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North Korea

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is a country in East Asia, located in the northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering South Korea and China. Its capital, Pyongyang, is the country's largest city by both land area and population. It is a single-party state led by the Korean Workers' Party (KWP), and governed by Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un since 2012. It has a population of 24,052,231 (UN-assisted DPRK census 2008) made up of Koreans and a smaller Chinese minority. Japan 'opened' Korea in 1876 and annexed it in 1910. The Republic of Korea (ROK) was founded with US support in the south in August 1948 and the Soviet-backed Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the north in September that year.

Capital

Pyongyang

Head of State

Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un

Head of Government

Premier Kim Tok-hun

Tokyo has indicated that nearly all of the PLA’s ballistic missiles, from short-range to intercontinental systems, are capable of reaching Japanese territory. Photo: AFP

China-Japan relations

China’s military build-up could ‘seriously’ affect Japan’s security, Tokyo warns

Release of defence ministry report comes amid soaring tensions with Beijing and a boost to Japan’s military budget and goals.

1 hour agovideocam

United States

Opinion | For Trump, the only communists to really dislike are those at home

17 Dec 2025 - 8:30PMvideocam

South Korea

South Korea reopens debate on lifting ban on North Korean media

17 Dec 2025 - 4:55PM

Yoon Suk-yeol

Video | South Korea’s Yoon plotted martial law all along, prosecutors say

The prosecutors’ investigation found Yoon had been seeking to provoke a military confrontation with North Korea and to upset constitutional order.

16 Dec 2025 - 3:38PM

02:34

US-China relations

‘Testing the waters’? US reported to have seized Chinese cargo bound for Iran

The US accuses China of supplying Iran with dual-use components that could potentially support Tehran’s ballistic missile build-up.

16 Dec 2025 - 10:00AMvideocam

Kim Jong-un

What North Korea’s war dead tribute reveals about Kim’s endgame

In Kim Jong-un’s public grief for fallen mine-clearers, observers see a strategic play to lock in a role in Russia’s post-war rebuilding.

16 Dec 2025 - 8:00AMvideocam

South Korea

Martial law plot was Yoon’s plan all along, South Korean prosecutors say

Announcing the results of a massive 180-day inquiry on Monday, special prosecutors said Yoon Suk-yeol aimed to form a military junta.

16 Dec 2025 - 3:36PMvideocam

Yoon Suk-yeol speaks in Seoul on March 10, 2022, shortly after winning that month’s presidential election. Photo: Xinhua

Kim Yo-jong

Kim’s sister spotted with suspected luxury Chinese foldable phone

The device, seen at a hospital opening in North Korea, appears to be an ultra-thin ‘Magic’ foldable from Chinese tech giant Honor.

15 Dec 2025 - 1:58PM

China-South Korea relations

Is the US pushing South Korea to the fore in deterring a war over Taiwan?

Washington’s latest strategy urges allies to spend ‘much more for collective defence’ as it backs Seoul building nuclear-powered submarines.

14 Dec 2025 - 12:00PMvideocam

Russia

North Korea’s Kim reveals soldiers cleared mines for Russia

The North Korean leader hailed returning troops for displaying ‘mass heroism’ during demining operations in the Kursk region.

15 Dec 2025 - 12:46PMvideocam

Kim Jong-un

North Korea promotes new beach resort to Chinese tourists in 2026 plan

The Wonsan beach resort and the Pyongyang Marathon highlight plans for Chinese visitors in a post-pandemic tourism push.

10 Dec 2025 - 8:01PMvideocam

Domestic tourists visit the beach at Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Area in Wonsan, North Korea on July 1. Photo: AFP

South Korea

Why South Korea is powerless to revive Trump-Kim nuclear talks

Pyongyang wants nuclear recognition and analysts say Kim Jong-un is waiting on a Ukraine peace deal to boost his leverage with Washington.

10 Dec 2025 - 11:42AMvideocam

South Korea

Shaman rumours resurface as South Korea returns to Blue House

After Yoon Suk-yeol wasted millions on a move critics linked to fortune-tellers, the presidential office is returning to its historic home.

10 Dec 2025 - 8:22AMvideocam

China-New Zealand relations

7 Chinese warships followed our navy vessel in East Asia, New Zealand says

Wellington says ship was to carry out surveillance and deterrence activities to bolster UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea.

9 Dec 2025 - 10:18PMvideocam

The HMNZS Aotearoa, a Polar-class replenishment vessel of the New Zealand Navy, was deployed to the East China and Yellow seas with allies in November. Photo: Handout via Reuters

Kim Jong-un

Video | Russia’s long-serving North Korea envoy dies

Kim Jong-un sent his condolences to Russian leader Putin over the ambassador’s death.

