N. Korea hints at resuming nuclear, ICBM tests to counter U.S.

North Korea on Thursday hinted at resuming nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests, saying it may restart "activities" that it had temporarily suspended to build trust with former U.S. President Donald Trump. A key ruling party gathering held Wednesday concluded that North Korea should take "practical action to more reliably and effectively increase our physical strength" to counter the United States, the official Korean Central News Agency reported. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who held talks with Trump three times, presided over the meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, according to KCNA. People wearing face masks walk in Pyongyang on Jan. 20, 2022, amid worries over the novel coronavirus.

Japan's defense minister on N. Korea missile test

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi speaks in Tokyo on Jan. 18, 2022, about the previous day's test-firing of ballistic missiles by North Korea, Pyongyang's fourth missile testing since the beginning of the year.

Japan PM Kishida

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives at his office in Tokyo on Jan. 17, 2022. Japan said North Korea fired two ballistic missiles eastward toward the Sea of Japan the same day in Pyongyang's fourth launch in two weeks.

Projectile firing by North Korea

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi (R) meets the press in Tokyo on Jan. 17, 2022, after the South Korean military said North Korea fired an unidentified projectile earlier in the day eastward toward the Sea of Japan.

N. Korea fires 2 ballistic missiles

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi (C) meets the press in Tokyo on Jan. 17, 2022, saying North Korea fired two ballistic missiles eastward earlier in the day.

Dandong railway station in China

Photo taken Dec. 20, 2021, shows Dandong railway station in the Chinese border city with North Korea.

Bridge connecting China and N. Korea

Photo taken Dec. 20, 2021, from the Chinese city of Dandong shows the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge connecting with the North Korean town of Sinuiju.

Japan defense minister on N. Korean missile launch

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi (front R) speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Jan. 14, 2022, following reports of yet another North Korean missile launch toward the Sea of Japan.

North Korean abduction issue

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno (2nd from R) receives a written request from Kanagawa Gov. Yuji Kuroiwa (2nd from L) at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Jan. 14, 2022, seeking the return of abducted Japanese citizens from North Korea. Standing left is Niigata Gov. Hideyo Hanazumi and right is Tottori Gov. Shinji Hirai.

Japan defense minister on N. Korean missile launch

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi (C) speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Jan. 14, 2022, following reports of yet another North Korean missile launch toward the Sea of Japan.

Japan defense minister on N. Korean missile launch

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Jan. 12, 2022, regarding a missile launch by North Korea the previous day.

Japan's foreign minister on N. Korea's firing of projectile

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Jan. 11, 2022, following reports that North Korea fired a projectile toward the Sea of Japan earlier in the day.

Scene of North Korea

Photo taken from the Chinese border city of Dandong in December 2021 shows buildings in North Korea.

Japan defense minister on N. Korea's missile test

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Jan. 6, 2022, after North Korea confirmed the previous day's test-firing of a newly developed hypersonic missile.

N. Korea rally to support party's decisions

A major outdoor rally is staged in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Jan. 5, 2022, in support of decisions made at a recent policy meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea.

N. Korea rally to support party's decisions

A major outdoor rally is staged in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Jan. 5, 2022, in support of decisions made at a recent policy meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea.

N. Korea rally to support party's decisions

A major outdoor rally is staged in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Jan. 5, 2022, in support of decisions made at a recent policy meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea.

N. Korea rally to support party's decisions

A major outdoor rally is staged in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Jan. 5, 2022, in support of decisions made at a recent policy meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea.

N. Korea rally to support party's decisions

A major outdoor rally is staged in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Jan. 5, 2022, in support of decisions made at a recent policy meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea.

N. Korea rally to support party's decisions

A major outdoor rally is staged in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Jan. 5, 2022, in support of decisions made at a recent policy meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea.

N. Korea fires suspected ballistic missile

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (far R) speaks to reporters at his office in Tokyo on Jan. 5, 2022, after North Korea fired what appears to be a ballistic missile.

N. Korea fires suspected ballistic missile

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi (R) speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Jan. 5, 2022, after North Korea fired what appears to be a ballistic missile.

N. Korea fires suspected ballistic missile

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters at his office in Tokyo on Jan. 5, 2022, after North Korea fired what appears to be a ballistic missile.

N. Korea fires suspected ballistic missile

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters at his office in Tokyo on Jan. 5, 2022, after North Korea fired what appears to be a ballistic missile.

New Year in Pyongyang

PYONGYANG, North Korea, Dec. 31, 2021-Jan. 1,2022 Kyodo - People attend a New Year's Eve celebration event on Dec. 31, 2021. Fireworks are displayed in Pyongyang as people celebrate New Year. North Korea's flag is hoisted at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang as the country celebrates New Year on Jan. 1, 2022.

Scene from Pyongyang

PYONGYANG, North Korea, Dec. 31 Kyodo - People wearing face masks walk on a snow-covered street in Pyongyang on Dec. 31, 2021.

Scene of North Korea

Photo taken from the Chinese city of Dandong in late December 2021 shows fences set along the Yalu River on the North Korean side.

Scene of North Korea

Photo taken from the Chinese city of Dandong in late December 2021 shows North Korean soldiers training near a border control force station in their country's Uiju county.

