North Korea ignores a hotline call from South Korea, Seoul says, hours after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister warned the South and the US over annual joint military exercises, and shortly after the two Koreas agreed to reestablish the emergency communication line.

Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has warned that a planned joint US-South Korea military exercise will undercut a renewed push for diplomacy.

North and South Korea are planning to reopen a joint liaison office and hold a summit as part of efforts to restore inter-Korean relations.

Two days ahead of a summit with US President Joe Biden, South Korean President Moon Jae-in seeks to use the opportunity of his visit to Washington to revive long-stalled talks with North Korea.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in plans to use his final year in office to reach an “irreversible peace” on the Korean Peninsula.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in urges US President Joe Biden to initiate a new round of diplomacy with North Korea, following unsuccessful talks between Pyongyang and the former US administration that Seoul also brokered.

Tensions between the two sides have escalated after North Korea last week launched a new type of tactical short-range ballistic missile, which angered the US.

More than 300 domestic departures were cancelled.