Russia’s foreign minister has warned the U.S., South Korea and Japan against forming a security partnership targeting North Korea.

A North Korean man crossed the DMZ on foot before midnight Thursday, asking South Korean troops for help in a rare defection through the fortified border.

The fishermen’s boats had drifted into South Korean waters, officials said. The South’s new president has been trying to improve ties with North Korea.

Top South Korean, U.S. and Japanese military officers are urging North Korea to cease all unlawful activities that threaten regional security, as the three nations fly advanced warplanes for a joint exercise in a show of force against the North.

South Korea on Wednesday repatriated six North Koreans across the maritime border in the East Sea, months after they drifted into southern waters and were rescued.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he wants the luxury resort on the eastern seacoast to become a "world destination," but the country has been reluctant to allow in foreign tourists.

South Korea's Unification Ministry said Friday the two Koreas should resolve any inter-Korean issues through dialogue, as North Korea continues to dismantle a reunion facility for separated families inside its Mount Kumgang tourist area.

North Korea is developing chemical weapons to use on the battlefield in preparation for full-scale war, according to a high-level official within the regime.