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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

A general view shows the North Korean side of a new cross-border bridge linking China and North Korea, as seen from Dandong, Liaoning Province, on October 15, 2026. A new four-lane road bridge linking China and North Korea finally opened on October 15, 12 years late, enabling the Asian giant and its isolated nuclear-armed neighbour to step up cross-border trade substantially. (Photo by Michael ZHANG / AFP)

Mainland China

Video | New China-North Korea bridge opens after 12-year delay

The New Yalu River Bridge, which was completed in 2014, officially opened on October 15.

2 hours ago

China-North Korea relations

China keen to strengthen North Korea trade ties with New Yalu River Bridge opening

2 hours agovideocam

South Korea

South Korea to keep up Ukraine aid despite rift over North Korean POWs

6 hours ago

South Korea

North Korea tests submarine-launched missiles, heightening tensions with Seoul

State media said the launches ‘aimed to examine the current mobilised posture of the underwater combat systems’.

15 Oct 2026 - 11:38AMvideocam

A combination picture shows what state media says are two types of submarine-launched cruise missiles being tested in North Korea on Wednesday. Photo: KCNA via Reuters

2026 Xi-Trump summits

Open Questions | Susan Thornton on US-China ties, post-midterms and averting a new balloon crisis

AI dialogue and security issues are among the most difficult bilateral points amid ‘fragile stability’, former senior American diplomat says.

15 Oct 2026 - 9:02AMvideocam

2026 Xi-Trump summits

US holds ‘unusual’ civil-military meeting in Tokyo ahead of Trump’s China trip

Diplomatic, administrative and military officials said to have exchanged intelligence and aligned Asia-Pacific priorities and messaging.

15 Oct 2026 - 12:28PMvideocam

China-North Korea relations

China and North Korea to open border bridge after unexplained 12-year delay

The New Yalu River Bridge, which was completed in 2014, will be officially opened amid warming relations between the two countries.

14 Oct 2026 - 3:42PMvideocam

The New Yalu River Bridge between the two countries was completed in 2014. Photo: Reuters

Japan

Why younger Japanese now fear Trump’s America more than China

A survey reveals under-50s see the US as the world’s top threat – driven by growing horror at its foreign policy, analysts say.

14 Oct 2026 - 8:00AM

ICBMs

North Korea’s new missile museum: part shrine, part arms bazaar

Analysts say the museum was built to woo foreign buyers, burnish national pride and bury disarmament talks for good.

13 Oct 2026 - 5:44PM

Kim Jong-un

Video | North Korea celebrates party anniversary

Kim Jong-un attended the celebrations with daughter Kim Ju-ae, but did not give a speech or statement at the event.

12 Oct 2026 - 6:39PM

North Korea marks 81st anniversary of ruling party with modest celebrations

01:14

Seoul

Days after AI missile test, North Korea fires more projectiles

South Korea’s military confirmed Monday’s launch, which followed its own hypersonic missile test earlier this month.

12 Oct 2026 - 4:21PMvideocam

North Korea said the missile it launched on October 3, pictured here, was capable of "changing its flight orbit at a low altitude" and included AI technology. Photo: KCNA/KNS/dpa

North Korea nuclear crisis

Denuclearising North Korea would ‘defy history’: analyst

Security expert Jenny Town says Washington and others should abandon the goal and instead focus on arms limitations and crisis talks.

13 Oct 2026 - 7:42PMvideocam

Donald Trump

Trump slams Norway and Nobel committee after missing out on Peace Prize

The US president lashed out after former UN official Navi Pillay was awarded the prize, claiming the decision discredited Norway.

10 Oct 2026 - 3:33PM

US-China relations

Opinion | US-Japan-Poland strategic triangle can encourage a ‘peaceful war’

The catalyst for this new architecture of deterrence in an age of fragmented interdependence lies less in China than in Russia.

9 Oct 2026 - 4:30PMvideocam

Russian President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov on his right and Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov on his left at the Tsentr-2026 military exercises at the Chebarkulsky training ground in the Chelyabinsk region of Russia on October 2. Photo: Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

US-China relations

Hong Kong rejects US downgrade to lowest tier in human trafficking report

US cites declining prosecutions and failure to identify victims exploited in Hong Kong; city rejects downgrade as ‘entirely unfounded’.

