North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile toward waters off its east coast, hours after the outspoken sister of leader Kim Jong-un blasted as “fiction” accusations that her nation was exporting weapons to Russia.

The State Department said American Christina Chapman helped three North Koreans in an ‘illicit telework employment’ scheme that earned US$6.8 million for Pyongyang.

Analysts say the sudden two-tier rise of the warning despite no major events in progress for Seoul could signal precautions against a retaliation over a row on defected diplomats.

With wars raging in Ukraine, the Middle East, an emboldened North Korea, and the coming US presidential election, it is prudent Seoul not get involved in a potential Taiwan crisis, one expert said.

The move is in line with Pyongyang’s efforts to attract Iran to an alliance against the US and boost cooperation for mutual benefit, analyst notes.

Events used to lionise Kim’s grandfather and father have been reduced, a move that could put the focus on Kim’s own achievements and policies instead.

Chinese foreign ministry says China does not compete with other nations in military power and ‘firmly pursues a defensive national defence policy’.

Read on for a closer look at the potential conflict scenarios, after two prominent analysts set North Korea watchers’ tongues wagging by warning Kim ‘has made a strategic decision to go to war’.

The launch was overseen by Kim Jong-un, who said the weapon showed the ‘absolute superiority’ of Pyongyang’s defence technology.

US Treasury Department accused entities of channelling funds to North Korea’s weapons programmes. It said action was coordinated with South Korea.

US and China likely to continue developing hypersonic weapons while also improving their defensive capabilities to neutralise these systems: analyst.

The US secretary of state will meet South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul to explore how to boost their alliance and ‘extended deterrence’ against North Korea.

In video-link meeting with US representative Jung Pak, China’s envoy Liu Xiaoming says stable peninsula is in the interests of the region and the world.

‘Tangible’ takeaways from a potential Japan-North Korea summit, especially on the abduction issue, are required if Kishida hopes to use foreign relation wins to boost his domestic approval, analysts say.

North Korea extends its streak of weapons demonstrations with its fifth barrage of cruise missiles in the past month.

In a rare interview, the South Korean president said his wife had been ‘unable to cold-heartedly reject’ a pastor who gifted her a US$2,200 Dior bag. He also dismissed claims he was sacrificing ties with China.

In the first phone call between Wang Yi and Cho Tae-yul, Beijing vows to uphold ‘stability and continuity’ in its South Korea policy.

Under biting US sanctions, Iran denies any ambition to develop a nuclear weapons capability.

President Yoon Suk-yeol says the North has a history of carrying out ‘provocations’ before important polls in South Korea.

The former US national security adviser warns such a move would ‘further alienate Japan and South Korea, and extend China’s influence’.

Workers at a North Korea-run factory in China were said to have staged a deadly protest after learning their back pay had been transferred back to the regime.

The mooted visit to the North Korean capital would be the Russian leader’s first in over two decades. Analysts said the trip would help Kim Jong-un signal to China that he ‘still has partners’.