The supreme leader of North Korea has tried to hide the true purpose of the military site - but global analysts say sand traps with launch pads pose a slight giveaway

But analysts suggest Washington may be open to resuming talks with North Korea, with Moscow potentially playing the role of mediator.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Thursday that Moscow believes Pyongyang's measures to 'strengthen defense capabilities' are 'fully justified under conditions of current escalation' - Anadolu

An attack on South Korean reactors or spent fuel storage pools would release large amounts of radioactivity and cause massive evacuations, diverting attention from a possible strategic crisis in East Asia.

It marked the first time that such aid to North Korea has come to zero since South Korea began providing humanitarian assistance in 1995, when torrential rain and flooding in the

North Korea has stopped tourists visiting weeks after reopening its borders to westerners for the first time in five years. Travellers from the West were allowed into the country in February after Pyongyang continued to lift restrictions introduced during the Covid pandemic.

South Korea relies on security guarantees from the US to deter North Korean aggression, providing sites that host about 28,500 American troops. Earlier in March, a nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier docked at a South Korean port, prompting the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to denounce the deployment of strategic assets in the region.

South Korea's humanitarian assistance to longtime rival North Korea reached zero last year for the first time in nearly 30 years as Pyongyang refused to accept aid.