North Korea

South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, left, is seeking to secure preemptive strike capability against any potential attack from Kim Jong Un's North Korea. (Source photos by AP and KCNA/Reuters) 
N Korea at crossroads

Yoon to take hard line against 'main enemy' North Korea

Analysts say chances slim that incoming South Korea leader will make concessions

14 March 2022
South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol faces a multitude of foreign policy challenges. (Nikkei montage/AP)
South Korea election

How Yoon may shift South Korean foreign policy: 5 things to know

President-elect vows to 'rebuild' U.S. alliance, take tougher lines on China and North

11 March 2022
Kim Jong Un, center, who has begun redistributing military resources to people in rural areas, participates in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Ryonpho Greenhouse Farm in South Hamgyong Province, on Feb. 18. (Korean Central News Agency/Reuters)
Comment

Is North Korean leader primed to trade missiles for tractors?

Despite his belligerence, Kim Jong Un cannot ignore looming food crisis

1 March 2022
People in Seoul watch a TV news report on a North Korean missile launch on Feb. 27. 
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea shoots for leadership vacuum with new missile test

Pyongyang may see America as spread too thin in Ukraine crisis

28 February 2022
Moon Jae-in exchanges gifts with Pope Francis as they meet at the Vatican in October 2021: Moon believes a papal visit would be too good an opportunity for North Korea to pass up. (Handout photo from Vatican Media)
Opinion

Pope Francis unlikely to visit North Korea

Moon Jae-in's overtures are a symptom of a broader policy problem

14 February 2022
The current strategy of U.S President Joe Biden's administration provides no incentives for Pyongyang to stop developing nuclear arms and missiles. (Source photos by the White House and KCNA)
Comment

Biden's call for dialogue alone aids North Korean ambitions

Lessons from Obama's misguided 'strategic patience' strategy should be remembered

14 February 2022
Philip Goldberg has served since 2019 as ambassador to Colombia and previously as charge d'affaires in Cuba. 
International relations

Biden picks former sanctions enforcer as ambassador to South Korea

Philip Goldberg has worked as coordinator of U.N. sanctions on North Korea

12 February 2022
International Atomic Energy Agency headquarters in Vienna. A security officer from the organization was targeted by a North Korean cyberattack, according to a new draft report.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea targeted IAEA in cyberattacks: draft U.N. report

Pyongyang said to have stolen $50m-plus in cryptocurrencies to fund arms development

8 February 2022
North Korea launches a railway-borne missile during drills in January, according to state media. (Photo by KCNA via Reuters)
Japan-South Korea rift

U.S., Japan vow cooperation with South Korea on Pyongyang threat

Washington aims to bridge rift between allies to bolster missile response

3 February 2022
Joe Biden's administration is "concerned about a pattern of what we see as increasingly disturbing and escalatory behavior" by North Korea, an official tells Nikkei.
International relations

U.S. weighs more monitoring of illicit North Korea transactions

Biden considers 'appropriate' next move as ICBM concerns grow, official says

2 February 2022
People watch a TV showing images of a North Korean missile launch at Seoul railway station on Jan. 31. 
The Nikkei View

Nations must cooperate to stop North Korea's outrageous behavior

Pyongyang's weapons program, left unchecked, threatens regional stability

2 February 2022
North Korea said it tested a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile on Sunday.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea demands Biden's attention with flurry of missile tests

Launches coincide with reports of appointment of hard-line U.S. envoy to Seoul

31 January 2022
Shinsegae Group Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin, shown in his New Year's video message, caused a stir in South Korea by posting an anti-communist slogan on Instagram. (Photo courtesy of Shinsegae Group)
Comment

Retail mogul's anti-communist Instagram posts roil South Korea

Controversy caused by Shinsegae Group heir echoes deepening social divide

30 January 2022
North Korean weaponry, including what is thought to be an ICBM, on display at an October 2020 military parade in Pyongyang. (Korea Media via Kyodo)
N Korea at crossroads

Will North Korea turn up the heat with ICBM test in April?

Pyongyang poised to raise ante as saber-rattling fails to draw attention

30 January 2022
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a meeting of the politburo of the ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang on Jan. 19. (KCNA via Reuters) 
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea appears to have fired cruise missiles

South Korea's military assesses the launches to determine the nature of the projectiles

25 January 2022
South Korea’s opposition presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol, left, said Monday would not meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un without conditions being met. (Source photos by Reuters and KCNA/Reuters) 
South Korea election

South Korean candidate Yoon sets conditions for Kim Jong Un summit

Conservative hopeful defends preemptive strike option against North Korea

24 January 2022
North Korea's Central News Agency reported a missile launch from an undisclosed location on Jan. 17 -- one of four already this year.  
Comment

North Korea policy needs to be overhauled and plan B developed

Tokyo, Seoul, Washington should stop depending on fruitless old approach

23 January 2022
Intercontinental ballistic missiles at a February 2018 military parade in Pyongyang to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Korean People's Army.
Comment

North Korea tests more missiles -- and China's patience

Kim's volley of launches put pressure on delicate balance in East Asia

20 January 2022
The success of state-sponsored crypto heists will say much about the stability of Kim Jong Un's economy and nuclear ambitions.
Opinion

Will North Korea be the death of Bitcoin?

Pyongyang's $400m crypto haul is bad news for bellwether digital currency

20 January 2022
(Nikkei montage/Reuters/KCNA)
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea's missile launch spree shows Kim Jong Un's hand

Pyongyang times tests to threaten but not doom future diplomacy, economy hopes

19 January 2022
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in December 2021. (KCNA via Reuters)  
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea fires two ballistic missiles from Pyongyang airport

Fourth test this month comes amid stalled talks with U.S. and South Korea

17 January 2022
A railway-born missile is launched during firing drills at an undisclosed location in North Korea, according to the country's state media, in this photo released on Jan. 14. (KCNA via Reuters) 
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea tests railway-borne missile in latest launch

KCNA says a firing drill was held to 'check and judge the proficiency'

15 January 2022
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, speaks with officials while attending a hypersonic missile test on Jan. 11, according to state media. (KCNA via Reuters) 
N Korea at crossroads

Kim Jong Un calls for more 'military muscle' after missile test

North Korean leader attends a launch for first time since March 2020

12 January 2022
A TV at a Seoul railway station shows a news report about North Korea's latest missile launch on Jan. 11.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea's latest missile reached Mach 10: Seoul

'More advanced' test follows condemnation and skepticism of Jan. 5 launch

12 January 2022
"Just like Kim Il Sung had 'juche' and Kim Jong Il had 'songun,' Kim Jong Un too is trying to create his own thought form, by combining these two ideologies and naming it after himself."
Asia Insight

Kim Jong Un-ism: Leader seeks 'new' ideology for North Korea

The third Kim is trying to build an image distinct from his father and grandfather

11 January 2022