matter of national policy since the 1980s.

It is one - distinctly non-politicised - way for the politically isolated North to interact with the outside world and benefit from intercultural contact and exchanges.