North Korea

Monday's test was North Korea's fourth launch in under two weeks. By contrast, it took the North 10 months to conduct that many ballistic missile tests last year.

The tests of the fast and maneuverable class of weapons that purport to be able to evade missile defense systems, has garnered the attention of the White House, which responded with new sanctions.

The U.S. is also proposing U.N. sanctions in response to North Korea's six ballistic missile launches since September, each of which it says "were in violation of UN Security Council resolutions."

The launch corresponded with an unexplained order by the FAA to ground some flights on the U.S. West Coast.

The potential upgrade at a U.S. air defense base, within range of missiles in North Korea and China, has residents concerned as Seoul walks a delicate balancing act between the rival powers.

In a speech at a key political conference, Kim Jong Un vowed to further bolster his military capability, maintain draconian anti-virus measures and push hard to improve the economy.

As North Korea's dictator marks a milestone on Friday, he might be facing his toughest moment yet, as crushing sanctions, the pandemic and growing economic trouble converge

The move has raised questions about the sincerity of Pyongyang's recent offer for talks with South Korea.

North and South Korea have reopened a hotline that was closed for nearly 14 months. "We hope that inter-Korean communications are never again suspended," a South Korean official said.

The North Korean leader didn't say exactly what the incident was, nor did he contradict the country's official line, which is that it has not had a single COVID-19 infection so far.

Earlier this week, the U.S. and other leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations issued a statement calling for North Korea to abandon its nuclear program and return to talks.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will meet with President Biden on Friday. He sees this year as representing "the last opportunity to move from an incomplete peace toward one that is irreversible."