9 Oct 2026 - 6:18AMvideocam

The US State Department’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report has downgraded Hong Kong to the lowest ranking in its annual human trafficking study. Photo: Jonathan Wong

South Korea

South Korea test-flies its first home-grown hypersonic weapon

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung hails the test as a major step in strengthening the country’s conventional defence capabilities.

8 Oct 2026 - 9:05PM

South Korea

South Korea to recall ambassador from Ukraine amid POW dispute

The two countries have been at loggerheads since Zelensky disclosed the transfer of the prisoners captured on the battlefield early last year.

9 Oct 2026 - 1:57AMvideocam

South Korea

North Korea decries medical aid, says ‘nothing to give or receive’ from Seoul

North Korean leader Kim’s sister said the neighbour must show ‘respect’ to mend ties instead of indulging in ‘political provocation’.

8 Oct 2026 - 2:11PMvideocam

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (centre) inspects the newly-completed Kusong City Hospital in Kusong last year. Photo: KCNA via KNS/AFP

Japan

‘No longer a taboo’: Japan eyes nuclear submarine fleet amid regional threats

Proposed changes could allow research into developing a domestically built nuclear-powered submarine without a firm decision on acquiring a fleet.

8 Oct 2026 - 2:47PMvideocam

South Korea

North Korea’s DMZ landmines sabotage the South’s peace push

Seoul is seeking an apology for last month’s border blast even as Pyongyang fortifies a line it now treats as a permanent frontier.

6 Oct 2026 - 4:30PMvideocam

South Korea

Seoul probe reveals border mine blast caused by North Korea

South Korea’s military says the North deployed up to 7,000 workers to install mines and fences this year.

6 Oct 2026 - 5:15PMvideocam

A North Korean guard post (top) on the North side of the demilitarised zone dividing the two Koreas, is seen over a South Korean guard post (bottom) from the border city of Paju on September 30. Photo: AFP

Ukraine war

Russia shared jet-drone technology with North Korea, says Ukraine’s Zelensky

The Ukrainian president on Sunday said Russia shared the technology ‘because North Korea helped them with missiles’.

5 Oct 2026 - 12:45AM

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine on Sunday. Photo: EPA

Kim Jong-un

North Korea test-fires intermediate-range missile amid mine blast tensions

The launch came a day after she had ridiculed South Korean demands for the North to apologise over the September 21 landmine blasts.

3 Oct 2026 - 8:41PMvideocam

South Korea

Why a film about a dictator has South Korea at war with itself

A blockbuster about the 1974 assassination attempt of former president Park Chung-hee is causing a political backlash.

3 Oct 2026 - 8:09PM

South Korea

Seoul ups the ante in North Korean POW transfer feud with Ukraine

President Lee warned of ‘additional measures’ against Kyiv unless it offered a public apology over the episode.

2 Oct 2026 - 1:45PMvideocam

A South Korean lawmaker shows pictures of North Korean POWs transferred from Ukraine to South Korea at the National Assembly in Seoul on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Japan

Why Japan is looking to Ukraine’s front lines to overhaul its defences

A senior Japanese politician is in Kyiv to study battlefield drone tech as Tokyo seeks low-cost ways to counter rising regional threats.

1 Oct 2026 - 5:00PM

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (right) meets Japanese lawmaker Itsunori Onodera at the Foreign Ministry in Kyiv on Wednesday. Photo: by Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images

South Korea

Border mine blasts show why both Koreas urgently need to restore communication

With North Korea stepping up fortification works along the border, constant contact is needed to avoid accidental clashes, experts say.

1 Oct 2026 - 8:00AMvideocam

South Korea

Seoul residents up in arms over school for North Korean defectors

Opposition from residents in Gangseo district has led the principal of Yeomyung School to kneel and beg for acceptance.

30 Sep 2026 - 4:35PM

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North Korea

.css-1f6sr3w{color:#727272;}Video | New China-North Korea bridge opens after 12-year delay

The New Yalu River Bridge, which was completed in 2014, officially opened on October 15.

China keen to strengthen North Korea trade ties with New Yalu River Bridge opening

South Korea to keep up Ukraine aid despite rift over North Korean POWs

North Korea tests submarine-launched missiles, heightening tensions with Seoul

State media said the launches ‘aimed to examine the current mobilised posture of the underwater combat systems’.

