Japanese Defense Minister Kishi

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi meets the press after a National Security Council meeting in Tokyo on Oct. 19, 2021. Japanese authorities said North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan the same day, while South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said only one missile was fired.

Japanese Defense Minister Kishi

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi (C) meets the press after a National Security Council meeting in Tokyo on Oct. 19, 2021. Japanese authorities said North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan the same day, while South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said only one missile was fired.

Japanese Defense Minister Kishi

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi (C) meets the press after a National Security Council meeting in Tokyo on Oct. 19, 2021. Japanese authorities said North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan the same day, while South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said only one missile was fired.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters after a National Security Council meeting in Tokyo on Oct. 19, 2021. Japanese authorities said North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan the same day, while South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said only one missile was fired.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters after a National Security Council meeting in Tokyo on Oct. 19, 2021. Japanese authorities said North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan the same day, while South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said only one missile was fired.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters after a National Security Council meeting in Tokyo on Oct. 19, 2021. Japanese authorities said North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan the same day, while South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said only one missile was fired.

Japanese Defense Minister Kishi

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Oct. 19, 2021. Japanese authorities said North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan the same day, while South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said only one missile was fired.

Kin of N. Korea abductees meet Japan PM Kishida

Family members (R) of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (2nd from L) at his office in Tokyo on Oct. 18, 2021.

Kin of N. Korea abductees meet Japan PM Kishida

Sakie Yokota (C), whose daughter Megumi was abducted at the age of 13 in 1977, attends a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at his office in Tokyo on Oct. 18, 2021, along with other family members of victims of North Korean abductions.

N. Korea's Kim vows to improve people's lives amid food crisis

People gather on the night of Oct. 10, 2021, at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang to celebrate the 76th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has emphasized the need to improve people's living conditions, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Monday, as the nuclear-armed country has been facing the worst food crisis in over a decade. Kim made a speech, titled "Let us further improve party work in line with the demands of the period of fresh development of socialist construction," on Sunday's 76th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, according to the news agency. On the 75th anniversary of the founding of the ruling party last year, North Korea staged a military parade in Pyongyang to show off its intercontinental ballistic missile.

Mother of Japanese woman abducted by N. Korea

Sakie Yokota, whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, meets the press in Kawasaki, near Tokyo, on Oct. 4, 2021, after Japan's Cabinet under new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was inaugurated earlier in the day. (Pool photo)

Mother of Japanese woman abducted by N. Korea

Sakie Yokota, whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, meets the press in Kawasaki, near Tokyo, on Oct. 4, 2021, after Japan's Cabinet under new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was inaugurated earlier in the day. (Pool photo)

Mother of Japanese woman abducted by N. Korea

Sakie Yokota, whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, meets the press in Kawasaki, near Tokyo, on Sept. 29, 2021, the same day former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election, making him all but certain to become Japan's next prime minister.

Mother of Japanese woman abducted by N. Korea

Sakie Yokota, whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, meets the press in Kawasaki, near Tokyo, on Sept. 29, 2021, the same day former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida won the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election, making him all but certain to become Japan's next prime minister.

Japan PM Suga after N. Korea projectile launch

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga meets the press at his office in Tokyo on Sept. 28, 2021, after North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile in the second such launch this month, with the projectile believed to have splashed into waters outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone.

Japan PM Suga after N. Korea projectile launch

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga meets the press at his office in Tokyo on Sept. 28, 2021, after North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile in the second such launch this month, with the projectile believed to have splashed into waters outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone.

N. Korea fires what appears to be ballistic missile

North Korea on Tuesday fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile in the second such launch in two weeks, with the projectile believed to have splashed into waters outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone, Japanese government officials said. North Korea's latest missile launch came on the same day the country is likely to hold a parliamentary session.

China-Northeast Asia Expo

Ku Yong Hyok (front L), North Korea's consul general in Shenyang, China, visits the 13th China-Northeast Asia Expo on Sept. 23, 2021, in Changchun, China.

Japan-N. Korea summit meeting in 2002

File photo taken Sept. 17, 2002, shows Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (L) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il shaking hands in Pyongyang after signing the Pyongyang Declaration.

Japan's defense minister on N. Korean missiles

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi (C) tells reporters in Tokyo on Sept. 15, 2021 that two ballistic missiles fired by North Korea earlier in the day fell in waters within Japan's exclusive economic zone.

U.S. special representative for North Korea

Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, speaks at a press conference in Tokyo on Sept. 15, 2021. North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast earlier in the day, according to Japanese and South Korean authorities.

Japanese Defense Minister Kishi

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi arrives at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Sept. 15, 2021, after Japanese and South Korean authorities said North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast earlier in the day.

Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi (C) arrives at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Sept. 15, 2021, after Japanese and South Korean authorities said North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast earlier in the day.

Japanese Defense Minister Kishi

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi (C) arrives at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Sept. 15, 2021, after Japanese and South Korean authorities said North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast earlier in the day.

N. Korea fires 2 ballistic missiles into waters off east coast

Takehiro Funakoshi (R), head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, and Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, are pictured at the ministry in Tokyo on Sept. 15, 2021. They held talks there in response to North Korea's firing of two ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast earlier in the day.

N. Korea fires 2 ballistic missiles into waters off east coast

Takehiro Funakoshi (R), head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, and Sung Kim, the U.S. special representative for North Korea, are pictured at the ministry in Tokyo on Sept. 15, 2021. They held talks there in response to North Korea's firing of two ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast earlier in the day.