9 Dec 2025 - 5:21PM

01:04

Diplomacy

Trump drops North Korea denuclearisation goal, hinting at talks with Kim

Trump strategy omits North Korea denuclearistation; Pyongyang calls goal meaningless, demands US drop ‘absurd pursuit’ of its nuclear weapons.

8 Dec 2025 - 5:40PMvideocam

Obituaries

Renowned British photographer Martin Parr dies at 73

The celebrated photographer documented everything from beach life to global consumerism across a decades-spanning career.

8 Dec 2025 - 11:35AM

China-North Korea relations

Is China changing tack and accepting North Korea as a nuclear-armed state?

In a break with the recent past, Beijing makes no mention of ‘denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula’ in a white paper.

6 Dec 2025 - 6:49PMvideocam

North Korea rolls out an intercontinental ballistic missile during a military parade in Pyongyang on October 10. Photo: Korean Central News Agency

War and conflict

Opinion | Welcome to a world where wars don’t end and sanctions don’t work

The age of ‘distributed multipolarity’ shows that superpowers alone can no longer dictate international affairs.

6 Dec 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

Artificial intelligence

Senators unveil bill to keep Trump from easing curbs on AI chip sales to China

The SAFE CHIPS Act is a rare effort led in part by Trump’s own party to stop him from further relaxing tech export restrictions on Beijing.

5 Dec 2025 - 4:45AM

South Korea

Can Seoul count on Beijing’s commitment to Korean reunification?

South Korean analyst Sung Ki-young says major powers are more likely to support incremental steps for peace rather than a sudden shift.

3 Dec 2025 - 7:11PMvideocam

South Korea

Beijing blamed as Yoon’s martial law bid fuels disinformation in South Korea

South Korea’s political turmoil deepened as disinformation blamed China for Yoon’s impeachment, despite no evidence, reflecting rising sinophobia.

3 Dec 2025 - 6:18PMvideocam

South Korea

South Koreans deserve Nobel Peace Prize for stopping martial law, president says

Marking the first anniversary of the crisis, Lee Jae-myung hailed those who faced down troops for ‘saving democracy’.

4 Dec 2025 - 6:39PMvideocam

Kim Jong-un

North Korea unveils new missiles, angles for Russian jets amid Ukraine war deal

Analysts say the event served a dual purpose: grooming Kim’s potential successor and angling for Russian jets as payment for Ukraine war aid.

2 Dec 2025 - 11:27AMvideocam

The Philippines

Why Russia is targeting the Philippines with Ukraine mercenary claims

As Moscow wages an information war far from the battlefields of Ukraine, an improbable front has opened up in Southeast Asia.

1 Dec 2025 - 4:02PM

A Filipino soldier demonstrates how to operate a missile system during a joint military exercise with the US in August last year. Photo: AFP

Korean peninsula

North Korean air force to gain ‘strategic assets’ amid heightened tensions

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un says the air force will be entrusted with ‘a new important duty’ and play a role in nuclear war deterrence.

2 Dec 2025 - 8:30PMvideocam

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter, Ju-ae, watch an air show during an event to celebrate the Air Force’s 80th anniversary in Wonsan on Friday. Photo: KCNA/Reuters

Vietnam

Asian Angle | The hidden domestic agenda behind Vietnam’s baffling foreign policy

To Lam’s recent pilgrimages to North Korea and Cuba signal ideological loyalty, even as he pushes a hard-nosed reform agenda at home.

29 Nov 2025 - 1:30PM

South Korea

‘Kill North Koreans’: posters urging South Koreans to join Ukraine war slammed

Images of the posters posted online tout benefits including high wages and ‘the legal right to kill North Koreans’.

28 Nov 2025 - 2:42PM

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North Korea

China’s military build-up could ‘seriously’ affect Japan’s security, Tokyo warns

Release of defence ministry report comes amid soaring tensions with Beijing and a boost to Japan’s military budget and goals.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | For Trump, the only communists to really dislike are those at home

South Korea reopens debate on lifting ban on North Korean media

.css-rcruog{color:#C79A00;}Video | South Korea’s Yoon plotted martial law all along, prosecutors say

The prosecutors’ investigation found Yoon had been seeking to provoke a military confrontation with North Korea and to upset constitutional order.

