North Korea

Japan has deployed PAC-3 antimissile batteries in six locations in response to North Korean launches.
Politics

Japan looks to lower North Korean missile guard as threat ebbs

Tokyo will keep building defense shield for the long term

29 June 2018
A North Korean soldier walks on the road in Pyongyang, North Korea.
N Korea at crossroads

Two Koreas agree on scheme to improve North's roads

Infrastructure upgrades to help pave way for more economic cooperation

28 June 2018
U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis speaks before a meeting with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo in Seoul on June 28.
N Korea at crossroads

Mattis vows to keep US troop levels in South Korea

Defense secretary reiterates 'ironclad' commitment despite joint drill suspension

28 June 2018
These containers carry uranium hexafluoride salt, a raw material for nuclear weapons.
N Korea at crossroads

Construction goes on at North Korea nuclear facility, images show

South's Unification Ministry says 'not appropriate to comment'

28 June 2018
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, met in Pyongyang over the Easter weekend.
N Korea at crossroads

Pressure on North Korea eases as US flip-flops

With post-summit lull dragging on, Pompeo refuses to set disarmament timeline

27 June 2018
North Korean Vice Railroad Minister Kim Yun Hyok, left, with his South Korean counterpart Vice Transport Minister Kim Jeong-ryeol at a meeting at the border village of Panmunjom in South Korea on June 26.
N Korea at crossroads

Two Koreas agree to modernize North Korean railways

Seoul's Eurasian railroad dream comes one step closer

26 June 2018
Prime Minister Abe got high marks from the Japanese public for his diplomatic efforts abroad, but the scandals brewing around his administration are still exacting a cost.
Politics

Abe's approval rating climbs back above 50%

Public hopeful on North Korea diplomacy but bothered by lingering scandals

25 June 2018
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un tours an agricultural research facility in Beijing. 
N Korea at crossroads

Kim courts China but finds his economic muse in Vietnam

North Korea sees Hanoi model as way to win US support and South Korean investment

24 June 2018
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin after their June 22 summit in Moscow.
N Korea at crossroads

South Korea and Russia seek 3-way projects with North

Moon and Putin envision pipelines and railways on the peninsula

23 June 2018
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said he wants to sit down with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.  (Kyodo, KCNA)
N Korea at crossroads

Next on Kim Jong Un's to-befriend list: Shinzo Abe

Summit could cost Japan $10bn but bring closure to abduction issue

22 June 2018
Containers with uranium hexafluoride salt, raw material for nuclear weapons. The scale of the denuclearization is expected to be the largest in history, given the number of nuclear weapons North Korea is suspected to possess.
N Korea at crossroads

Dismantling Pyongyang's weapons relies heavily on US

Japan to foot bill, while IAEA will focus on verification

22 June 2018
Hotels and condominiums have been built in Dandong, next to the old bridge, which is currently in use. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
N Korea at crossroads

Real estate turns red hot on China-North Korea border

Boom in Dandong comes amid rising hopes for peace on Korean Peninsula

21 June 2018
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is seeking Chinese economic assistance in the agricultural sector.  
Trump-Kim Summit

Kim seeks economic rewards, starting from agriculture

Leader devotes much of Beijing trip to pursuing cooperation

21 June 2018
South Korean President Moon Jae-in engages in talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during their summit on May 26.
North Korea Crisis

Seoul considers third Moon-Kim summit this summer

South Korea looks for swift and concrete steps toward full denuclearization

20 June 2018
A session of United Nations' Human Rights Council is held in Geneva. 
International relations

US leaves UN group in move likely to ease pressure on North Korea

Human Rights Council has adopted string of resolutions condemning Pyongyang

20 June 2018
The move by Chinese President Xi Jinping to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the third time in three months is a sign of Beijing's growing anxieties.
Opinion

Trump's North Korea diplomacy aims to contain China

Beijing is at risk of losing its only ally in Northeast Asia

20 June 2018
The U.S. and South Korea hold the Ulchi Freedom Guardian military exercise each August to prepare for emergencies such as a North Korean attack.
Trump-Kim Summit

South Korea sees opening for denuclearization with drills suspended

Wild cards of North Korean good faith and US advance notice worry Seoul

20 June 2018
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, attends a welcome ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 19. (Xinhua/Kyodo)
Trump-Kim Summit

Kim showcases unity with Xi on denuclearization

Chinese leader emphasizes continued role ahead of US-North Korea talks

20 June 2018
The motorcade which is believed to be carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un passes by policemen as it leaves the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing on June 19.
Trump-Kim Summit

Kim Jong Un visits China for third time

North Korean leader to brief President Xi on Trump summit and talk tactics

19 June 2018
 Kim Jong Un last visited China in early May, surprising many by traveling by plane instead of train. (KCNA via Reuters)
Trump-Kim Summit

Kim to visit China again

North Korean leader arrives for his third trip as early as Tuesday

19 June 2018
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump at their joint news conference at the White House in Washington on June 7
Opinion

North Korea talks deepen Japan's dilemma

While Trump and Kim warm up ties, Tokyo is left in the cold

18 June 2018
United Nations Command honor guards at a ceremony for the 64th anniversary of the Korean armistice on July 27, 2017. While mainly symbolic at this point, the force nevertheless represents international cooperation on the North Korean issue.
Trump-Kim Summit

Push for Korean peace throws fate of UN forces into doubt

American-led command largely symbolic but still relevant to global cooperation

18 June 2018
A direct line to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un alters the equation of U.S. President Donald Trump's diplomacy with the reclusive state.
China up close

China startled by Trump's hotline to Kim

Beijing's tug of war with Washington now moves on to Taiwan

18 June 2018
Abe may prefer to meet with Kim at the United Nations headquarters in New York, but no North Korean leader has ever visited the U.S. before.
Trump-Kim Summit

Russia or UN? Abe and Kim must agree on summit site

Pleasing Putin will rile China and US, but hurdles high for New York

18 June 2018
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, could meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in September at the United Nations or in Russia.
International relations

Abe campaigns for summit with Kim on abductions

Japan's leader urges 'big decision' by North Korea to settle long-standing issue

17 June 2018