Russia on Thursday shrugged off reports that North Korea may be firing up a facility for processing weapons-grade plutonium as Pyongyang threatened a fresh nuclear test.

"Right now a lot of statements are appearing that some preparations are underway for new tests or the resumption or ramping up of activity in the nuclear and rocket spheres," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

A special envoy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un on Thursday praised his landmark meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, expressing hope that the two nations would strengthen ties.

On Tuesday, Putin held talks with envoy Choe Ryong-Hae during the high-ranking North Korean official’s week-long visit to Russia.

New satellite imagery suggests North Korea may be firing up a facility for processing weapons-grade plutonium, as Pyongyang threatened Thursday a fresh nuclear test in response to U.N. condemnation of its rights record.

The images show steam rising from a re-processing plant at the North's main Yongbyon nuclear complex -- a sign consistent with maintenance and testing prior to commencing operations, the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University said on its closely followed 38 North website.

The United Nations on Tuesday adopted a landmark resolution condemning North Korean rights abuses and laying the groundwork for putting the Pyongyang regime in the dock for crimes against humanity.

A resolution asking the Security Council to refer North Korea to the International Criminal Court passed by a resounding vote of 111 to 19 with 55 abstentions in a General Assembly human rights committee.

The United Nations is preparing to confront North Korea over its dismal rights record with a key vote this week that could compel Pyongyang to answer to crimes against humanity.

A U.N. General Assembly committee will vote Tuesday on a resolution drafted by the European Union and Japan condemning human rights abuses in North Korea and calling for a war crimes probe.

North Korea on Saturday warned of retaliatory strikes days after South Korea fired warning shots at a North Korean patrol near the border.

South Korean troops on Monday fired warning shots as the North's patrol approached the military demarcation line (MDL) that designates the border, but there was no exchange of fire and the group eventually turned back.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday warned of the dangers of outright conflict in Asia, as China squares off against rival claimants over disputed territories, but vowed that Washington would remain anchored in the region.

In a speech at Brisbane's University of Queensland, Obama insisted that his "pivot" of U.S. policy back to Asia was real and here to stay.

The U.S. intelligence chief who flew to North Korea on a secret mission to free two Americans said there is "the potential for change" in the secretive state, in a rare window into the murky world of Pyongyang diplomacy.

U.S. director of National Intelligence James Clapper made the observation as he recounted in detail his trip last week that brought home the detained Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller.

The European Union on Friday presented changes to a U.N. resolution condemning North Korea's rights records in a bid to counter a push by Cuba to water down the measure ahead of a vote next week.

A new text presented to a U.N. General Assembly committee on human rights included a provision that welcomed North Korea's offer of cooperation with the U.N. human rights commissioner and its invitation to visit to the U.N. special rapporteur.

Russian strongman Vladimir Putin is set to host a special envoy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un next week, a source said Friday, as Pyongyang is seeking allies to fend off a U.N. resolution on its human rights record.

Putin is set to hold talks with Choe Ryong-Hae early next week, after the top North Korean official arrives in Russia for an eight-day visit on Monday, a source said, on condition of anonymity.