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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

South Korea

US military’s cyber unit plan threatens South Korea’s diplomatic balancing act

A proposed dispatch of specialist troops signals Washington’s focus is expanding beyond the Korean peninsula, experts say.

3 Sep 2026 - 4:00PM

Kim Ju-ae

North Korea’s next ruler? Kim Jong-un’s daughter, Seoul’s spies say

2 Sep 2026 - 8:00AM

US-China relations

Xi, Trump and Putin may hold trilateral meeting at next Apec forum, Kremlin says

2 Sep 2026 - 10:22AMvideocam

Middle East

UN report confirms Syria was building nuclear reactor during Assad rule

Syria’s Deir el-Zour site bombed by Israel in 2007 was an undeclared nuclear reactor under construction.

2 Sep 2026 - 1:59PM

An image released by the Israeli military in 2018 shows the Syrian nuclear facility it attacked in 2007. Photo: IDF via Reuters

United States

Trump’s North Korea hope, China’s rocket force: 7 global relations reads

From plans that could upend the US elections to Canada tariffs, here are highlights from the SCMP’s overseas correspondents in August 2026.

1 Sep 2026 - 10:00PM

Asia travel

5 days in Seoul: what to do in South Korea’s capital, from palaces to DMZ

South Korea’s capital is a sprawling mix of old and new. Here’s a 5-day itinerary to help first-time visitors see why the city is so special.

1 Sep 2026 - 11:22AM

Defence

North Korea’s defence minister dismissed in reshuffle of military leadership

No Kwang-chol was also demoted in the ruling party leadership to ‘first vice-director of the Munitions Industry Department’.

30 Aug 2026 - 1:01PMvideocam

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends a ruling party meeting on Saturday. Photo: KCNA via Reuters

Donald Trump

Trump steps up stunts as US midterms loom

From a row with Canada to proposed talks with North Korea’s Kim, is the US president trying to distract voters from his unpopular Iran war?

30 Aug 2026 - 3:01AM

Japan

Japan to convert car park near Tokyo Station into missile shelter

North Korea has repeatedly test-fired ballistic missiles into regional waters, including the Sea of Japan, in recent years.

29 Aug 2026 - 8:21AM

South Korea

South Korea backs Trump’s North Korea talks, but warns against being sidelined

Seoul insists any diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang must yield nuclear progress and preserve joint defence readiness.

28 Aug 2026 - 12:56PM

South Korea

South Korea, Japan and US to hold trilateral Freedom Edge drills in September

The three countries will proceed with the multi-domain Freedom Edge exercise near Jeju Island.

28 Aug 2026 - 2:51PM

South Korea, the US and Japan take part in the Freedom Edge exercise in international waters off South Korea’s Jeju Island in November 2024. Photo: South Korea Defence Ministry/AP

United States

North Korea vows ‘powerful response’ to US$125 million US-South Korea arms deal

Pyongyang says the potential sale of ‌AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles and related equipment poses ‘a new threat’ to its security environment.

27 Aug 2026 - 2:24PM

South Korea

‘Treated as expendable’: South Korean ex-spy reveals toll of secret missions

Agents work in isolation and the surveillance never stops, a former agent trained to infiltrate North Korea reveals.

27 Aug 2026 - 9:46AM

South Korea

South Korea scrambles jets after Russian military planes enter air defence zone

This is the second incursion in weeks since over 10 Chinese and Russian military jets entered the zone in late June.

26 Aug 2026 - 1:27PM

Two US Air Force F-22 fighter jets (front) fly with two South Korean Air Force F-35As during a joint air drill ion May 16, 2024. Photo: South Korean Defence Ministry/AFP

Japan

North Korea’s Japan-bashing hits fever pitch as Russia ties grow

Pyongyang slams Tokyo’s record defence budget and war shrine visits, framing regional tension as a Cold War-style clash.

26 Aug 2026 - 10:00AM

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attend a military parade in Beijing last year. Photo: Kremlin / AP

China-North Korea relations

Why was China’s response to North Korea’s latest missile launches so muted?

