January 16 –
Kim Jong Un declares South Korea as the "primary foe", rejects unification, and calls for war planning, severing ties and closing organizations amid escalating tensions.[3]
April 23 – North Korea claims it has tested a new command-and-control system in a simulated
nuclear counterstrike.[10]
May
27 May – North Korea announces the failure of an attempt to launch its second spy satellite into orbit after the rocket carrying it explodes mid-air.[11]
29 May – North Korea deploys 260 balloons carrying garbage and possible human waste over South Korea, which Pyongyang says is in retaliation for balloons sent into the North by anti-regime activists.[12]
6 June – North Korea receives 200,000 anti-Pyongyang leaflets, U.S. bills, and USB sticks containing K-pop songs and South Korean dramas to North Korea with 10 balloons, sent by a South Korean activists’ group led by North Korean defector
Park Sang-hak in retaliation for North Korea sending balloons carrying trash to South Korea.[15]
9 June – A group of North Korean soldiers enter the South Korean side of the
DMZ, prompting warning shots from South Korean forces that force them to retreat.[16]