Lee Jae-myung's June peace gestures meet a Pyongyang that is fencing within 80m of the line and rebuffing the South's overtures
North Korea
April–May test launches and a fresh ICBM engine advance Pyongyang's modernisation as Washington's focus stays elsewhere
Beijing pulls Kim back into orbit after Russia's courtship — 'good neighbour, good friend, good comrade', and silence on the bomb
A 5,000-tonne destroyer for nuclear-capable missiles — built, Seoul says, with Russian help — as Kim pivots from missiles to ships and submarines
North Korea reveals a fresh uranium-enrichment hall — likely a third site — as Kim says weapons-grade output has more than doubled in five years