North Korea

The South resumed the daily loudspeaker broadcasts in June last year in retaliation for North Korea flying trash-laden balloons toward the South in a psychological warfare campaign.

The North Korean announcement came two days after Russia said its troops have fully reclaimed the Kursk region. Ukrainian officials denied the claim.

The U.S. says 8,000 North Korean soldiers are in Russia preparing to fight against Ukrainian troops in the coming days.

North Korea confirmed the launch hours after its neighbors detected the firing of what they suspected was a new weapon.

Russian President Vladimir Putin neither confirms nor denies the presence of North Korean troops in Ukraine. Putin’s comments came during a press conference at a Russian-hosted summit for the world’s top developing economies.

The deployment raises the potential for the North Koreans to join Russian forces in Ukraine and suggests expanded military ties between the two nations as Moscow seeks weapons and troops.