SEOUL - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for bolstering nuclear forces this year during a visit to a nuclear material production base and nuclear weapons institute, state media KCNA reported on Wednesday.

North Korea is preparing to send Russia more than 100 artillery systems – originally designed to flatten Seoul – to be used in its war against Ukraine.

The new premier of North Korea has been sworn in during a two-day parliamentary meeting in Pyongyang. State media on Friday broadcast footage of Pak Thae Song addressing parliament during the key session.

North Korea has test-fired sea-to-surface strategic guided cruise missiles, state news agency KCNA reported Sunday, adding that the weapons "precisely" hit their targets.

Trump’s acknowledgment of North Korea as a “nuclear power” risks granting legitimacy to Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal. For decades North Korea has sought international recognition as a legitimate nuclear state despite facing and sanctions diplomatic isolation aimed at curbing its nuclear ambitions.

North Korean troops' limited combat experience and unfamiliarity with the terrain of the Russian-Ukrainian battlefields have contributed to heavy losses.

Budanov said North Korea has sent 120 self-propelled howitzers and 120 MLRS to Russia, and is likely to send the same number again.

What do George Wallace, Hubert Humphrey, Henry Jackson, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan have in common? Each would have made a better president for the years 1977-1981 than Jimmy Carter.

According to General Budanov, Kim Jong-un has handed over at least 120 M1989 Koksan artillery systems to Russia over the past three months, as well as 120 M1991 multiple rocket launchers. Speaking to The Warzone, he said Pyongyang was preparing a new shipment of hardware, which analysts say is on its way.

While Russia has received support from various allies, recent reports suggest a growing presence of North Korean troops on the battlefield. Their involvement raises questions about their role in the conflict and the equipment they bring to the fight.

The North Korean troops fighting for Russia are highly trained and will stop at nothing to avoid surrender, Ukrainian sources tell Sam Kiley, The Independent’s World Affairs Editor, in Sumy