North Korea

Kim Jong-nam's body released to North Korea

Prime Minister Najib Razak said a coroner had approved the release of Kim Jong-nam's body.

Mr Kim was murdered at Kuala Lumpur airport with a lethal nerve agent last month.

The assassination led to a major diplomatic dispute between Malaysia and North Korea.

Malaysia has not directly blamed North Korea for the killing, but there is widespread suspicion that Pyongyang was responsible.

Meanwhile, nine Malaysians who had been barred from leaving North Korea returned to Malaysia early on Friday. They include three embassy staff and six family members.

North Korea missile launch 'fails'

"South Korea and the United States are aware of the North Korean missile launch and suspect it was a failure," said a spokesman for Seoul's military.

It is not clear how many missiles were fired or what type was being tested.

North Korea has conducted missile tests with increasing frequency and experts say this is likely to lead to advances in its missile technology.

Earlier this month, the North fired four missiles that flew about 1,000km (620 miles) landing in Japanese waters.

North Korea is banned from any missile or nuclear tests by the United Nations.

Military action against North Korea an option 'on the table': Tillerson

Mr Tillerson outlined the tougher strategy to confront North Korea's nuclear threat while visiting South Korea on his three-country tour of Asia.

He also closed the door on talks with Pyongyang unless it denuclearised and gave up its weapons of mass destruction.

When asked about the possibility of using military force, Mr Tillerson told a news conference in the South Korean capital: "All of the options are on the table".

Child's DNA used to identify Kim Jong Nam's body, police say

Kim Jong Nam was killed February 13 in what Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has called an assassination attempt. Kim was at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on his way to Macau when two women wiped his face with the highly lethal VX nerve agent, killing him in 20 minutes, Malaysian police said.

Both South Korea and Malaysia accuse Pyongyang of killing Kim. North Korea strongly denies the allegation.

Tillerson to warn China of sanctions over North Korea

Tillerson will deliver this message on his first official trip to Asia, a three-country tour that promises to be a tightrope walk of diplomatic tensions -- and nowhere more so than in Beijing, North Korea's closest ally and protector.

Kim Jong-nam death: Malaysian UN workers leave North Korea

The pair, who are employed by the World Food Programme (WFP), arrived in Beijing on Thursday.

North Korea and Malaysia on Tuesday banned each other's citizens from leaving, in a row over the killing of the North Korean leader's half-brother.

Kim Jong-nam was killed with a potent nerve agent at Kuala Lumpur airport.

Malaysia has not directly blamed North Korea for this, but there is widespread suspicion Pyongyang was responsible.

Malaysia blames North Korea for Kim Jong Nam's death

It comes amid a deepening diplomatic row over the February killing of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's half-brother at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2.

"What we are facing now is the result of their action in assassinating their own citizen in Malaysia, on Malaysian soil, using a strictly banned chemical weapon," Najib told state media agency Bernama Wednesday.

A press official for Najib confirmed the comments to CNN. North Korea has repeatedly denied any involvement in Kim Jong Nam's murder.

Malaysia accuses North Korea of holding citizens 'hostage'

North Korean state media reported Tuesday that Pyongyang will not allow Malaysian nationals inside North Korea to leave until Kuala Lumpur guarantees the safety of its own diplomats and citizens in Malaysia.

Of the Malaysians believed to be in North Korea, four are embassy staff and their families, plus two United Nations employees, a Malaysian government official told CNN.

"This abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage, is in total disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms," Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a statement Tuesday.

Malaysians 'banned from leaving North Korea'

The state news agency KCNA said the ban would stay in place "until the incident that happened in Malaysia is properly solved".

Mr Kim, the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader, was killed in Malaysia last month.

North Korea has denied accusations that it carried out the killing.

North Korea fires four ballistic missiles into Sea of Japan, PM Abe says

The move comes as South Korea and the United States are holding their joint military exercises, which Pyongyang sees as preparations for an invasion.

Kwon Ki-joon, a spokesman for the South Korea Defense Ministry spokesman, said "several projectiles" flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles).

The firing took place in Tongchang-ri, in the country's North Pyongan province, and the projectiles are believed to have landed in the Sea of Japan, which is also known as the East Sea, according to a South Korean Defense Ministry official.