Washington has said the treatment of Glavprodukt, the only U.S. company Moscow has seized, will influence a planned reset of U.S.-Russia relations.

South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae-myung, has prioritized de-escalation with North Korea, creating a diplomatic window for renewed Trump-Kim talks amid global instability and stalled US efforts elsewhere.

Lee has ordered a halt to the military's propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts along the border and called on civic groups to suspend their distribution of anti-Pyongyang leaflets, expressing hope that the reconciliatory gestures could pave the way for resuming dialogue with the North.

Russia is planning to ramp up exports from a confiscated American-owned canned food company, looking to offset falling domestic sales by targeting new markets in China and North Korea, Reuters reported on July 10.

North Korean officials have labeled leaflet activists in South Korea "human scum" and in 2020 demolished an inter-Korean liaison office during a spat over leaflets. In 2022, they claimed the balloons could carry the coronavirus.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung says that it remains unclear whether Seoul and Washington can conclude their tariff negotiations by next week’s deadline set by President Donald Trump