Kim Jong Un threatens to use nuclear weapons if attacked

Papers speculate over the health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who has been absent from public since mid-April. One cartoonist compares the situation to Schrodinger's famous thought experiment in which a cat, placed in a box with a potential poison, is both dead and alive until that box is opened. We also look at kids in Spain going back outside, kids in France possibly going back to school, and llamas and goats going to Zoom meetings!

North Korean state media has released footage of the secretive Supreme Leader. Media speculation about his health grew when he failed to show up to his late grandfather's birthday celebrations.

A South Korean official reads out a rare apology from Kim Jong Un over what the North's leader described as the "unexpected and disgraceful" killing of a South Korean at sea. A fisheries official was shot dead on Tuesday by North Korean soldiers, and Seoul says his body was set on fire while still in the water, apparently as a precaution against coronavirus infection.

The UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons needed a minimum of 50 states to ratify it. The 75th anniversary of Nagasaki and Hiroshima atomic bomb attacks prompted a wave of countries sign up.

Kim Jong Un said the country's economic goals were not met "in almost all areas to a great extent." New development policies are expected to be set during the ongoing party congress, which is being held after five years.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has taken the title of Workers' Party general secretary in a move apparently aimed at consolidating his grip on power. He also promised to build more sophisticated nuclear weapons.

Ri Sol Ju had not been seen with the North Korean leader for some time. Her absence fueled speculation about her position in the hierarchy and the Kim family.

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of the North Korean dictator, lashed out at Washington as top US diplomatic and military representatives are set to visit Seoul.

Kim has said extreme weather, the coronavirus pandemic and being cut off from Chinese trade could lead to another food crisis in North Korea.

The North Korean leader didn't rule out the possibility of entering into dialogue with Washington but said his country should be more prepared to have an adversarial relationship with the Joe Biden administration.

Kim Yo Jong has suggested talks are not imminent between North Korea and the Joe Biden administration, despite recent optimism from Washington. She believes the US is seeking to "comfort itself" over the idea.

In a warning to the West not to interfere, Vladimir Putin has his strategic nuclear arsenal on high alert. While analysts believe the risk of an all-out nuclear war is low, they are concerned Putin might use smaller 'tactical' nuclear weapons in Ukraine.