Scene of North Korea

Photo taken from the Chinese city of Dandong in late December 2021 shows North Korean soldiers training in a border control force station in their country's Uiju county.

Scene of North Korea

PYONGYANG,North Korea and DANDONG, China, Dec. 28 Kyodo -1) People walk on a street in Pyongyang on Dec. 28, 2021.2)Video taken from the Chinese city of Dandong in late December 2021 shows North Korean soldiers training in a border control force station in their country's Uiju county.

Scene of North Korea

Photo taken from the Chinese city of Dandong in late December 2021 shows fences set along the Yalu River on the North Korean side.

Shigeo Iizuka, ex-head of N. Korea abductee kin group, dies at 83

Sakie Yokota, whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, speaks to reporters in Kawasaki, near Tokyo, on Dec. 18, 2021, after Shigeo Iizuka, the former head of a group representing families of Japanese abductees, died earlier in the day at the age of 83.

Japan PM Kishida on death of ex-head of abductee kin group

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks in Tokyo on Dec. 18, 2021, after Shigeo Iizuka, the former head of a group representing families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea, died at the age of 83. (Pool photo)

Shigeo Iizuka, ex-head of N. Korea abductee kin group, dies at 83

File photo taken in July 2014 shows Shigeo Iizuka, head of a group representing families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea, makes a speech in Sendai, northeastern Japan, holding a photo of his abducted younger sister Yaeko Taguchi. Iizuka died on Dec. 18, 2021, at the age of 83.

Shigeo Iizuka, ex-head of N. Korea abductee kin group, dies at 83

Takuya Yokota, head of a group representing families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea, speaks to reporters in Yokohama, near Tokyo, on Dec. 18, 2021, after his predecessor Shigeo Iizuka died earlier in the day at the age of 83.

Shigeo Iizuka, ex-head of N. Korea abductee kin group, dies at 83

File photo taken Nov. 13, 2021, shows Shigeo Iizuka, head of a group representing families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea, makes a speech in Tokyo during a rally calling for the return of abductees. Iizuka died at the age of 83 on Dec. 18, a week after he stepped down from his post due to poor health.

Shigeo Iizuka, ex-head of N. Korea abductee kin group, dies at 83

File photo taken in March 2009 shows Shigeo Iizuka (L), head of a group representing families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea, hands a gift to former North Korean agent Kim Hyon Hui in Busan, South Korea. Iizuka died on Dec. 18, 2021, at the age of 83.

10th anniversary of death of Kim Jong Il

People offer flowers at Mansu Hill in Pyongyang on Dec. 16, 2021, a day ahead of the 10th anniversary of the death of North Korea's second leader Kim Jong Il.

10th anniversary of death of Kim Jong Il

People visit Mansu Hill in Pyongyang to offer flowers on Dec. 17, 2021, the 10th anniversary of the death of North Korea's second leader Kim Jong Il.

10th anniversary of death of Kim Jong Il

North Korean citizens hold a moment of silence in Pyongyang on Dec. 17, 2021, the 10th anniversary of the death of North Korea's second leader Kim Jong Il.

10th anniversary of death of Kim Jong Il

North Korean citizens hold a moment of silence in Pyongyang on Dec. 17, 2021, the 10th anniversary of the death of North Korea's second leader Kim Jong Il.

10th anniversary of death of Kim Jong Il

People offer flowers at Mansu Hill in Pyongyang on Dec. 17, 2021, the 10th anniversary of the death of North Korea's second leader Kim Jong Il.

10th anniversary of death of Kim Jong Il

People visit Mansu Hill in Pyongyang on Dec. 16, 2021, a day ahead of the 10th anniversary of the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

10th anniversary of death of Kim Jong Il

North Korean citizens hold a moment of silence in Pyongyang on Dec. 17, 2021, the 10th anniversary of the death of North Korea's second leader Kim Jong Il. On Mansu Hill in the heart of Pyongyang on Friday, citizens laid flowers and bowed in front of the giant statues of Kim Jong Il and his father and the county's founder Kim Il Sung, who died in 1994.

10th anniversary of death of Kim Jong Il

North Korean citizens hold a moment of silence in Pyongyang on Dec. 17, 2021, the 10th anniversary of the death of North Korea's second leader Kim Jong Il.

10th anniversary of death of Kim Jong Il

North Korean soldiers visit Mansu Hill in Pyongyang on Dec. 17, 2021, the 10th anniversary of the death of the country's second leader Kim Jong Il. Statues of North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung (L) and his son Kim Jong Il can be seen in the background.

10th anniversary of death of Kim Jong Il

People visit Mansu Hill in Pyongyang to offer flowers on Dec. 17, 2021, the 10th anniversary of the death of North Korea's second leader Kim Jong Il.

10th anniversary of death of Kim Jong Il

People offer flowers at Mansu Hill in Pyongyang on Dec. 17, 2021, the 10th anniversary of the death of North Korea's second leader Kim Jong Il.

10th anniversary of death of Kim Jong Il

North Korean citizens hold a moment of silence in Pyongyang on Dec. 17, 2021, the 10th anniversary of the death of North Korea's second leader Kim Jong Il.

10th anniversary of death of Kim Jong Il

People offer flowers at Mansu Hill in Pyongyang on Dec. 16, 2021, a day ahead of the 10th anniversary of the death of North Korea's second leader Kim Jong Il.