This week, the United Nations General Assembly met for its first-ever public high-level session devoted to North Korea's human rights situation. The meeting highlighted Pyongyang’s brutal repression of its citizens as a driver of global insecurity.

North Korea began a full-scale investigation into an accident that damaged a new warship at its launch ceremony this week, state-run media reported Friday, with investigators vowing to punish those responsible.

The younger Kim has accompanied the supreme leader on dozens of public outings, fueling speculation over the line of succession.