By Joyce Lee and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lauded his country's "heroic" troops who fought for Russia in the war against Ukraine, in a ceremony where he decorated returning soldiers and consoled children of the bereaved with hugs,

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister repeated her dismissal of Seoul's outreach efforts, saying that South Korea "cannot be a diplomatic partner."

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un demands nuclear buildup after calling joint U.S.-South Korea military drills an expression of will to "provoke war."

Since taking office in a snap election in June, the liberal Lee has taken steps to lower tensions with the nuclear-armed North, and the issue is one where he is expected to find common ground with Trump, who still boasts of his historic summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister has again dismissed peace overtures from South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, declaring that Pyongyang will never see Seoul as a partner for diplomacy, according to state media.