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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 soldier stands at a fence bordering the demilitarised zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea in 2017. Photo: AFP

Kim Jong-un

North Korea to turn southern border into ‘impregnable fortress’

Experts say the plans reflect awareness of drone and other types of hi-tech warfare amid the Russia-Ukraine and Iran conflicts.

18 May 2026 - 11:37AMvideocam

South Korea

North Korean footballers arrive in South, match tickets sell out

18 May 2026 - 11:33AMvideocam

Vietnam

Beyond bamboo: Vietnam’s To Lam mounts a diplomacy offensive

16 May 2026 - 8:00AM

Tickets for rare North v South football clash in Korea sell out in 12 hours

The two sides meet in the semi-finals of the Women’s Asian Champions League in the city of Suwon; national flags and anthems will not be used.

15 May 2026 - 3:00PM

Suwon FC and Naegohyang FC will face each other in South Korea in the AFC Women’s Champions League. Photo: YouTube/The AFC hub

Diplomacy

Opinion | North Korea is not Iran. The same pressure tactics won’t work

North Korea’s nuclear reality and the overlapping interests of the US, China and Russia make tension reduction a prerequisite.

14 May 2026 - 8:08AMvideocam

2026 Xi-Trump summit

Tea at the Forbidden City: how SCMP covered 2017 Xi-Trump meeting

Ahead of Trump’s Beijing trip this week, we look at how the South China Morning Post covered his last visit to China nine years ago.

13 May 2026 - 1:00AM

Japan

Japan’s new spy agency: a shield against China or ‘militarist surveillance’?

Japan has not had a centralised intelligence service since World War II. Sanae Takaichi wants to change that.

12 May 2026 - 3:40PMvideocam

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi waves as she departs from Canberra on May 5 after a three-day official visit to Australia. Photo: AFP

South Korea

Robots to the rescue? South Korea looks for solutions to falling army numbers

South Korea’s standing forces have shrunk by 20 per cent in the past six years to 450,000 amid a record-low birth rate.

11 May 2026 - 2:03PM

2026 Xi-Trump summit

What to expect from this week’s Trump 2.0 visit to Beijing

Nearly a decade after his first-term visit, Trump returns to Beijing amid tensions over tariffs, Taiwan and tech rivalry.

11 May 2026 - 9:15AMvideocam

South Korea

North Korea to move artillery capable of striking Seoul to border with South

The large-calibre rifled gun has a range of over 60km, posing a serious threat to Seoul, which is only about 40km to 50km from the border.

8 May 2026 - 11:19AMvideocam

Kim Jong-un

Video | What’s changed in North Korea’s overhauled constitution?

Analysts say Pyongyang’s amendments could signal a shift to coexistence with South Korea.

7 May 2026 - 8:21PM

01:45

North Korea nuclear crisis

‘Groundless’ claims: North Korea says nuclear status is not up for debate

Since withdrawing from the non-proliferation treaty in 2003, North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests and built up an arsenal of warheads.

7 May 2026 - 9:23AMvideocam

Kim Jong-un

North Korea drops reunification from constitution to formalise ‘two-state’ ties

Pyongyang has dropped references to ‘national reunification’ and redefined borders in its revised constitution.

7 May 2026 - 8:20PMvideocam

South Korea

North Korea’s own-brand phone is sleek, colourful – and possibly watching you

Reports suggest North Korean-produced phones periodically capture screenshots that are stored in hidden folders accessible to authorities.

6 May 2026 - 10:18AMvideocam

Domestically produced Jindallae mobile phones are displayed during the Pyongyang Spring International Trade Fair on Monday. Photo: AFP

War and conflict

As I see it | Thanks to Trump and Netanyahu, everyone now wants to go nuclear

After waging a war on the pretext of stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons, the US and Israel have ignited a new arms race.

5 May 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

Men clear rubble in front of a damaged residential building that, according to Iranian authorities, was hit by a strike on March 4 during the US-Israeli military campaign. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

Defence

Can Korea’s most advanced fighter KF-21 compete with China, the US and Europe?

Recent roll-out puts South Korea in elite group of countries capable of indigenously developing advanced supersonic combat aircraft.

