North Korea

The Kim dynasty has long used purges of the nation's elite to ensure the family's grip on power.
Trump-Kim Summit

North Korea's Kim purges his wealthy elite to keep grip on power

Report shows leader has executed more than 70 since taking power in late 2011

21 February 2019
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump last met in Singapore in June 2018.
Trump-Kim Summit

Hanoi summit with Kim won't be the last, Trump says

American officials head into North Korea to lay groundwork for upcoming meeting

21 February 2019
The Trump administration's plan seems to be to push Pyongyang toward accepting the Vietnamese model. 
Opinion

Vietnam can be template for a US deal with North Korea

Hanoi summit will require big concessions from both Trump and Kim

21 February 2019
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe firmed up plans for a state visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to Japan starting May 26. (Photos by Uichiro Kasai, left, and Akira Kodaka)
Trump-Kim Summit

Trump promises Abe he'll raise abduction issue with Kim

US leader to visit Japan after imperial succession in May

21 February 2019
Stream article image
Trump-Kim Summit

Five things to know about the second Trump-Kim summit

End-of-war declaration in sight, but N Korean denuclearization still appears a long shot

20 February 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York last year. 
Trump-Kim Summit

Trump 'in no rush' to see Pyongyang give up nuclear weapons

US president pursues phone diplomacy to prepare for Kim summit

20 February 2019
Thae Yong-ho was North Korea's deputy ambassador to the U.K. before defecting to South Korea.
Trump-Kim Summit

Ex-North Korean diplomat says Kim will never give up nuclear arms

Hanoi summit will be about disarmament, not denuclearization, defector Thae says

19 February 2019
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects the construction site of a greenhouse in the summer of 2018. He is looking for ways to spur economic growth as international sanctions bite.
Trump-Kim Summit

Kim to study Vietnam's economic reforms during visit

North Korean leader seeks growth while maintaining firm grip

19 February 2019
Kim Chang Son, a close aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, leaves the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi on Saturday.
Trump-Kim Summit

Kim Jong Un aide arrives in Vietnam for Trump summit prep

Slow pace of North Korean denuclearization feared, as US grows flexible on aid

17 February 2019
Doan Thi Huong, center, is escorted out of a courthouse in Kuala Lumpur on Aug. 16, 2018. She is one of two women on trial for the killing of Kim Jong Nam, half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea and ASEAN heal ties torn by Kim brother's murder

Two years after airport incident, suspects await ruling as early as summer

13 February 2019
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a device suspected to be a hydrogen bomb in September 2017. The North continues to rebuff U.S. demands for a full list of its nuclear plans and facilities.
N Korea at crossroads

Kim's silence on existing nuclear weapons clouds US talks

Pyongyang withholds detailed inventory of assets as Vietnam summit nears

8 February 2019
This -- Trump's divisive politics flowed through the speech.
Opinion

Trump and Asia -- more reasons to worry

China trade war remains top priority, little sign Kim summit will bring breakthrough

7 February 2019
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, is emerging as a key player in the battle for hegemony between the U.S. and China. (Nikkei montage/KCNA/Reuters)
China up close

Xi's Trump card: Tying US trade talks to Kim summit

Beijing plays North Korea ace to gain leverage over Washington

7 February 2019
President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address at the Capitol in Washington on Feb. 5.
Trade war

Trump says trade deal with Beijing must include 'structural change'

In State of the Union speech, president also asks for retaliatory trade bill

6 February 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in Washington on Feb. 5.
N Korea at crossroads

Second Trump-Kim summit set for Feb 27-28 in Vietnam

President claims to have prevented a 'major war' with North Korea

6 February 2019
U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun arrives at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea on Feb. 3. The envoy now heads to Pyongyang.
N Korea at crossroads

US envoy heads to Pyongyang, possibly with incentives in hand

Venue changed from truce village as North Korea takes Biegun meeting seriously

6 February 2019
U.S. special envoy Stephen Biegun, left, spoke with South Korean national security adviser Chung Eui-yong on Monday in this photo courtesy of South Korea's presidential Blue House.
N Korea at crossroads

US concessions to North Korea the focus of latest talks

War-ending declaration or liaison offices possible rewards for denuclearization steps

5 February 2019
South Korean and U.S. Marines take part in a joint landing drill in Pohang, South Korea, in March 2016. President Donald Trump refused to rule out the possibility of a future withdrawal of American forces there.
N Korea at crossroads

Trump says 'never discussed' pulling troops from Korea

President predicts great economic potential for a nuclear-free North

4 February 2019
U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun is surrounded by reporters after his arrival Feb. 3 in Seoul for talks with South and North Korean officials.
N Korea at crossroads

Preparations intensify for Trump-Kim, Trump-Xi summits

Washington envoy Biegun arrives in Seoul for working-level talks

4 February 2019
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said in a New Year's address that the country had abandoned developing or using nuclear weapons.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea's nuclear program is alive and well, UN panel finds

As next Trump-Kim summit nears, draft report points to Yongbyon activity and sanctions dodging

1 February 2019
Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, and his wife, Peng Liyuan, pose with a North Korean arts troupe in Beijing Sunday. (Kyodo/Xinhua News Agency)
N Korea at crossroads

Xi attends North Korea troupe performance in symbolic gesture

President's embrace contrasts to chilly cancellation in 2015, reflecting rift with US

29 January 2019
Japan must work proactively. (Global Newsroom via Getty Images)
Opinion

Japan can do more to manage regional security risks

Amid uncertainty about the US, China and North Korea, Tokyo can help stabilize region

28 January 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hold a signing ceremony after their June 2018 summit in Singapore.
International relations

US and North Korea wrap up 'intensive' denuclearization talks

Meeting in Sweden aimed to close gaps before second Trump-Kim summit

22 January 2019
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, right, said he has seen "truly remarkable" communications between President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un.
International relations

Trump-Kim talks to cover 'concrete' denuclearization, Pence says

American VP says president is 'very optimistic' about second summit

21 January 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are keen to meet again, but their last summit yielded little more than vague promises.
N Korea at crossroads

Trump and Kim pursue summit without clear path to success

Lack of fresh approach risks dooming working-level denuclearization talks

20 January 2019