Russia and North Korea are meeting for a three-day visit that is already sending other countries into a tailspin, as World War 3 fears mount.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will travel to North Korea in the latest sign of the countries’ deepening ties during Russia’s war in Ukraine.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, front right, meets with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, left, at the headquarters of the ruling Workers' Party at Pyongyang, North Korea. Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP

Thus far, however, he has said comparatively little about the growing strength of the Kim regime in North Korea, leading some analysts to suggest the administration is neglecting one of the most critical security issues in Asia.

SEOUL - In the year since North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Russia’s Vladimir Putin signed a landmark defense pact, their relationship has become demonstrably stronger, not least through Kim’s decision to dispatch at least 12,

South Korea on Wednesday repatriated six North Koreans across the maritime border in the East Sea, months after they drifted into southern waters and were rescued.

While most embassies to North Korea operate out of Beijing, Türkiye’s ambassador to Pyongyang remains concurrently accredited from Seoul. This gives Ankara a potentially crucial backchannel role in de-escalation diplomacy, especially at a time when North Korea’s traditional diplomatic channels have nearly collapsed since the pandemic.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report on Tuesday criticizing South Korea's age-based employment laws and policies, finding that they systematically discriminated against older workers in

Rubio and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum, which brings together 10 ASEAN members and their most important diplomatic partners including Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, European nations and the U.S.