5 May 2026 - 6:44PMvideocam

Korean peninsula

Pitch perfect diplomacy? North Korean footballers head to South Korea

The visit by Naegohyang Women’s FC to South Korea’s Suwon for a competitive match does not signal a thaw in inter-Korea ties, analysts say.

4 May 2026 - 7:05PM

China-North Korea relations

Why a 5-year defence pact between North Korea and Russia could make China uneasy

Rare cooperation plan with Moscow could accelerate Pyongyang’s military modernisation on multiple fronts, analysts say.

3 May 2026 - 10:00PMvideocam

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks with Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov (seated left) and Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin in Pyongyang on April 26. Photo: KCNA via Reuters

My Take

My Take | Why a resurgent Japan should absolutely scare everyone

Denying war guilt and remilitarisation are but two sides of the same ideological coin for the Japanese far right.

3 May 2026 - 9:00PM

Japan

Common threats help Japan, South Korea overlook historical rows

Both appear willing to put past differences aside as they confront an assertive China, North Korea and an unpredictable US.

2 May 2026 - 3:58PMvideocam

South Korea

Could a ‘reckless’ Trump’s ‘destroy-and-deal’ tactics target North Korea?

A Korean-American leader said the strategy was influenced by ‘new neocons’, urging Seoul to prioritise risk management over diplomacy.

30 Apr 2026 - 3:41PMvideocam

The launch of a hypersonic missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea in January. Photo: KCNA via KNS/AFP

China GDP

US economic gap over China to widen, but Iran might bring them closer: Mahbubani

Get your head checked, strategist Mahbubani tells those who underestimate the US and China, while forecasting a bigger GDP gulf between the two by 2030.

29 Apr 2026 - 4:04PMvideocam

China, long projected to overtake the US as the world’s largest economy, could instead lose ground in the coming years, according to a global strategist. Photo: Reuters

South Korea

Why South Korea’s Lee is urging ‘mutual respect’ diplomacy amid US tensions

The president’s remarks and emphasis on a self-reliant defence posture may signal Seoul’s efforts to diversify its global partners, analysts say.

28 Apr 2026 - 8:03PMvideocam

Kim Jong-un

How watching K-dramas spelled death for North Koreans during Covid-19

A new report reveals that the number of people executed for consuming South Korean cultural content surged by 250 per cent during the pandemic.

30 Apr 2026 - 4:04PMvideocam

United Nations

Landmark UN nuclear summit opens as world’s warhead count grows

UN chief urges world to ‘breathe life’ into a landmark non-proliferation treaty as nations gather in New York.

28 Apr 2026 - 12:35PM

Russia

North Korea, Russia boost anti-West ‘powerful bulwark’ as Ukraine war drags on

At a memorial for fallen North Korean soldiers who fought in Ukraine, Moscow offers to renew a military pact with Pyongyang.

27 Apr 2026 - 6:08PMvideocam

Russia

North Korea’s Kim renews pledge to support Russia at memorial for fallen troops

More than 6,000 North Korean soldiers are estimated to have died while fighting Ukrainians in Russia’s Kursk region.

27 Apr 2026 - 9:30AM

Ukraine war

Strikes in Ukraine and Russia kill at least 16 on Chernobyl disaster anniversary

Ukraine’s Zelensky marks 40th anniversary with a warning that Russian attacks risk repeating history.

27 Apr 2026 - 10:15AM

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North Korea

North Korea to turn southern border into ‘impregnable fortress’

Experts say the plans reflect awareness of drone and other types of hi-tech warfare amid the Russia-Ukraine and Iran conflicts.

North Korean footballers arrive in South, match tickets sell out

Beyond bamboo: Vietnam’s To Lam mounts a diplomacy offensive

Tickets for rare North v South football clash in Korea sell out in 12 hours

The two sides meet in the semi-finals of the Women’s Asian Champions League in the city of Suwon; national flags and anthems will not be used.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | North Korea is not Iran. The same pressure tactics won’t work

North Korea’s nuclear reality and the overlapping interests of the US, China and Russia make tension reduction a prerequisite.

Tea at the Forbidden City: how SCMP covered 2017 Xi-Trump meeting

Ahead of Trump’s Beijing trip this week, we look at how the South China Morning Post covered his last visit to China nine years ago.

