North Korea says Seoul has lured and kidnapped 13 of its citizens.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov slams the ‘disproportionate’ build-up of US munitions on the embattled Korean Peninsula.

North Korea stages a live-fire military drill involving a simulated strike on the residence of the South Korean president.

The United States says it will go ahead with military exercises on the Korean peninsula despite a threat by Pyongyang. According to a State Department spokesman, Washington took the threat seriously but will not scale back the joint war games with Seoul that began on Monday. John Kirby added that North Korea's posturing only makes the annual military event more important for Washington which remains committed to South Korea's security. Earlier, North Korea announced putting its nuclear weapons on alert and warned of pre-emptive strikes against South Korea and the United States. In a statement, Pyongyang also called the Washington-Seoul military drills as the most blatant provocation to stir up a nuclear war.

North Korea's recent nuclear test was in response to America's refusal to negotiate a peace treaty aimed at formally ending the Korean War, an analyst says.

The US rejected talks with North Korea aimed at formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War.

North Korea says it has detained a US university student for committing “a hostile act” against the state.

South Korea resumes its propaganda broadcasts into North Korea across the border and Pyongyang increases the number of forward-deployed troops.

Officials from the two Koreas meet again for a second day in an effort to ease tensions.

South Korea vows to strengthen defense against what it says are threats, including by North Korea.