Australia is conducting an active mission to monitor North Korea's illegal ship-to-ship transfers of sanctioned goods.

State media said the sea-to-surface cruise missiles fired Tuesday flew for more than two hours before accurately striking targets in its western waters.

North Korea's top diplomat has visited the Kremlin for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting follows last month's meeting between Putin and Kim Jong Un in Beijing.

The launches follow North Korea’s tests of short-range ballistic missiles last week, which it said involved a new hypersonic weapon intended to bolster its nuclear deterrent.

Kim Jong Un made the comments at the groundbreaking ceremony for a memorial for North Korean soldiers who fought for Russia in its war with Ukraine, state media said.

A North Korean soldier has defected to South Korea across the rivals’ heavily fortified border. The South Korean military says it took the custody of the soldier who crossed the central portion of the land border on Sunday.

For the families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean agents decades ago, this week is perhaps the best shot they’ve had in years of substantive progress.

Kim Namjoon also mentioned many other important points in his speech. As an artist, BTS' RM urged the guests at the APEC CEO Summit to help creators and artists around them. He requested them to offer financial help to emerging artists so that their creativity can bloom. He added that this will eventually lead to the growth of culture and economy.