Japan’s new spy agency: a shield against China or ‘militarist surveillance’?

Japan has not had a centralised intelligence service since World War II. Sanae Takaichi wants to change that.

Robots to the rescue? South Korea looks for solutions to falling army numbers

South Korea’s standing forces have shrunk by 20 per cent in the past six years to 450,000 amid a record-low birth rate.

What to expect from this week’s Trump 2.0 visit to Beijing

Nearly a decade after his first-term visit, Trump returns to Beijing amid tensions over tariffs, Taiwan and tech rivalry.

North Korea to move artillery capable of striking Seoul to border with South

The large-calibre rifled gun has a range of over 60km, posing a serious threat to Seoul, which is only about 40km to 50km from the border.

.css-1t72pn8{color:#C79A00;}Video | What’s changed in North Korea’s overhauled constitution?

Analysts say Pyongyang’s amendments could signal a shift to coexistence with South Korea.

‘Groundless’ claims: North Korea says nuclear status is not up for debate

Since withdrawing from the non-proliferation treaty in 2003, North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests and built up an arsenal of warheads.

North Korea drops reunification from constitution to formalise ‘two-state’ ties

Pyongyang has dropped references to ‘national reunification’ and redefined borders in its revised constitution.

North Korea’s own-brand phone is sleek, colourful – and possibly watching you

Reports suggest North Korean-produced phones periodically capture screenshots that are stored in hidden folders accessible to authorities.

As I see it | Thanks to Trump and Netanyahu, everyone now wants to go nuclear

After waging a war on the pretext of stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons, the US and Israel have ignited a new arms race.

Can Korea’s most advanced fighter KF-21 compete with China, the US and Europe?

Recent roll-out puts South Korea in elite group of countries capable of indigenously developing advanced supersonic combat aircraft.

Pitch perfect diplomacy? North Korean footballers head to South Korea

The visit by Naegohyang Women’s FC to South Korea’s Suwon for a competitive match does not signal a thaw in inter-Korea ties, analysts say.

Why a 5-year defence pact between North Korea and Russia could make China uneasy

Rare cooperation plan with Moscow could accelerate Pyongyang’s military modernisation on multiple fronts, analysts say.

My Take | Why a resurgent Japan should absolutely scare everyone

Denying war guilt and remilitarisation are but two sides of the same ideological coin for the Japanese far right.

Common threats help Japan, South Korea overlook historical rows

Both appear willing to put past differences aside as they confront an assertive China, North Korea and an unpredictable US.

Could a ‘reckless’ Trump’s ‘destroy-and-deal’ tactics target North Korea?

A Korean-American leader said the strategy was influenced by ‘new neocons’, urging Seoul to prioritise risk management over diplomacy.

US economic gap over China to widen, but Iran might bring them closer: Mahbubani

Get your head checked, strategist Mahbubani tells those who underestimate the US and China, while forecasting a bigger GDP gulf between the two by 2030.

Why South Korea’s Lee is urging ‘mutual respect’ diplomacy amid US tensions

The president’s remarks and emphasis on a self-reliant defence posture may signal Seoul’s efforts to diversify its global partners, analysts say.

How watching K-dramas spelled death for North Koreans during Covid-19

A new report reveals that the number of people executed for consuming South Korean cultural content surged by 250 per cent during the pandemic.

Landmark UN nuclear summit opens as world’s warhead count grows

UN chief urges world to ‘breathe life’ into a landmark non-proliferation treaty as nations gather in New York.

North Korea, Russia boost anti-West ‘powerful bulwark’ as Ukraine war drags on

At a memorial for fallen North Korean soldiers who fought in Ukraine, Moscow offers to renew a military pact with Pyongyang.

North Korea’s Kim renews pledge to support Russia at memorial for fallen troops

More than 6,000 North Korean soldiers are estimated to have died while fighting Ukrainians in Russia’s Kursk region.

Strikes in Ukraine and Russia kill at least 16 on Chernobyl disaster anniversary

Ukraine’s Zelensky marks 40th anniversary with a warning that Russian attacks risk repeating history.

Opinion | North Korea is not Iran. The same pressure tactics won’t work

Video | What’s changed in North Korea’s overhauled constitution?