North Korea insists Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's (far left) involvement would only "entangle" its denuclearization talks with the U.S.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea demands Pompeo's removal in power play against US

Kim plans Russia visit and tests weapons to shake up stalled nuclear talks

19 April 2019
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives guidance during his visit to the Shinchang Fish Farm in this April 16, 2019 photo released on April 17. (KCNA via Reuters)
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea's Kim to hold first meeting with Putin: report

Talks between two leaders expected to take place next week in Vladivostok

18 April 2019
It has become clear that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un does not want to drop his nuclear ambitions. 
The Nikkei View

Bold denuclearization is the only path forward for North Korea

Kim Jong Un's 'have it both ways' strategy will not work

17 April 2019
Kim Jong Un seems risk-averse.
Opinion

Kim will not bite on Trump's economic bait

US should drop calls for 'big deal' denuclearization and focus instead on small steps

12 April 2019
Commuters at the Seoul Railway Station watch a TV showing a file image of Kim Jong Un as newscasters report on North Korea's latest leadership reshuffle.
N Korea at crossroads

Kim Jong Un tightens grip as new leadership emerges in North Korea

Assembly reshuffle indicates desire to return to denuclearization talks with US

12 April 2019
President Donald Trump meets with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House on Thursday.
Politics

Trump tells Moon time not ripe for North Korea concessions

South Korean leader pushes for 'maintaining momentum'

12 April 2019
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gestures during a meeting of the Central Committee of the Worker's Party in Pyongyang, in this photo released Wednesday by the Korean Central News Agency.
N Korea at crossroads

Kim Jong Un takes shot at US ahead of Trump-Moon talks

North Korean leader threatens 'serious blow' to countries imposing sanctions

11 April 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump greets his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, in New York last September. The two leaders will meet as G-20 summit takes place next month. 
International relations

Moon rushes to Trump summit to revive North Korea talks

Seoul's 'good enough' denuclearization plan unlikely to be enough for US

10 April 2019
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un faces the challenge of shoring up support at home while a dissident group stirs abroad.
N Korea at crossroads

Heir to Kim bloodline looms over sanctions-battered regime

Dissident group that protected North Korean leader's nephew emerges from shadows

6 April 2019
Amano speaks at a U.N. Security Council meeting April 2. (Photo by Kaori Yoshida)
International relations

North Korea nuclear program a priority, IAEA chief says

Pyongyang's activities 'significantly expanded' since inspectors expelled in 2009

3 April 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meet in Hanoi on Feb. 28, before ending their summit early without a deal.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea's Kim mulls next move under cloud of 'disappointment'

Failed summit with Trump puts Pyongyang's whole strategy in jeopardy

28 March 2019
The inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex  is seen in this picture taken from the Dora observatory near the demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas.
International relations

North Korean officials return to inter-Korean liaison office

Pyongyang reverses a decision to withdraw made just two days earlier

25 March 2019
The Koryogwan Wing Cafe in Dandong, China, serves both North Korean and American cuisine. (Photo by Daisuke Harashima)
N Korea at crossroads

Mystery North Korean border cafe serves American fare

Eatery reflects Pyongyang's conciliatory stance toward Washington

25 March 2019
Moon's window for action is closing.
Opinion

South Korea's Moon is waning

President needs reforms to revive economy and political rating

25 March 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump did not realize that Kim Jong Un had no intention of giving up his nuclear arsenal last month in Hanoi.
Comment

Kim Jong Un has to be made to realize he cannot wait out Trump

Sanctions must be more strictly enforced and maintained through US election cycle

23 March 2019
Kim Chang Son, de facto chief of staff to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, visited Hanoi in February shortly before the U.S.-North Korea summit there.
N Korea at crossroads

Kim Jong Un's aide visits Moscow in sign of possible summit

North Korea seeks leverage in deadlocked US negotiations

23 March 2019
Officials from both sides of the 38th Parallel attend an opening ceremony for the two Koreas' first liason office in Kaesong, North Korea, in September. 
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea pulls out of inter-Korean liaison office

Move is a sign that Pyongyang intends to suspend nuclear talks with Washington

22 March 2019
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announces North Korea-related sanctions at the White House in 2018.
International relations

US sanctions 2 Chinese shippers over North Korea trade

Treasury lists dozens of vessels suspected of banned activities

22 March 2019
Siti Aisyah, right, who was accused of killing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's half brother in Malaysia, thanks Indonesian President Joko Widodo at a meeting at the presidential palace in Jakarta on March 12.
Politics

How release of suspect in Kim Jong Nam murder helps Widodo

Opposition frets Indonesian president may use high profile case in election

18 March 2019
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un has a "mysteriously wonderful" chemistry with U.S. President Donald Trump, a North Korean diplomat said on Friday. (KCNA via Reuters)
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea blasts US but admits Kim has chemistry with Trump

Pyongyang blames 'gangster-like' demands for rift and refuses to yield

16 March 2019
Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, center, is escorted by police as she arrives at Shah Alam High Court in Shah Alam, Malaysia on Thursday. Vietnam has urged Malaysia to release the second woman accused of killing the estranged half brother of North Korea's leader after her co-defendant was unexpectedly set free this week.
International relations

Trial of Vietnamese defendant in Kim Jong Nam case to resume

Ambassador protests decision after diplomatic bid to drop case

14 March 2019
North Korea has abducted over a dozen Japanese citizens. Miho Yamamoto, standing, is among those suspected of being taken by Pyongyang agents.
N Korea at crossroads

Japan forgoes UN human rights motion on North Korea

Tokyo modifies hard-line stance in hopes of progress on abduction

14 March 2019
North Korea says it is fully committed to denuclearization, at least officially.
N Korea at crossroads

Kim's absence from North Korean parliament spurs speculation

This marks the first in country's history, but leader's position is unchallenged

13 March 2019
Siti Aisyah, who was held in Malaysia as a suspect in the Kim Jong Nam murder, spoke to the press Martch 11 before flying home.
Politics

Indonesia diplomacy helped free suspect in Kim brother's death

Malaysia meets neighbor's request as North Korean role remains unresolved

12 March 2019
Kim Jong Un will see what comes out of the expected meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. 
Opinion

Xi holds key to North Korea nuclear deal

Trump's best hope of a lasting accord with Pyongyang depends on China

12 March 2019