Inter-Korean Security: South Korea’s court sentenced ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years for ordering drone flights over Pyongyang in 2024, saying the plan aimed to provoke retaliation and manufacture a crisis to justify his martial law bid. Nuclear Posture: South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung warned North Korea is even less likely to abandon its nuclear program amid the US-Iran war, while Seoul pledged higher defense spending and seeks US approval for civilian nuclear fuel work. China-North Korea Ties: Xi Jinping’s Pyongyang visit is framed as a “new historical stage” for China–North Korea relations, with analysts saying the summit showed Beijing focusing more on countering US influence than curbing Pyongyang’s nukes. EU–Seoul Security Link: The EU and South Korea agreed to deepen cooperation, including talks on a Security of Information Agreement for classified data exchange, citing North Korean troops fighting alongside Russia. Cyber & Crypto Theft: Humanity Protocol said a $36M token theft was linked to North Korea-linked hackers, tied to malware compromising a developer machine and draining H tokens. Agriculture Watch: Satellite analysis suggests North Korea’s 2026 rice transplanting is running about 2.7 percentage points ahead of past baselines despite input shortages. Arms Race Context: A report says global nuclear spending hit a record $119B in 2025, with the US alone spending more than all other nuclear-armed states combined.