A US reconnaissance aircraft's flight near China and North Korea has unveiled a layer of mystery, leaving many to wonder about the mission's true intent.

As North Korean troops dispatched to Russia become increasingly involved in combat with Ukraine, China is upping its pressure on North Korea with crackdowns on North Korean workers.

(Reuters) - Russia signed a strategic partnership treaty with Iran on Friday that follows similar pacts with China and North Korea. All three countries are adversaries of the United States, and Russia has used its ties with them to help blunt the impact of Western sanctions and boost its war effort in Ukraine.

South Korea's defence ministry said on Tuesday the denuclearisation of North Korea must continue to be the goal necessary for lasting global peace, after reports that U.S. President Donald Trump had called Pyongyang "a nuclear power.

The impeached president is using unsubstantiated claims of election interference by China and North Korea to justify his failed self-coup bid.

The U.S. Air Force has maintained a rotational presence of fighter jets at Kadena Air Base in Japan, which serves as an air power hub in the first island chain.

With the fate of suspended South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol hanging in the balance, the country has also been left facing an uncertain future as it battles through the resulting political turmoil.

North Korea's state media on Wednesday reported U.S. President Donald Trump's inauguration but without any commentary on his presidency, but did accuse the United States of committing atrocities during the 1950-53 Korean War.

North Korea has renamed its DMZ entry permits and expanded travel permits for citizens of the capital, Daily NK has learned.

The US special operations forces, now pivotal in cyber and space, focus on countering China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, leveraging alliances and providing strategic advantages to the US

The loose arrangement of hostile powers could pose a series of conundrums for President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state.

John Kirby, White House national security communications adviser, said of Hegseth's remarks on North Korea's status as a nuclear power: "We've not made such a recognition. I can't speak to what the incoming team will—how they'll characterize it. We've not gone so far as to make that recognition."