‘Testing the waters’? US reported to have seized Chinese cargo bound for Iran

The US accuses China of supplying Iran with dual-use components that could potentially support Tehran’s ballistic missile build-up.

What North Korea’s war dead tribute reveals about Kim’s endgame

In Kim Jong-un’s public grief for fallen mine-clearers, observers see a strategic play to lock in a role in Russia’s post-war rebuilding.

Martial law plot was Yoon’s plan all along, South Korean prosecutors say

Announcing the results of a massive 180-day inquiry on Monday, special prosecutors said Yoon Suk-yeol aimed to form a military junta.

Kim’s sister spotted with suspected luxury Chinese foldable phone

The device, seen at a hospital opening in North Korea, appears to be an ultra-thin ‘Magic’ foldable from Chinese tech giant Honor.

Is the US pushing South Korea to the fore in deterring a war over Taiwan?

Washington’s latest strategy urges allies to spend ‘much more for collective defence’ as it backs Seoul building nuclear-powered submarines.

North Korea’s Kim reveals soldiers cleared mines for Russia

The North Korean leader hailed returning troops for displaying ‘mass heroism’ during demining operations in the Kursk region.

North Korea promotes new beach resort to Chinese tourists in 2026 plan

The Wonsan beach resort and the Pyongyang Marathon highlight plans for Chinese visitors in a post-pandemic tourism push.

Why South Korea is powerless to revive Trump-Kim nuclear talks

Pyongyang wants nuclear recognition and analysts say Kim Jong-un is waiting on a Ukraine peace deal to boost his leverage with Washington.

Shaman rumours resurface as South Korea returns to Blue House

After Yoon Suk-yeol wasted millions on a move critics linked to fortune-tellers, the presidential office is returning to its historic home.

7 Chinese warships followed our navy vessel in East Asia, New Zealand says

Wellington says ship was to carry out surveillance and deterrence activities to bolster UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea.

Video | Russia’s long-serving North Korea envoy dies

Kim Jong-un sent his condolences to Russian leader Putin over the ambassador’s death.

Trump drops North Korea denuclearisation goal, hinting at talks with Kim

Trump strategy omits North Korea denuclearistation; Pyongyang calls goal meaningless, demands US drop ‘absurd pursuit’ of its nuclear weapons.

Renowned British photographer Martin Parr dies at 73

The celebrated photographer documented everything from beach life to global consumerism across a decades-spanning career.

Is China changing tack and accepting North Korea as a nuclear-armed state?

In a break with the recent past, Beijing makes no mention of ‘denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula’ in a white paper.

Opinion | Welcome to a world where wars don’t end and sanctions don’t work

The age of ‘distributed multipolarity’ shows that superpowers alone can no longer dictate international affairs.

Senators unveil bill to keep Trump from easing curbs on AI chip sales to China

The SAFE CHIPS Act is a rare effort led in part by Trump’s own party to stop him from further relaxing tech export restrictions on Beijing.

Can Seoul count on Beijing’s commitment to Korean reunification?

South Korean analyst Sung Ki-young says major powers are more likely to support incremental steps for peace rather than a sudden shift.

Beijing blamed as Yoon’s martial law bid fuels disinformation in South Korea

South Korea’s political turmoil deepened as disinformation blamed China for Yoon’s impeachment, despite no evidence, reflecting rising sinophobia.

South Koreans deserve Nobel Peace Prize for stopping martial law, president says

Marking the first anniversary of the crisis, Lee Jae-myung hailed those who faced down troops for ‘saving democracy’.

North Korea unveils new missiles, angles for Russian jets amid Ukraine war deal

Analysts say the event served a dual purpose: grooming Kim’s potential successor and angling for Russian jets as payment for Ukraine war aid.

Why Russia is targeting the Philippines with Ukraine mercenary claims

As Moscow wages an information war far from the battlefields of Ukraine, an improbable front has opened up in Southeast Asia.

North Korean air force to gain ‘strategic assets’ amid heightened tensions

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un says the air force will be entrusted with ‘a new important duty’ and play a role in nuclear war deterrence.

Asian Angle | The hidden domestic agenda behind Vietnam’s baffling foreign policy

To Lam’s recent pilgrimages to North Korea and Cuba signal ideological loyalty, even as he pushes a hard-nosed reform agenda at home.

‘Kill North Koreans’: posters urging South Koreans to join Ukraine war slammed

Images of the posters posted online tout benefits including high wages and ‘the legal right to kill North Koreans’.

Opinion | For Trump, the only communists to really dislike are those at home

Video | South Korea’s Yoon plotted martial law all along, prosecutors say