Missile tests hours after China’s foreign minister left Seoul won’t alter Beijing’s focus on regime stability, analysts say.

25 Aug 2026 - 5:03PMvideocam

South Korea

South Korea pledges to help Trump revive talks with North Korea’s Kim

Trump’s recent olive branch to Kim and criticism ‌of Seoul have raised concerns of a strain on long-standing Asian alliances.

25 Aug 2026 - 9:54AM

China-Latin America relations

US targets China’s telecoms grip in Venezuela with new sanctions carve-out

Move could test Huawei and ZTE’s long-standing foothold as Washington extends its China reach from oil to another strategic sector.

25 Aug 2026 - 6:17AMvideocam

Chinese telecommunication companies like Huawei could be marginalised after the US authorised new investment in Venezuela’s telecom sector. Photo: Shutterstoock

South Korea

South Korea says US cut joint marine drill over Iran war constraints

The cancellation follows US President Donald Trump’s order last week to scale down the separate annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises.

24 Aug 2026 - 8:25PM

China-North Korea relations

Why China may have little to lose as ‘weakened’ Trump seeks North Korea talks

The US president’s push to revive negotiations with Kim Jong-un could see Washington scaling back its military presence in the South.

22 Aug 2026 - 10:00PMvideocam

South Korea

Why South Korea wants to rebuild a DMZ railway despite Kim’s cold shoulder

With Washington and Pyongyang talking over its head, Seoul is rebooting a border railway to keep its lonely diplomacy on track.

22 Aug 2026 - 2:44PMvideocam

Train tracks are seen at the Baengmagoji Station in South Korea’s Gangwon province, near the demilitarized zone separating it from the North. Photo: AFP

China-South Korea relations

Why Chinese foreign minister’s trip to South Korea ‘dealt a low blow’ to Seoul

Despite both sides claiming relations had ‘fully recovered’, Seoul did not win Beijing’s support for its latest peace initiative.

24 Aug 2026 - 6:08PMvideocam

Passengers at a station in Seoul watch a news report about North Korea’s latest missile launches. Photo: EPA

Japan

Why Japan is eyeing a record US$56 billion defence budget

Major outlays are being planned for drones, AI-enabled command systems, long-range missiles and support for the domestic defence industry.

21 Aug 2026 - 5:15PM

China-South Korea relations

Wang Yi visits South Korea, China’s economy cools, Warsh speaks at Jackson Hole

This week: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visits Seoul amid US-South Korea strains, July economic data misses expectations, and US says China should join Iran sanctions. Next week: Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh speaks at Jackson Hole, Shein may begin delayed IPO, Chang’e-7 lifts off in search of lunar water, and more.

21 Aug 2026 - 5:00PM

Japan

Why Japan is walking on eggshells over US sanctions on ICC judge

Tokyo has to tread ‘extremely lightly’ on the issue to avoid jeopardising the US security umbrella on which it relies, analysts say.

21 Aug 2026 - 8:00AM

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has described the sanctions on ICC president Tomoko Akane as “deeply regrettable”. Photo: Kyodo

Kim Jong-un

Why North Korea is ‘keeping the door open for dialogue’ with Trump

Analysts say Kim Yo-jong’s statement reflects North Korea’s emphasis on setting the preconditions for resuming dialogue.

20 Aug 2026 - 8:45PMvideocam

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump inside the demilitarised zone separating South and North Korea on June 30, 2019, in Panmunjom, South Korea. Photo: TNS

United States

North Korea answers US olive branch with missile launch

South Korea detected 10 ballistic missiles hours after Pyongyang dismissed Washington’s decision to scale back joint exercises with Seoul.

20 Aug 2026 - 8:51PM

China-South Korea relations

In Seoul, Wang Yi urges South Korea to chart a neutral path between China and US

Beijing presses Lee Jae Myung’s administration to reject power blocs while Trump’s foreign policy unsettles alliance.

20 Aug 2026 - 8:09PMvideocam

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