North Korean soldiers stationed in Russia are allegedly binge-watching pornography having unrestricted internet access for the first time ever.

The nuclear-armed North last week test-fired what it said was its most advanced and powerful solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in Kim Jong Un's first weapons test since being accused of sending soldiers to help Russia fight Ukraine.

Leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test of the Hwasong-19 missile, which flew higher and further than any previous missile, according to the North and to Seoul and Tokyo's militaries, which tracked it in real time.

Seoul had warned a day earlier that the nuclear-armed North was preparing to test-fire another intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) or even conduct a nuclear test ahead of next week's US elections.

Seoul has long accused the nuclear-armed North of sending weapons to help Moscow fight Kyiv, and after Kim Jong Un signed a mutual defence deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin in June, Pyongyang is alleged to have moved to deploy soldiers en masse.

North Korean state media said Monday that an investigation had "proved" South Korea's military sent a drone over Pyongyang to drop propaganda leaflets, calling it an infringement of sovereignty.

Leaked audio reveals Russian soldiers talking about North Korean troops in poor fashion, at one point calling them "the f**king Chinese."

Kim's tour comes days after South Korea's spy agency said Pyongyang had sent a "large-scale" troop deployment to Russia to fight against Ukraine, cementing Pyongyang's contentious military alliance with Moscow.

Seoul's spy agency said Friday that Pyongyang sent a "large-scale" troop deployment to help its ally, claiming that 1,500 special forces were already training in Russia's Far East and ready to head soon for the frontlines of the Ukraine war.

South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador Monday to criticise Pyongyang's decision to send thousands of soldiers to support Moscow's war in Ukraine, the foreign ministry said, calling for their immediate withdrawal.

The technician, thought to be a man, used the firm's remote working tools to get into the corporate network, and proceeded to download company data.

Zelensky's comments came days after visiting several European capitals to press his case for more military and financial help in the war against invading Russian forces.

The nuclear-armed North has accused Seoul of flying drones over its capital to drop propaganda leaflets filled with "inflammatory rumours and rubbish", and warned on Sunday that it would consider it "a declaration of war" if another drone was detected.

North Korea's army said on Wednesday it was moving to "permanently shut off and block the southern border" with the South and had informed the US military to prevent an accidental clash.

Ukrainian media have reported that six North Korean military officers were killed in a Ukrainian missile attack on Russian-occupied territory near Donetsk on October 3.

Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in decades, with Seoul this week staging a military parade where it showcased its bunker-busting "monster" missile and President Yoon Suk Yeol warned Kim that using nukes would mean the end of his regime.

Suicide drones are explosive-carrying unmanned drones designed to be deliberately crashed into enemy targets, effectively acting as guided missiles.

The olive green mobile launchers were displayed during a special "transferring" ceremony in the capital Pyongyang on Sunday, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported leader Kim Jong Un last week "personally guided" a military rescue -- including 10 helicopters and navy lifeboats -- shaking the hands of the pilots "one by one".

"The chemical, biological and radiological (warfare) response team has safely collected the trash balloons," the presidential security service told AFP.

North Korean diplomat Ri Il Kyu had been responsible for political affairs at Pyongyang's embassy in Cuba since 2019, tasked specifically "with obstructing the establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Cuba", according to South Korea's Chosun Daily.

The statement came a day after South Korea's military said the North had test-fired what appeared to be a hypersonic missile on Wednesday, but the launch ended in a mid-air explosion.

Putin is scheduled to touch down on Tuesday night for his first trip to the isolated nation in 24 years, with a confrontation between North and South Korean troops on their shared border highlighting regional security tensions.

The South Korean government this month fully suspended a 2018 tension-reducing military deal and restarted loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts along the border in response to Pyongyang's balloons, infuriating the North which warned Seoul was creating "a new crisis".

The launch follows a failed attempt by the nuclear-armed North to put a second spy satellite into orbit on Monday, shortly after Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo held a rare summit and called for Pyongyang to give up their nukes.

South Korea and the United States have repeatedly accused North Korea of supplying weapons to Moscow, despite a raft of UN sanctions on both countries that would ban any such arms transfers.

North Korea's former propaganda chief, credited with masterminding the personality cult surrounding the ruling Kim dynasty, has died, state media said Wednesday, with leader Kim Jong Un photographed bowing at his funeral bier.

Tokyo also confirmed the launch, with the Japanese defence ministry saying "a suspected ballistic missile was launched from North Korea" in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Seoul and Washington say Kim has been shipping weapons to Russia, possibly in exchange for Moscow's technical assistance for Pyongyang's budding spy satellite programme.

Video in state media showed the missile being carried into position on its launching vehicle, as Kim and an array of uniformed soldiers stood by watching, before the missile blasts off, trailing plumes of smoke and flames.