N. Korea fires 2 ballistic missiles into waters off east coast

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga meets the press at his office in Tokyo on Sept. 15, 2021, after Japanese and South Korean authorities said North Korea fired what may be two ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast earlier in the day. Suga said the action poses a threat to peace and safety in Japan and the region.

Japan, U.S., S. Korea discuss N. Korea issues

Takehiro Funakoshi, director general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau speaks during a meeting in Tokyo on Sept. 14, 2021, with Sung Kim, U.S. special representative for North Korea, and Noh Kyu Duk, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs.

Japan, U.S., S. Korea discuss N. Korea issues

Noh Kyu Duk, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, speaks during a meeting in Tokyo on Sept. 14, 2021, with Sung Kim, U.S. special representative for North Korea, and Takehiro Funakoshi, director general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau.

Japan, U.S., S. Korea discuss N. Korea issues

Sung Kim, U.S. special representative for North Korea, speaks during a meeting in Tokyo on Sept. 14, 2021, with Takehiro Funakoshi, director general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, and Noh Kyu Duk, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs.

Japan, U.S., S. Korea discuss N. Korea issues

A meeting is held in Tokyo on Sept. 14, 2021, between senior diplomats from Japan, the United States and South Korea amid the growing missile threat posed by North Korea.

Japan, U.S., S. Korea discuss N. Korea issues

(From L) Sung Kim, U.S. special representative for North Korea, Takehiro Funakoshi, director general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, and Noh Kyu Duk, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, meet in Tokyo on Sept. 14, 2021, wearing masks for protection against the coronavirus.

N. Korea celebrates 73rd founding anniversary

Citizens take part in a parade celebrating the 73rd anniversary of North Korea's founding on Sept. 9, 2021, in Pyongyang.

N. Korea celebrates 73rd founding anniversary

Citizens take part in a parade celebrating the 73rd anniversary of North Korea's founding on Sept. 9, 2021, in Pyongyang.

N. Korea celebrates 73rd founding anniversary

Citizens take part in a parade celebrating the 73rd anniversary of North Korea's founding on Sept. 9, 2021, in Pyongyang.

N. Korea celebrates 73rd founding anniversary

Citizens take part in a parade celebrating the 73rd anniversary of North Korea's founding on Sept. 9, 2021, in Pyongyang.

N. Korea celebrates 73rd anniversary of founding

People walk in Pyongyang on Sept. 9, 2021, the 73rd anniversary of North Korea's founding.

N. Korea celebrates 73rd founding anniversary

A woman walks past a signboard celebrating the 73rd anniversary of North Korea's founding on Sept. 9, 2021, in Pyongyang.

N. Korea celebrates 73rd founding anniversary

Photo taken in Pyongyang in North Korea, on Sept. 9, 2021, shows a signboard celebrating the 73rd anniversary of the country's founding.

73rd founding anniversary of N. Korea

A signboard erected to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of North Korea's founding is pictured in Pyongyang on Sept. 8, 2021, the eve of the anniversary.

73rd founding anniversary of N. Korea

A signboard erected to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of North Korea's founding is pictured in Pyongyang on Sept. 8, 2021, the eve of the anniversary.

73rd founding anniversary of N. Korea

A signboard erected to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of North Korea's founding is pictured in Pyongyang on Sept. 8, 2021, the eve of the anniversary.

73rd founding anniversary of N. Korea

A signboard erected to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of North Korea's founding is pictured in Pyongyang on Sept. 8, 2021, the eve of the anniversary.

N. Korea celebrates 73rd founding anniversary

Video taken in Pyongyang in North Korea, on Sept. 8, 2021, shows a signboard celebrating the 73rd anniversary of the country's founding.

Youth Day in Pyongyang

People visit a statue of North Korea's former leader Kim Il Sung at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang on Aug. 28, 2021, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Youth Day.

Youth Day in Pyongyang

People visit a statue of North Korea's former leader Kim Il Sung at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang on Aug. 28, 2021, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Youth Day. Young people dance in Pyongyang to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Youth Day.

U.S. envoy for N. Korea after S. Korea trip

U.S. special representative for North Korea Sung Kim arrives at Incheon airport near Seoul on Aug. 24, 2021, after a trip to South Korea.

U.S., S. Korea nuclear envoys meet in Seoul

Sung Kim (L), the U.S. special representative for North Korea, bumps elbows with his South Korean counterpart Noh Kyu Duk ahead of their talks in Seoul on Aug. 23, 2021. The top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States pledged to work toward an early resumption of dialogue with North Korea amid tensions with Pyongyang over ongoing military exercises between the allies. (Pool photo)

U.N. facility allocates 3 mil. doses of China's vaccine to N. Korea

A U.N.-backed facility has newly allocated 3 million doses of coronavirus vaccine produced by China's major pharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech Ltd. to North Korea, according to U.S. media. But it is uncertain whether North Korea will accept them, Radio Free Asia on Wednesday quoted an official of the World Health Organization as saying, with all eyes on when the nation will obtain vaccines for its people through the COVAX platform. North Korea may carefully consider receiving Sinovac's vaccine from the framework designed to guarantee equitable global access to coronavirus vaccines, as many countries in South America and Southeast Asia have recently started to doubt the efficacy of it. Pyongyang claims no infection cases have been found in the nation. It has cut off land traffic to and from China and Russia since early last year to prevent the intrusion of the virus, first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.

N. Korea marks 76th anniversary of end of Japan's colonial rule

People visit Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, where statues of former North Korean leaders -- the country's founder Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il -- stand, on Aug. 15, 2021, the 76th anniversary of the end of Japanese colonial rule.