The Joint Chiefs of Staff said that government agencies will launch a joint investigation to find out why and how the man crossed the mine-strewn border into South Korea.

Xi was speaking on the 70th anniversary of the deployment of Chinese troops to the Korean peninsula to help North Korea fight U.S.-led United Nations and South Korean forces during the 1950-53 war.

Experts say the emotional speech was designed to resonate with citizens and cement Kim's image as a competent, charismatic leader with a human side.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a letter to South Korean President Moon Jae-in saying the incident should not have happened, an official said.

Kim during the Workers’ Party meeting Tuesday also said the damage from Typhoon Maysak has forced the country to reconsider unspecified year-end projects.

The party held a meeting to review the officials' wrongdoings and seek strict legal punishment, according to state media.

In Seoul and other cities, health workers dismantled at least 75 makeshift coronavirus testing stations over worries that the tents and booths might not withstand strong winds.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun is due to visit South Korea next week to discuss stalled talks with North Korea.

The activists have sent leaflets and plastic bottles filled with rice across the border, prompting North Korea to raise provocations with the South.

North Korea abruptly used Park Sang-hak's leaflet campaign as a justification for a series of provocative steps against South Korea.