A North Korean man crossed the DMZ on foot before midnight Thursday, asking South Korean troops for help in a rare defection through the fortified border.

The Wonsan Kalma resort was opened in a grand ceremony last month by North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, who hailed it as a "world-class tourist and cultural destination". The details of how this resort was built have been shrouded in secrecy in a country largely closed to the outside world.

The top uniformed defense officials of Japan, the United States and South Korea have reaffirmed cooperation to address challenges posed by North Korea.

China has traditionally viewed North Korea as a security buffer and an ideologically aligned neighbor it can dominate.

The Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, unveiled in a ceremony on June 24, is found on North Korea’s eastern coast.

Kim Woo-young of South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party is set to visit Washington later this month as a special envoy for President Lee Jae-myung. On July 23, Kim will deliver the president’s message at the Korea Peace Forum,

North Korea has reported its first known set of quintuplets, according to a July 10 report by the Choson Sinbo.

North Korea will not abandon its nuclear weapons. This is not a matter of opinion, but a strategic fact rooted in decades of historical precedent, failed diplomacy and shifting global dynamics.