North Korea

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers remarks at a gathering in Tokyo on Nov. 3 concerning the issue of Japanese abducted by North Korea. (Photo by Yurina Ishikawa)
APEC leaders stand for a group photo in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Nov. 1.
International relations

South Korea's APEC: Two days of heavy diplomacy end

Trump's early exit handed Xi the starring role at the gathering in South Korea.

1 November 2025
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gestures during a military parade in Pyongyang, in this pictured released Oct. 11, 2025 by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. 
International relations

South Korea's Lee pledges to back a Trump-Kim summit

Progressive president invokes the spirit of Kim Dae-jung's 'Sunshine Policy'

1 November 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump swept through Asia, with the region left to ponder the impact. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP and Reuters)
Trump tariffs

Trump's 5-day Asian trade tour: 5 things to know

President's emphasis on 'deals' yields results but leaves some wary

31 October 2025
Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung meet for the first time on the red carpet in Gyeongju. (Yonhap)
International relations

South Korea's APEC: Xi makes 5 point proposal for inclusive globalization

Lee says that world order stands at 'turning point'; 'National interests may not always align'

31 October 2025
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gestures during a military parade celebrating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, in Pyongyang, in this picture released Oct. 11 by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA via Reuters)
North Korea tensions

North Korea test-fires cruise missiles ahead of Trump visit to South Korea

Sea-to-surface missiles were fired to the west of Korean Peninsula, says state media

29 October 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump, center left, meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June 2019 in the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas.
Trump administration

Trump administration taps key envoy to Seoul seeking North Korea engagement

Kevin Kim becomes acting ambassador as US president floats Kim Jong Un meeting

29 October 2025
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae walk inside a hotel during a ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone in June. (KCNA via Reuters)
Interview

Succession of Kim's daughter would end North Korea bloodline: defector

North's patriarchal society would not allow Kim Ju Ae to be leader, says former diplomat

28 October 2025
A TV screen in a Seoul railway station shows a file image of a North Korean missile launch during a news program on Oct. 22.
North Korea tensions

Pyongyang fires ballistic missiles a week before APEC summit in South Korea

First such launch since May comes as new prime minister takes reins in Japan

22 October 2025
A refueling truck for a helicopter that made an emergency landing, in North Korea in 1993.
My Personal History

North Korea: Gerald Curtis (21)

A flight on a dilapidated helicopter and drinks at a hostess club in Pyongyang

21 October 2025
North Korea's Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump meet at a summit in June 2018.
International relations

Trump, North Korea's Kim could meet this month: Seoul official

Information points to summit around late October APEC gathering

14 October 2025
The Oct. 10 parade, which was viewed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and visiting dignitaries, marked the 80th anniversary of the foundation of the country's ruling Workers' Party and followed celebrations the day before. (KCNA via Reuters)
11 October 2025
China’s Premier Li Qiang and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walk as they meet on the day of an event marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), in Pyongyang, North Korea, Oct. 9.
North Korea tensions

North Korean defector gives glimpse into tricky Russia, China ties

Ex-diplomat reveals divisions over Ukraine war, awkward 'blood alliance' with Beijing

10 October 2025
To Lam (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Vietnam and North Korea represent for each other what might have been, in an alternate reality, if North and South Korea had united like Vietnam, or if North and South Vietnam had remained split after 1975. (Source photos by KCNA and Reuters)
International relations

North Korea's and Vietnam's communist bosses meet: 5 things to know

Hanoi maintains cozy ties with Asia's communist nations despite befriending the US

10 October 2025
Chinese Premier Li Qiang attends the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 26. He is due to visit North Korea from Oct. 9.
7 October 2025
Vietnamese Communist Party chief To Lam is set to travel to North Korea for a three-day visit from Oct. 9.
6 October 2025
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during a meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this picture released Sept. 22, 2025. (Photo by Korean Central News Agency via Reuters)
Defense

North Korea's Kim says country will develop additional military measures

Pyongyang 'allocated special assets' to respond to buildup of U.S. military forces

5 October 2025
Chinese Premier Li Qiang, left, met with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, right, in Beijing on Sept. 29. (Source photos by Reuters and KCNA/Kyodo)
International relations

China, North Korea senior officials pledge to 'safeguard common interests'

Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with North Korean foreign minister in Beijing

30 September 2025
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during the 80th United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 23.
International relations

At UN, South Korean leader vows to reduce tensions with Pyongyang

Lee Jae Myung talks gradual growth in cooperation to ensure peace

24 September 2025
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center, links hands with Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi, left, and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, right, on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 22.
International relations

Japan, US, South Korea say North Korea denuclearization not off table

Three countries express concern over Pyongyang's military ties with Russia

23 September 2025
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during a meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly in Pyongyang in this picture released on Sept. 22. (KCNA via Reuters)
22 September 2025
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju Ae, attends a ceremony for the launch of a "new multipurpose destroyer" in Nampo, North Korea, in April.
Opinion

Beijing and Moscow bless Kim Jong Un's heir apparent

Daughter Ju Ae's diplomatic appearances mark next act in North Korea's nuclear dynasty

18 September 2025
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, far right, shares a laugh with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Sept. 3. Russian President Vladimir Putin is seated at far left. 
Comment

Shadows of Ukraine war hang over Kim Jong Un's Tiananmen debut

North Korean leader under pressure to placate Beijing and appeal to youth at home

10 September 2025
South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok speaks with Nikkei in Seoul on Sept. 8. (Photo by Nikkei)
Interview

Seoul eyes CPTPP to bolster economic cooperation with Japan: PM

Kim Min-seok emphasizes importance of 'Asian sphere' amid US tariffs

10 September 2025
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un views a solid-fuel missile engine test in this picture released by the country's state-run news agency. (Reuters via KCNA)
North Korea tensions

North Korea holds final test for solid-fuel ICBM engine: state media

Pyongyang shows off progress on missile that could reach continental US

10 September 2025
Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, fourth from the right, meets with South Korean National Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, fourth from the left. (Kyodo via the Japanese Defense Ministry)
International relations

Japan defense chief visits key South Korean base facing China

Trip underscores shared concerns about maritime security

10 September 2025
Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sept. 4. (China Daily via Reuters)
International relations

China will deepen ties with North Korea, Xi tells Kim

Pyongyang seeks to further economic and trade cooperation, Kim says

5 September 2025
Military equipment manufacturers displayed their equipment and systems on board the U.K. aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, docked in Tokyo Bay, on Sept. 1.  (Photo by Shintaro Ino) 
Aerospace & Defense Industries

UK contractors ride on closer military ties with Japan

Opportunities arise from rising budgets, partners' need for interoperability

4 September 2025
North Korea's new resort forms a 5-kilometer arc along the Sea of Japan between a sandy beach and an airfield. 
International relations

Visual investigation: Inside North Korea's unusual beach resort

Luxury seaside spot is a hallmark the current honeymoon with Russia

4 September 2025
By giving Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin equal billing on the rostrum overlooking a military parade on Sept. 3, Xi Jinping elevated the North Korean leader's global diplomatic standing. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and TASS/Kyodo)
China up close

Analysis: Kim Jong Un turns Beijing military parade into a diplomatic victory

North Korean given equal billing alongside Vladimir Putin, who disappointed Kim 4 months ago

4 September 2025