Open Questions | Susan Thornton on US-China ties, post-midterms and averting a new balloon crisis

AI dialogue and security issues are among the most difficult bilateral points amid ‘fragile stability’, former senior American diplomat says.

US holds ‘unusual’ civil-military meeting in Tokyo ahead of Trump’s China trip

Diplomatic, administrative and military officials said to have exchanged intelligence and aligned Asia-Pacific priorities and messaging.

China and North Korea to open border bridge after unexplained 12-year delay

The New Yalu River Bridge, which was completed in 2014, will be officially opened amid warming relations between the two countries.

Why younger Japanese now fear Trump’s America more than China

A survey reveals under-50s see the US as the world’s top threat – driven by growing horror at its foreign policy, analysts say.

North Korea’s new missile museum: part shrine, part arms bazaar

Analysts say the museum was built to woo foreign buyers, burnish national pride and bury disarmament talks for good.

Video | North Korea celebrates party anniversary

Kim Jong-un attended the celebrations with daughter Kim Ju-ae, but did not give a speech or statement at the event.

Days after AI missile test, North Korea fires more projectiles

South Korea’s military confirmed Monday’s launch, which followed its own hypersonic missile test earlier this month.

Denuclearising North Korea would ‘defy history’: analyst

Security expert Jenny Town says Washington and others should abandon the goal and instead focus on arms limitations and crisis talks.

Trump slams Norway and Nobel committee after missing out on Peace Prize

The US president lashed out after former UN official Navi Pillay was awarded the prize, claiming the decision discredited Norway.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | US-Japan-Poland strategic triangle can encourage a ‘peaceful war’

The catalyst for this new architecture of deterrence in an age of fragmented interdependence lies less in China than in Russia.

Hong Kong rejects US downgrade to lowest tier in human trafficking report

US cites declining prosecutions and failure to identify victims exploited in Hong Kong; city rejects downgrade as ‘entirely unfounded’.

South Korea test-flies its first home-grown hypersonic weapon

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung hails the test as a major step in strengthening the country’s conventional defence capabilities.

South Korea to recall ambassador from Ukraine amid POW dispute

The two countries have been at loggerheads since Zelensky disclosed the transfer of the prisoners captured on the battlefield early last year.

North Korea decries medical aid, says ‘nothing to give or receive’ from Seoul

North Korean leader Kim’s sister said the neighbour must show ‘respect’ to mend ties instead of indulging in ‘political provocation’.

‘No longer a taboo’: Japan eyes nuclear submarine fleet amid regional threats

Proposed changes could allow research into developing a domestically built nuclear-powered submarine without a firm decision on acquiring a fleet.

North Korea’s DMZ landmines sabotage the South’s peace push

Seoul is seeking an apology for last month’s border blast even as Pyongyang fortifies a line it now treats as a permanent frontier.

Seoul probe reveals border mine blast caused by North Korea

South Korea’s military says the North deployed up to 7,000 workers to install mines and fences this year.

Russia shared jet-drone technology with North Korea, says Ukraine’s Zelensky

The Ukrainian president on Sunday said Russia shared the technology ‘because North Korea helped them with missiles’.

North Korea test-fires intermediate-range missile amid mine blast tensions

The launch came a day after she had ridiculed South Korean demands for the North to apologise over the September 21 landmine blasts.

Why a film about a dictator has South Korea at war with itself

A blockbuster about the 1974 assassination attempt of former president Park Chung-hee is causing a political backlash.

Seoul ups the ante in North Korean POW transfer feud with Ukraine

President Lee warned of ‘additional measures’ against Kyiv unless it offered a public apology over the episode.

Why Japan is looking to Ukraine’s front lines to overhaul its defences

A senior Japanese politician is in Kyiv to study battlefield drone tech as Tokyo seeks low-cost ways to counter rising regional threats.

Border mine blasts show why both Koreas urgently need to restore communication

With North Korea stepping up fortification works along the border, constant contact is needed to avoid accidental clashes, experts say.

Seoul residents up in arms over school for North Korean defectors

Opposition from residents in Gangseo district has led the principal of Yeomyung School to kneel and beg for acceptance.

Video | New China-North Korea bridge opens after 12-year delay

Opinion | US-Japan-Poland strategic triangle can encourage a ‘peaceful war’