Politics

Kim Pyong Il is the son of North Korea's founder, Kim Il Sung. This image, taken at the 25th annual memorial service of Kim Il Sung in July, was released by North Korea's Central News Agency.
N Korea at crossroads

Kim Jong Un's uncle: Pensioner or soon to be purged?

Homecoming of Kim Pyong Il sparks speculation over his fate

5 December 2019
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversees a super-large multiple launch rocket system test last week. (KCNA/Kyodo)
N Korea at crossroads

Kim Jong Un's year-end 'deadline' makes South Korea sweat

North Korea turns aggressive as it seeks new dialogue proposals from US

2 December 2019
South Korea's Moon Jae-in attends last year's South Korea-ASEAN summit in Singapore
International relations

Kim's snub overshadows South Korea's big ASEAN meeting

Moon Jae-in keen to stage successful summit as part of South East Asia push

25 November 2019
Sailors aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown man the rails as the ship pulls into Visakhapatnam, India, as part of the Tiger Triumph exercise in the Bay of Bengal on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy) 
International relations

India and US strengthen military ties with 'Tiger Triumph' drill

Maiden exercise comes as China seeks to widen influence in Indo-Pacific

18 November 2019
A performer sings at a North Korean-themed restaurant in Shenyang, China. North Korean laborers can skirt UN sanctions by applying for entertainment visas. (Photo by Tsukasa Hadano)
N Korea at crossroads

Sanctions on North Korean migrant workers undermined by 'interns'

Pyongyang exploits alternative visa programs while China looks the other way

15 November 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump's former National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster delivers a keynote speech at a Nikkei/CSIS symposium in Tokyo on Friday. (Photo by Hiroyuki Yamamoto)
International relations

Ex-Trump official urges US to resist China by bolstering democracy

Former security adviser McMaster says US-China tensions are no Cold War

25 October 2019
Abe said he wants to meet with Kim Jong Un on Oct. 4: Abe may be in a unique position to inject new momentum.
Opinion

Abe must step up efforts to engage North Korea

Japan cannot afford to stand by as Pyongyang raises the military stakes

25 October 2019
While Donald Trump has been boasting about his personal relationship with Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader has been expanding his nuclear threat. (Nikkei Montage/ Reuters)
Comment

As North Korea's missile arsenal grows, so does its nuclear threat

Donald Trump's goofs have allowed Kim Jong Un to add to his delivery capabilities

19 October 2019
Kim Jong Un welcomes Xi Jinping at the Pyongyang International Airport, undated photo released on June 21 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency: Beijing continues to hold one of the few keys to steering Kim's behavior.
Opinion

US economic war on China weakens nuclear North Korea too

Seventieth anniversary of China-North Korea ties highlights Beijing's regional sway

18 October 2019
Players from the two Koreas play a World Cup qualifying match in an empty stadium in Pyongyang on Tuesday, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association.
N Korea at crossroads

Two Koreas play soccer in empty Pyongyang stadium as relations turn icy

North denies direct flight to South's players, expressing displeasure at Moon

15 October 2019
What appears to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile launches from an undisclosed location in this undated picture released by North Korea's Central News Agency on Oct. 2.
Comment

North Korea's nuclear threat crosses a perilous line

It is time for countries to coolly deal with the reality of Pyongyang's buildup

13 October 2019
The diplomatic roadblocks the U.S. has hit with China and North Korea are the result of U.S. President Donald Trump's "America first" policies, according to a former senior U.S. diplomat focusing on Asia.
Interview

Trump lost leverage on China and North Korea: former Obama aide

Late US efforts to convene Tokyo and Seoul contributed to nations' rift

10 October 2019
A North Korean fishing boat sank after colliding with a Japanese patrol ship on Oct. 7. (Photo courtesy of Japan's Fisheries Agency)
8 October 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump has kept his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, left, as well as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in high hopes -- despite repeatedly dashing them. (Original photos by Reuters)
Comment

'The Unpredictable One' stirs up Korean Peninsula tensions

North Korea fires a missile as it clings to hope of making a deal with Trump

7 October 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, last met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the border village of Panmunjom in the Korean Demilitarized Zone on June 30.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea tightens pressure on Trump with collapse of talks

Pyongyang turns aggressive as US reaches for progress ahead of 2020 election

7 October 2019
North Korea's delegation in Stockholm on Saturday: Chief negotiator Kim Myong Gil, third from right, said that expectations for the talks had not been fulfilled.
N Korea at crossroads

US-North Korea nuclear talks break down: Pyongyang envoy

Washington puts positive spin on meeting, saying talks will continue in two weeks

6 October 2019
Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun leads the U.S. delegation in the upcoming working-level talks between Washington and Pyongyang.
N Korea at crossroads

US and North Korea set to resume nuclear talks in Sweden

Trump remains keen on dialogue even after Pyongyang missile launch

5 October 2019
What appears to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile is fired from an undisclosed location in this undated photo released by North Korea's Central News Agency on Oct. 2.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korean missile launched from sea platform: Pentagon

Trump says Pyongyang 'wants to talk' and Washington will oblige

4 October 2019
What appears to be a submarine-launched ballistic missile flies in an undisclosed location in this undated picture released by North Korea's Central News Agency on Oct. 2.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea tests Trump's limits by showcasing SLBM

Sub-launched missile lands in Japanese waters days before talks with US

3 October 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sept. 25 during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
International relations

Trump says South Korea not trusted by North

President tells Abe that Pyongyang has not contacted Seoul lately

26 September 2019
North Korean women are unable to access the health care, food and jobs they need to survive.
Opinion

Korean peace process must include women to be truly sustainable

Economic development and humanitarian relief languish as conflict continues

25 September 2019
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pose atop Mount Paektu, North Korea, in September 2018.
N Korea at crossroads

Pyongyang Declaration falls silent as Moon loses voice

North Korea seeks direct deal with Trump, cutting Seoul's influence as mediator

19 September 2019
John Bolton, then the national security adviser, left, listens as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House on Feb. 12.
Politics

Trump slams Bolton for mishandling North Korea talks

Push for 'Libyan model' set back nuclear negotiations, US president says

12 September 2019
North Korea has tested 18 missiles since May, adding to tensions in East Asia.
N Korea at crossroads

What intel pact? Japan flaunts North Korea missile analysis

Rapid release of information aims to downplay rift with Seoul

11 September 2019
North Korea First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said that the United States must come to the negotiating table with proposals that satisfy North Korea, or dealings between the two countries will come to an end.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea ready to meet with US in late Sept

Willing to discuss 'comprehensive' issues, says First Vice Foreign Minister

10 September 2019