A California man has been sentenced to eight years in prison after admitting to shipping weapons and ammunition to North Korea that he said were to be used for a surprise attack on South Korea, authorities said Tuesday.

A Chinese national has been sentenced to eight years in prison for smuggling firearms and other military items to North Korea, the US justice department said. Shenghua Wen, 42, received around $2m (£1.5m) from North Korean officials to ship the items from California, according to a statement from the agency on Monday.

Chinese citizen Shenghua Wen received 8-year prison sentence for conspiracy to export military equipment to North Korea while acting as illegal foreign agent.

Shenghua Wen, 42, was sentenced to eight years in prison in connection with the scheme that earned him $2 million from North Korean handlers.

North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, criticized South Korea and its President Lee Jae Myung for having a "dual personality" by talking about wanting to pursue peace while continuing joint military drills with the U.

Korea Zinc and Young Poong reported opposite results for the first half of this year. Korea Zinc cruised well, while Young Poong posted an operating loss.

The top diplomats of North Korea and Russia have exchanged congratulatory messages on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, the North's state media reported Wednesday.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met on Tuesday with the heads of some of the country's biggest conglomerates, including Samsung and Hyundai Motor, who will accompany Lee for his summit next week with U.

South Korea’s birth rate has dropped throughout much of the past decade, spelling trouble for the military as regional threats and global conflicts simmer.