Relations with Beijing will also improve considerably. North Korea will seek normalisation of trade relations and economic assistance from China, while China will attempt to manage conflict escalation on the Korean Peninsula. Both China and Russia are likely to show a more tolerant attitude towards North Korea’s nuclear weapons status.

North Korea fired several ballistic missiles from its capital Pyongyang towards the sea off its east coast at around 7:50 a.m. local time on Sunday, South Korea’s military said.

The test also appears to indicate Pyongyang’s objection to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to Beijing.

The teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made her first known visit to a sacred family mausoleum where the embalmed bodies of her late grandfather and great-grandfather are on display.

The South Korean leader hopes to secure pledges to expand economic cooperation with China, his country's largest trading partner.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended New Year's celebrations in Pyongyang on Wednesday. North Korea's official state media reported Kim's attendance at the event at May Day stadium, which they said was attended by up to 150,

Decorations celebrating the New Year adorned the North Korean capital on Thursday. North Korea strictly controls religion, so seasonal holidays are presented as neutral, unless they are domestic celebrations of the ruling family or traditional Korean cultural dates.

Pyongyang will likely open room for a summit meeting with Washington while excluding dialogue opportunities with Seoul.