Trucks have resumed traveling between Dandong, China, and Sinuiju, North Korea. (Photo by Kohei Fujimura)
N Korea at crossroads

China-North Korea truck traffic resumes in sign of reopening

Vehicles seen on Dandong-Sinuiju bridge as Pyongyang slowly lifts border shutdown

4 December 2023
North Korea's Chollima-1 rocket is prepared to launch the Malligyong-1 satellite. (Photo courtesy of Korean Central News Agency)
N Korea at crossroads

North Korean satellite reported to be in orbit, likely with Russian help

Pyongyang ups military technology capabilities as U.S. is distracted by crises

23 November 2023
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un celebrates what the country says was the successful launch of the Malligyong-1 satellite on Nov. 21.
Defense

South Korea restores border surveillance after North's satellite launch

Seoul partially suspends 2018 military agreement with Pyongyang

22 November 2023
What appears to be North Korea's new Chollima-1 rocket is seen being launched in North Korea on May 31.
Defense

North Korea claims successful launch of spy satellite

Japan condemns launch and says outcome of 3rd attempt this year not verified

22 November 2023
The USS Carl Vinson arrives at a port in Busan, South Korea on Nov. 21.
Defense

U.S. carrier in South Korea as Pyongyang signals satellite launch

Flexing 'military might' key to deterring North Korean aggression, analyst says

21 November 2023
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik attend a welcome ceremony before their security meeting in Seoul on Nov. 13.
Defense

U.S., South Korea revise North deterrence plan for 1st time in decade

Washington vows to defend Seoul as Pyongyang-Moscow axis grows

13 November 2023
U.S. President Joe Biden holds a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during the trilateral summit at Camp David on Aug. 18.
Defense

U.S., Japan, South Korea to conclude multi-year exercise plan soon

Intel-sharing is 'foundation' for future trilateral cooperation, U.S. official says

12 November 2023
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrives in New Delhi on Nov. 9. (Photo by Ryo Nakamura)
Defense

U.S. defense chief holds China focus amid Israel-Hamas conflict

Austin to meet with Philippine, Thai, other counterparts during Pacific tour

9 November 2023
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends what state media reported was a launching ceremony for a tactical nuclear attack submarine, in this picture released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on Sept. 8.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea abandoning 30-year quest for U.S. ties, expert says

Isolation has pushed Kim Jong Un closer to China and Russia

7 November 2023
Media cameras are seen outside North Korea's embassy in Malaysia in 2021.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea turns further inward with embassy closures

Former diplomat says moves signal tightening of ties with China and Russia

2 November 2023
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with Russia's Vladimir Putin in September. (KCNA via Reuters)
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea prepares to launch spy satellite with Russian aid

South Korea intelligence service says North likely traded shells for rocket tech

2 November 2023
The second summit this year between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, pictured here in Beijing on Oct. 17, underscored their close ties.
The Nikkei View

China-Russia challenge to the global order cannot be allowed

Autocratic countries overlook violence while undermining stability and freedom

25 October 2023
Tourists look toward North Korea from an observatory on the South Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone, Oct. 18, 2023. (Photo by Steven Borowiec) 
Asia Insight

Hamas' Israel assault reverberates on tense Korean border

Experts see new security jitters in South, no obvious chance of DMZ escalation

24 October 2023
Joseph Nye, a former U.S. assistant secretary of defense, says Washington should be wary of concluding that "we've reached 'peak China.'" He was speaking at the CSIS/Nikkei symposium on Oct. 20 in Tokyo. (Photo by Satoko Kawasaki)
Defense

U.S. must hold on to its 'One China' policy, Joseph Nye says

At Tokyo forum, Japan's defense minister calls on Beijing for 'dialogue'

20 October 2023
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects the new submarine in this photo released by the country's Central News Agency on Sept. 8. (KCNA via Reuters)
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea's new submarine puts focus on nuclear counterattack

Evidence casts doubts on capabilities, but expert says that's beside the point

13 October 2023
North Korea attempts to launch what it described as a military reconnaissance satellite into orbit in May.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea indicates spy satellite 'indispensable' to its security

Third launch attempt could come within weeks, after failures earlier this year

11 October 2023
Kim Jong Un watches a naval vessel test-fire a cruise missile. (KCNA via Kyodo)
Aerospace & Defense Industries

North Korean hackers target South Korea's shipbuilding tech

Seoul detects new cyberattacks amid Kim Jong Un's push for stronger navy

6 October 2023
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa says she would "continue to convey the prime minister's determination" on talks with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)
Interview

Japan still wants summit with North Korea: foreign minister

Top diplomat seeks to lay groundwork for talks on abductions between Kishida, Kim Jong Un

3 October 2023
Set 10 years after reunification, "2035" follows a crew of journalists as they travel the country interviewing people. (Photo courtesy of the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival)
Arts

Korean reunification becomes horror-comedy film plot

Park Jae-in's mockumentary "2035" aims to make audiences shudder and giggle

30 September 2023
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addresses the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 23. Russia's aggression against Ukraine is exposing problems with how the global body operates.
The Nikkei View

U.N. reform urgently needed to better promote peace

Security Council dysfunction threatens global security

27 September 2023
Tanks drive along a street during a military parade in Seoul on Sept. 26. (Photo by Ahn Seong-bok) 
Defense

South Korea shows off military hardware in display of might

Swaggering parade of weaponry comes as Seoul rises as an arms exporter

26 September 2023
Estonian President Alar Karis says that the growing relationship between Russia and North Korea "doesn't make us very happy." (Photo by Mana Yumi)
Interview

Russia-North Korea nuclear cooperation danger to all: Estonian president

Karis calls on international community to step in against weapons development

22 September 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a meeting at the Vostochny Сosmodrome in Russia's far eastern Amur region on Sept. 13
The Nikkei View

Russia-North Korea military ties are cause for concern

Democracies must work together to counter authoritarian coercion

20 September 2023
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, second from right, with Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East on Sept. 13. (Kremlin via Reuters)
Comment

Kim's Russian spaceport visit: The rocket science of hiding poverty

North Korean leader and Putin use each other to compensate for weaknesses

20 September 2023
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the far eastern Amur region of Russia on Sept. 13.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea seeks stronger hand with Russia meetings

Pyongyang looks for technical aid from Moscow as Seoul boosts U.S. ties

14 September 2023