North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, made a keynote address at an undisclosed location to mark the delivery of 250 new tactical ballistic missiles on Aug. 4. 
Comment

What does North Korea have in store for the next U.S. president?

Pyongyang couches hopes for better ties in hard-line rhetoric

18 August 2024
U.S. Korea Forces spokesperson Col. Ryan Donald, right, and Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, attend a press briefing on the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises in Seoul. 
Defense

U.S. and South Korea start joint military exercises next week

Seoul also will conduct first-ever civil defense drill for nuclear attack

13 August 2024
TV news at Seoul's Yongsan Railway Station shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae, attending a banquet to celebrate the country's successful launch of a reconnaissance satellite.
Opinion

Kim Ju Ae is unlikely to ever reign as North Korea's queen

Odds are against Kim Jong Un's young daughter succeeding him

7 August 2024
North Korea held a ceremony Aug. 4 to mark the handover of missile launchers to forces stationed near the South Korean border. (KCNA via Reuters)
North Korea tensions

North Korea sends 250 missile launchers to border with South

Kim claims improved effectiveness of tactical nuclear weapons as tensions rise

6 August 2024
The Pyongyang Restaurant in Vientiane no longer has clear signage identifying it by that name. (Photo by Junnoruke Kobara)
International relations

North Korean restaurants in Laos fly under radar

No signs, but plenty of clues to connection with Pyongyang

5 August 2024
Kim Jong Un's train stopped just short of flood damage in the northern part of the country. (North Korea's Korean Central News Agency via Reuters) 
North Korea tensions

Kim Jong Un surveys damage as floods devastate North Korea trade hub

Disaster-response officials are fired as economy takes massive hit

3 August 2024
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin ride in a car together in Pyongyang on June 19. (KCNA via Kyodo)
Comment

North Korea faces limits of economic boon from Russia 'alliance'

For Moscow, long-term partnership with Pyongyang may have little upside

3 August 2024
North Korea's ambassador to Laos, Ri Yong Chol, attended the ASEAN Regional Forum instead of the foreign minister. (Photo by Junnosuke Kobara)
International relations

North Korea avoids contact with South Korea and U.S. at ASEAN talks

Pyongyang again doesn't send top diplomat as it deepens relationship with Russia

29 July 2024
South Korean athletes during the floating parade on the Seine during the Olympic opening ceremony in Paris on July 26. 
Sports

Olympics: IOC apologizes to South Korea over North Korea gaffe

Seoul's delegation introduced as from rival during opening ceremony

28 July 2024
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong pose as they meet in Pyongyang, North Korea, July 28, 2023, in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency. 
North Korea tensions

U.S. sanctions China-based network for helping North Korea

Entities accused of assisting Pyongyang in weapons development programs

25 July 2024
Moscow and Kyiv have reached out for support to faraway Pyongyang and Seoul and upgraded military ties. 
Asia Insight

Korean tensions flare as Seoul, Pyongyang take opposing sides on Ukraine

Russia-North Korea military upgrade triggers deeper U.S.-South Korea nuclear alliance

23 July 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden greets South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Camp David near Washington on Aug. 18, 2023. 
Comment

Japan, U.S., South Korea must face lingering issues from Camp David

Historic 2023 summit left several key military and other matters unresolved

19 July 2024
Admiral Kim Myung Soo, General Yoshihide Yoshida and General Charles Brown attended the meeting.  (Photo by Shinnosuke Nagatomi)
South China Sea

Japan, U.S., South Korea top officers vow to boost cooperation

North Korean weapon programs, Beijing's assertiveness in South China Sea among topics discussed

18 July 2024
Sue Mi Terry speaks at the Asia Society in New York on June 19, 2017.  
International relations

Former CIA official charged with being agent for South Korea

Justice Department accuses Sue Mi Terry of serving Seoul's intelligence service

17 July 2024
A North Korean diplomat in Cuba defected to South Korea in November in a blow to leader Kim Jong Un.
International relations

North Korean diplomat in Cuba defected to South Korea in November

Defection occurred before Havana and Seoul established ties in blow to Pyongyang

16 July 2024
Rescuers work at Ohmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv on July 8 after deadly Russian missile strikes. Ukraine's ambassador in Seoul says the attack shows why his country needs South Korean air defense technology.
Ukraine war

Ukraine urgently needs South Korean air defense systems, envoy says

Ambassador Dmytro Ponomarenko cites deadly Russian attack on children's hospital

11 July 2024
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in January abandoned the goal to unify the two Koreas.
North Korea tensions

North Korea stokes rift with Seoul, emboldened by Russian support

Kim Jong Un plays up neighboring threat to tighten internal controls

10 July 2024
A North Korean general, left, greets the president of Kim Il Sung Military University, Kim Kum Chol, as his delegation leaves Pyongyang airport on July 8. (AP Photo/Cha Song Ho)
Defense

North Korea dispatches military training delegation to Russia

Move comes after Pyongyang and Moscow seal strategic partnership

9 July 2024
Direct passenger train service between Vladivostok and Rason will restart in July.
3 July 2024
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks at a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. (KCNA via Reuters)
Economy

North Korea's Kim talks up economy amid closer Russia ties

Food shipments seen easing shortage as farming and China trade recover

3 July 2024
Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un attend a state reception in Pyongyang on June 19.
Opinion

The Russia-North Korea marriage of convenience is no bromance

Strategic partnership a rational calculation by leaders keen never to cross their own red lines

1 July 2024
North Korea claims that it earlier launched a missile capable of carry multiple warheads.
North Korea tensions

North Korea missile may have failed and fallen inland: South

Pyongyang fires two ballistic missiles after failed attempt on Wednesday

1 July 2024
A North Korean official is seen wearing a pin featuring a portrait of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during a key meeting of the country's ruling party held in Pyongyang on June 28 in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency.
North Korea tensions

North Korean officials sport Kim Jong Un pins for first time

Move is the latest step to develop a cult of personality around the leader

30 June 2024
The North released this image of what it says is a decoy warhead from its multiwarhead missile. (KCNA via Kyodo)
North Korea tensions

North Korea claims successful multiwarhead missile test

Seoul remains skeptical, saying data inconsistent with Pyongyang's announcement

28 June 2024