For Josh Smith's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
About 187,800 people are being treated in isolation after a fever of unidentified origin has "explosively spread nationwide" since late April, the KCNA news agency said.
Sung Kim and his deputy, Jung Pak, met South Korean officials, including nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk, after arriving in Seoul for a five-day visit.
Officials praised Kim's leadership in developing nuclear weapons, touted his political achievements, and unveiled new portraits and exhibitions to celebrate.
Despite Russia having used hundred of powerful missiles against Ukraine in recent days, analysts and U.S. officials say many Ukrainian defenses remain intact.
The country is not known to have imported any COVID-19 vaccines, though media reports have suggested at least some key people, such as border control officials, may have been vaccinated.
International tension has been rising over a recent series of North Korean ballistic missile tests, with January being a record month with at least seven launches.
A spate of tests in January has underscored the nuclear-armed state's rapidly expanding and advancing arsenal amid stalled denuclearization talks.
The incident took place for about six hours on Wednesday morning local time, and came a day after North Korea conducted its fifth missile test this month.
North Korea’s flurry of new missile tests has underscored the importance of the country’s missile engineers and scientists, a high-profile group that remains opaque to outsiders.
In the 10 years since he came to power, North Korea has cracked down on people trying to get out of the country, leaving many defectors without hope of seeing their families again.
