Politics

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
U.S. President Donald Trump waves after his meeting with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12, 2018. The two will meet again next month.
N Korea at crossroads

Trump and Kim will meet next month to restart stalled talks

President decides after talks with North Korea envoy, but venue to be announced later

19 January 2019
Kim Yong Chol, right, who is in charge of North Korea's negotiations with the U.S., flew to Washington from Beijing.
N Korea at crossroads

Trump and Kim eye Vietnam summit as preparations intensify

North Korean envoy to meet with Pompeo, and possibly president

18 January 2019
Trucks wait for border inspection at the Chinese side of the bridge that connects Sinuiju, North Korea with Dandong, China.
International relations

North Korea trade shrank significantly in 2018, Beijing says

Customs authority notes compliance with UN sanctions, but banned goods seen at border

15 January 2019
Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, dines with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
N Korea at crossroads

Xi pledges support for second Trump-Kim summit

Chinese leader says North's concerns are reasonable and must be solved

11 January 2019
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed how to work together to steer denuclearization talks during their summit in Beijing on Jan. 8.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea and China discuss how to 'jointly' push denuclearization

Kim Jong Un, meeting with Xi, promises efforts for second US summit and breakthrough

10 January 2019
A TV screen shows the live broadcast of South Korean President Moon Jae-in's press conference in Seoul.
Politics

Moon seeks to reboot presidency with vow to revive economy

South Korean leader calls for innovation as trade war hurts export-driven country

10 January 2019
South Korean President Moon Jae-in has installed close allies in his cabinet in an effort to shore up his flagging approval ratings.
Politics

Moon replaces top aides with eye on 2020 general election

South Korean president brings close allies to inner circle amid waning public support

9 January 2019
A car believed to be carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un leaves the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.
N Korea at crossroads

Kim solicits Xi's support to advance talks with US

China welcomes North Korean leader amid trade negotiations

9 January 2019
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and wife Ri Sol Ju inspect an honour guard before leaving Pyongyang for a visit to China on Jan 7. (KCNA/Reuters)
N Korea at crossroads

Kim Jong Un makes 4th China trip ahead of potential Trump summit

Visit comes days after Kim warned the U.S. he may take an alternative path

8 January 2019
As his administration talks trade with Beijing this week, Donald Trump faces a depressed stock market, an impeachment inquiry, and a reelection campaign. 
Opinion

From Pelosi to Xi, Trump's tough year ahead

Democrat resurgence makes life harder for U.S. president, including in Asia

7 January 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump said that if he had not been elected, Asia would be in "a nice, big fat war" with Kim Jong Un's North Korea.
N Korea at crossroads

Trump to reveal location of second Kim summit soon

President says he has communicated with North Korean leader 'indirectly'

7 January 2019
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's annual New Year's address was broadcast the morning of Jan. 1 by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
N Korea at crossroads

Kim puts denuclearization ball in Washington's court

Trump says he received a new letter from North Korean leader

3 January 2019
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's New Year's remarks, broadcast in Seoul on Jan. 1, included a fresh pledge to "move toward complete denuclearization."
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea's Kim ready to meet Trump again 'anytime'

Leader promises not to test nuclear weapons in New Year's speech

1 January 2019
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers his New Year's speech on Jan. 1, 2018.
N Korea at crossroads

Kim Jong Un set for key speech after a missile-free year of talks

With negotiations deadlocked, analysts see Kim reaching out directly to Trump

29 December 2018
North and South Korean officials unveil signs for a joint rail project Dec. 26 in Kaesong, North Korea. (Photo courtesy of South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)
N Korea at crossroads

Inter-Korean railway diplomacy sidetracked by sanctions

US 'maximum pressure' campaign stymies economic cooperation

27 December 2018
A train takes South Korean officials to inspect the North's railway infrastructure on Nov. 30, weeks before the groundbreaking ceremony. 
N Korea at crossroads

Two Koreas give road and rail projects a ceremonial push

Sanctions loom over groundbreaking event for transport links

26 December 2018
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde
N Korea at crossroads

Seoul firms up support for North Korea to join the IMF

But stalemate in nuclear talks risks halting push to help North open up

17 December 2018
South Korean President Moon Jae-in is willing to support North Korea to open its sky to international airliners by launching direct flight routes between two Koreas.
N Korea at crossroads

Moon wants to help North Korea open its airspace to passenger jets

Seoul in talks with Washington to find a way through international sanctions

14 December 2018
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, speaks with Choe Ryong Hae during a parade in Pyongyang in 2013. Choe was among three officials sanctioned by the U.S. on Dec. 10.
N Korea at crossroads

US hits North Korea on human rights as nuclear talks stall

Trump pushes for United Nations meeting on abuses under Kim's regime

12 December 2018
Moon and Kim Jong Un meet for the first time in April at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas.
N Korea at crossroads

South Korea crafts VIP itinerary for Kim visit that may not happen

Moon has arranged a hotel, train ride and island trip for North Korea's leader

8 December 2018
Work is underway on a new building in Sinuiju on the North Korean side of the Yalu River. Construction industry officials in Dandong have speculated that China is providing technical assistance for the project. (Photo by Daisuke Harashima)
N Korea at crossroads

China-North Korea border trade thrives again, despite sanctions

Disguised clams, building materials and short-stay visas undermine UN resolution

6 December 2018