South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, shakes hands with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono prior to their meeting in Seoul on April 11.
International relations

Moon asks Japan to help in denuclearization of Korean Peninsula

Seoul willing to aid Tokyo in resolving abductee issue with North Korea

11 April 2018
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono, left, and his South Korean counterpart, Kang Kyung-wha, exchanged pledges to work together in Seoul on April 11.
International relations

Japan renews call for South Korea to press North on abductions

Tokyo worries its interests will be ignored when Moon and Trump meet Kim

11 April 2018
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping toast with glasses of precious maotai during a banquet in Beijing on March 26.
China up close

Kim Jong Un's 21-car train was packed with gifts and much more

North Korean leader strengthens his hand as he wrestles China away from US

9 April 2018
North Koreans mark founding father Kim Il Sung's birthday on April 15, 2017. A Chinese art troupe may be dispatched around the time of this year's festivities.
International relations

China to send art troupe to North Korea in show of solidarity

Xi-Kim summit brings warmer ties, including possible crackdown on defectors

7 April 2018
Kim Jong Un, left, and Moon Jae-in are set to meet on April 27.
International relations

North and South Korea discuss reopening leaders' hotline

Preparations underway for landmark summit later this month

7 April 2018
Negotiators are laying the ground rules for the upcoming summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
International relations

North and South Korea map out Kim's visit

Security and media access discussed ahead of April 27 meeting

6 April 2018
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a dinner party in Beijing on March 26, 2018 © KCNA/Kyodo
International relations

Kim Jong Un offers to return to six-party talks

North Korean leader dangled concession to arrange meeting with Xi Jinping

6 April 2018
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in late March.
Politics

Editorial: China must maintain maximum pressure on North Korea over nuclear program

Beijing is key to ensuring Pyongyang makes good on its denuclearization promises

5 April 2018
Kausikan credits President Trump with starting engagement with North Korea.
International relations

'Rational' North Korea won't launch war: Singapore diplomat

Trump-Kim summit seen as first step toward longer-term peace talks

4 April 2018
Satellite imagery of North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear test site from March 23. (Photo courtesy of Airbus DS/38 North)
International relations

Experts push back at Japanese claim on North Korean nuclear work

American monitoring website contends satellite imagery does not support foreign minister

4 April 2018
South Korea's President Moon Jae-in, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are due to meet on April 27.
International relations

South Korea wants a denuclearization deal at Moon-Kim talks

But Pyongyang prefers to talk disarmament with Washington

4 April 2018
U.S. President Donald Trump now has exactly the right national security adviser, John Bolton, to help go for the military phase if his summit option fails.
Opinion

North Korea summit diplomacy carries risks of war

Failure of the Trump-Kim meeting could trigger military conflict

4 April 2018
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, far right, talks with South Korean artists after their performance in Pyongyang on April 1.
North Korea Crisis

North Korea launches charm offensive ahead of US summit

Pyongyang works on boosting its image with Kim's China trip and K-pop show

3 April 2018
Richard Armitage, former U.S. deputy secretary of state: "I would be ashamed of my president if he goes and gets a deal which helps U.S. security but doesn't improve Japan's."
International relations

Trump must be mindful of Asian allies at Kim summit, Armitage says

Former deputy secretary of state wary of president's hawkish new team

2 April 2018
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un went to Beijing looking for a big-brother type and found one in Chinese President Xi Jinping. (KCNA/Reuters)
China up close

Kim Jong Un brings Xi back to table ahead of Trump meeting

North Korea gains China as a shield against possible US military action

2 April 2018
A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet, bottom, lands at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on March 20.
International relations

US seeks to balance pressure and dialogue in South Korean drills

Scaled-back annual exercises kick off ahead of summits with Pyongyang

2 April 2018
Japanese Prime Minister, left, fears that the world's shift to dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may hurt the chances of solving the abduction issue. (Kyodo, KCNA)
North Korea Crisis

Abe weighs pros and cons of meeting North Korean leader

Japan sees its priorities falling by the wayside in allies' talks with Kim Jong Un

31 March 2018
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Politics

Trump plays the trade card against South Korea's detente

US ties the deal to North Korea's denuclearization

31 March 2018
South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, left, and North Korean counterpart Ri Son Gwon exchange documents at their meeting March 29.
North Korea Crisis

Korea summit moves ahead amid doubts over Kim's will to disarm

Pyongyang's intentions for April 27 meeting remain unclear

30 March 2018
Kim Jong Un, left, and Moon Jae-in are set to meet on April 27.
International relations

Inter-Korea summit tests Moon's negotiation skills

South Korean president urged to narrow gap between Trump and Kim

29 March 2018
Chinese President Xi Jinping, center left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center right, dined with their wives at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on March 28.
International relations

China's Xi welcomes Kim with eyes on Trump

Rapprochement meant to ensure continued influence over North Korea

29 March 2018
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed a commitment to denuclearization while meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping.
International relations

Xi spares no expense to put on show of unity with Kim

North Korean first lady's rare diplomatic appearance signals a thaw

29 March 2018
Chinese broadcaster CCTV shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
International relations

North Korea has played the nuclear card before

The record of taking a 'phased' approach is less than promising

29 March 2018