Lee, who faces three other criminal trials, vowed to appeal, and it remains unclear whether the Supreme Court will decide on any of the cases before the presidential vote in 2027.

A South Korean court convicted on Friday main opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung on charges of violating the election law, handing him a one-year prison sentence suspended for two years, the Yonhap news agency reported.

A photo has emerged showing examples of a North Korean-made self-propelled artillery system under transport in Russia, the clearest suggestion so far that Pyongyang is also now providing Moscow with these kinds of heavyweight,

Russian soldiers have been filmed giving North Korean troops battlefield training and language lessons, with some of Kim Jong-un’s men picking up swear words.

The recently signed mutual defense treaty could be used to justify thewidening of the war in Ukraine, as the U.S. says North Korean and Russian troops are already battling Ukrainian forces.