Kim Jong Un made the comments at the groundbreaking ceremony for a memorial for North Korean soldiers who fought for Russia in its war with Ukraine, state media said.

For the first time since the survey began more than a decade ago, most South Koreans don't see the need to unify the peninsula.

A North Korean soldier has defected to South Korea across the rivals’ heavily fortified border. The South Korean military says it took the custody of the soldier who crossed the central portion of the land border on Sunday.

At a military parade earlier this month, Kim Jong-un unveiled some of his military's newest weapons, including what appeared to be a short-range ballistic system fitted with hypersonic glide vehicles.

South Korea is stepping up its security measures in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, which hosts the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit of 21 member economies next week, with large-scale field exercises held and higher terrorism-alert levels imposed.

South Korean defense minister Ahn Gyu-back said the Hyunmoo-5 missile, which carries a heavy warhead, will enter operational deployment by the end of this year.