German chancellor visits Demilitarized Zone amid tensions between divided Koreas

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea on Friday, as he wrapped up his Asia tour amid heightened tensions between the two countries.

"We Germans know how painful the division of a country is," he said, adding that those who "stand firmly" by their values and have the "courage" to engage in dialogue can tear down walls.

Germany stands with South Korea and hopes to see the Korean people united in "freedom," he said.

The Korean Peninsula has remained divided since the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically at war.

Merz also visited Singapore and Japan before traveling to South Korea.

North Korea's permanent representative to the UN, Kim Song, on Thursday condemned a report by the UN special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, calling it a malicious attack on the country's policies and sovereignty, and rejecting it "in the strongest tone."

"Human rights apart from state sovereignty are nothing but an armchair argument, and human rights are an absolutely inviolable domain for us," Kim said.