Seoul's Unification Ministry on Tuesday publicly called for Pyongyang to respond to its plan to repatriate the remains of a North Korean national found in June.

In rare twin statements, Kim Jong-un’s powerful sister dismissed the idea of US outreach and demanded ‘nuclear weapons state’ recognition.

North Korea has rejected recent proposals by South Korea’s government to ease tensions between the two countries. The communist country cited South Korea’s cooperation and strong ties with the U.S. as the main reasons for spurning de-escalation attempts.

Russia and North Korea resume direct flights after 30 years, paving way for deeper trade and technology cooperation.