At 1,080 feet, North Korea's Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang is one of the tallest unoccupied buildings in the world.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung vowed on Friday to "respect" North Korea's political system and build "military trust", a day after Pyongyang said it had no interest in improving relations with Seoul.

South Korea’s birth rate has dropped throughout much of the past decade, spelling trouble for the military as regional threats and global conflicts simmer.

South Korea's National Security Council that year moved to "suspend the effect of Article 1, Clause 3" establishing no-fly zones close to the border in the 2018 military agreement, enabling Seoul to restore reconnaissance and surveillance activities along the border.

South Korea will seek to resume inter-Korean cooperation and intends to restore an agreement to suspend military activity along the border with North Korea, President Lee Jae Myung said on Friday. In a speech to mark the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule,

South Korea's new liberal president, Lee Jae Myung, said Friday that he will seek to restore a 2018 military agreement with North Korea aimed at reducing border tensions and urged Pyongyang to respond to Seoul's efforts to rebuild trust and revive dialogue.

The drills, which will kick off next week, are a "direct military provocation" against North Korea, Pyongyang said.

Pyongyang did not respond to Seoul's plan to repatriate the remains of a North Korean national discovered on the southern side of the inter-Korean border.

Is the new South Korean president’s softer approach to the North wise in a challenging new security environment?