Here’s what else you need to know to Start Your Week Smart. The weekend that was • A plane crash-landed on a runway in South Korea before skidding off and bursting into flames

Ukrainian special forces have released several excerpts from a purported diary it said was found on a North Korean soldier killed in front-line fighting in Russia.

A deepening political crisis in South Korea has not diminished the military readiness of 28,500 troops stationed in the Asian state, a U.S. official said on Friday, but Washington is closely monitoring the situation.

South Korea’s spy agency said Friday a wounded North Korean soldier who was captured while fighting for Russia against Ukrainian forces has since died from his injuries, the Yonhap news agency reported.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says he will implement the “toughest” anti-U.S. policy, less than a month before Donald Trump takes office as U.S. president.

Despite their elite status, North Korea's "Storm" troops were ill-prepared for the war, South Korea's National Intelligence Service said.

South Korea has imposed sanctions on 11 individuals and 15 organisations involved in military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, the financing of North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes and Pyongyang's illegal procurement of sanctioned goods.

The final full week of 2024 has been one of mourning for many after two aircraft were destroyed in fatal accidents that killed 217 people. Aviation remains one of the safest forms of transport despite the heavy and tragic loss of life over the last few days.

Few years recently have seen such dramatic changes as 2024 — changes which will resonate well into the future.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he will implement the “toughest” anti-U.S. policy, less than a month before Donald Trump takes office as U.S. president, the country's state media reported Sunday (December 29, 2024).