North Korea test-launched a new cruise missile on Jan. 24. (KCNA via Kyodo)
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea hones cruise missile tech with 4 tests in 2 weeks

Low-flying rockets emerge as new focus in buildup against U.S. and South Korea

8 February 2024
Russian President Vladimir Putin, center left, met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center right, in the Russian Far East in September. (Korean Central News Agency)
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea's rejection of unification emboldened by Russia ties

Kim Jong Un touts military advances while discarding long-held diplomatic card

2 February 2024
From left: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, senior Chinese diplomat Liu Jianchao, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP, Reuters and Yusuke Hinata)
China up close

Analysis: China's rising star visits U.S. over warming Putin-Kim ties

Diplomat Liu Jianchao's trip comes as Xi seeks to 'bind' with Biden over North Korea

1 February 2024
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Supreme People's Assembly in Pyongyang on Jan. 15: Kim declared that unification with South Korea was no longer possible. (KCNA via Reuters) 
Opinion

Kim Jong Un craves attention. This time, he should get it

North Korea may not be planning for war, but U.S. must not be caught off guard

31 January 2024
North Korean flag bearers appear at the Asian Games in the Chinese city of Hangzhou during September.
International relations

China and North Korea deepen sports ties

Beijing and Pyongyang push to bolster bilateral friendship

31 January 2024
Tourists take photos of the Arch of Reunification in Pyongyang in 2018.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea tears down 'reunification' arch, sending message to Seoul

Satellite images show cranes where monument used to be, professor says

27 January 2024
A rocket carrying South Korea's first military surveillance satellite launches from the U.S. in December 2023. (South Korean Defense Ministry)
Defense

China and India lead Asia race to expand spy satellite networks

Japan, North and South Korea also step up surveillance on growing tensions

18 January 2024
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, left, met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Jan. 16.
International relations

North Korea and Russia top diplomats meet with eye toward Putin visit

Talks in Moscow aim to solidify ties amid tensions with U.S. and South Korea

17 January 2024
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits a munitions factory in this photo released by the country's official news agency. 
International relations

North Korea fuels war rumblings with hypersonic missile launch

Foreign minister in Russia this week as part of burgeoning relationship

15 January 2024
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, in November 2022.
N Korea at crossroads

Kim Jong Un's daughter is likely heir, South Korea spy agency says

Assessment shifts as Kim Ju Ae appears more in North Korean media

12 January 2024
To find solutions to problems and conflicts affecting the entire Earth, both individuals and governments need to improve their communication skills.
The Nikkei View

More dialogue needed to avoid global divisions

Social rifts must be addressed even within democratic countries

10 January 2024
Korean characters appear on the inside of the circled component in this photo of an F-7 rocket-propelled grenade. (South Korean National Intelligence Service)
Middle East crisis

North Korean weapons used by Hamas, Seoul confirms

Spy agency shows photo of Pyongyang-made grenade, pursues evidence of shipments

9 January 2024
Residents of the sleepy South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, near the maritime border with the North, were told to evacuate after shells were fired close to it.
Defense

South Korea holds live-fire drill after North's shelling near islands

Tensions between both sides spike following exchanges of harsh words

5 January 2024
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby speaks about alleged North Korean ballistic missiles fired by Russia into Ukraine.
Ukraine war

Russia using North Korea ballistic missiles in Ukraine, White House says

U.S. says Pyongyang wants fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles in return

5 January 2024
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a visit to the Netherlands in The Hague on Dec. 13, 2023.
Defense

South Korea's Yoon vows to 'completely block' North's nuclear threat

Security situation 'inching closer to the brink of armed conflict,' Kim Jong Un says

1 January 2024
A U.S. nuclear submarine arrives at a naval base on the South Korean island of Jeju in July.
Defense

Can Washington and Seoul tame South Koreans' nuclear ambitions?

Doubts linger on U.S. commitment to defend ally as North continues atomic buildup

31 December 2023
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, left, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol face domestic political concerns heading into 2024 while Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, looks to expand Moscow's influence in East Asia. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP, Reuters and ACME/Kyodo)
Comment

Why did Putin admit Soviet Union's secret role in Korean War now?

Russia's entry into East Asia power game tests leaders of Seoul, Tokyo in 2024

30 December 2023
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