The launch event came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting Seoul for talks with South Korean allies over the North Korean nuclear threat and other issues.

North Korea launched a medium-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, South Korea’s military confirmed.

As Ukrainian forces mount a new offensive in Russia’s Kursk region, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday said that success in this region would improve Kyiv’s bargaining position in any future ceasefire negotiations.

Both Russian and Ukrainian official confirmed the fresh offensive into the Kursk region on Sunday. The Defense Ministry in Moscow said that Russian forces had pushed back Ukrainian troops, though online bloggers said Moscow faced major pressure.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during his visit to South Korea, stated that the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk region are crucial for future negotiations. “Their position in Kursk is an important one because certainly it's something that would factor in any negotiation that may come about in the coming year,

South Korea's political divisions are intensifying as opposition parties seek the arrest of impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol while Yoon's ruling party seeks to distance itself from the president to maintain its fragile grip on power,

Protesters have thronged the official residence of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, where officials trying to arrest him were blocked by security guards.