North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called a meeting with his senior military officials to discuss national defense policies and plans for further arms buildup, amid escalating tensions with the United States and South Korea over Pyongyang's recent missile tests.

Iran says it is waiting to see if new South Korea government will take concrete action on blocked funds.

New South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has moved his office closer to a US military base in the center of Seoul, and opened a park in the area on a trial basis.

South Korea FM says more talks are needed with Iran and the US for release of Iranian funds.

A strike by truckers in South Korea has disrupted shipments of a key cleaning agent used by makers of semiconductor chips to China.

South Korean truckers, on their seventh day of nationwide strikes, are considering blocking coal shipments to a power plant if the government turns down their demands.

North Korea test-fired suspected artillery pieces into the sea on Sunday, according to the South Korean military, days after Kim Jong-un vowed to enhance the country's military power in the face of foreign threats.