South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol says Seoul must “retaliate against any provocation” by North Korea without fear and hesitation despite Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons.

The South Korean government has ordered striking truckers in the steel and petrochemical industries to return to work, amid a prolonged nationwide strike that has disrupted supply chains and affected the country's economy.

The US and South Korea claim that North Korea has finished preparations for conducting a fresh nuclear test.

North Korea has bluntly spurned Seoul's offer of economic support in exchange for denuclearization, calling South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol "simple" and "childish".