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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

Diplomacy

Opinion | Why the US must get real about North Korea’s nuclear status, and soon

Every year that passes without negotiations with Washington allows Pyongyang to improve its nuclear deterrent.

4 hours agovideocam

Kim Jong-un

What does North Korea get from its blossoming ties with Russia?

14 Jun 2026 - 12:14PMvideocam

North Korea

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | Why the US must get real about North Korea’s nuclear status, and soon

Every year that passes without negotiations with Washington allows Pyongyang to improve its nuclear deterrent.

What does North Korea get from its blossoming ties with Russia?

Was Kim Jong-un the real winner from Xi Jinping’s visit to North Korea?

Why a tiny river on Russia’s border tests China’s ties with Kim Jong-un

Sea of Japan access may be China’s national aspiration, but neither Beijing nor Pyongyang mentioned it in statements about Xi-Kim summit.

As I see it | Kim Jong-un turns out to be the cleverest of them all

As others exert geopolitical influence based on economic or military might, North Korea’s leader has turned a weaker hand to his advantage.

Xi on North Korean military ties; US blacklists Chinese tech firms: 7 highlights

From Thailand’s suffering shrimp industry to China’s space firms anticipating SpaceX IPO, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

Former South Korean president Yoon given 30 years over Pyongyang drone plot

Yoon is already serving a life sentence for insurrection over his short-lived martial law decree in 2024.

Has Beijing given up on a nuclear weapon-free Korean peninsula?

China is downplaying the issue for now, as it is unlikely that pressuring North Korea would do anything other than sour ties.

Was Xi’s stance on North Korea military ties also a message for US, Russia?

Analysts note the Chinese leader’s remarks were not reported in full by North Korean state media.

Editorial | Strength of North Korea-China relationship clear on Xi Jinping’s visit

It is evident that both sides need each other, particularly with Japan aggressively rearming and the US waging war.

Has Xi Jinping’s North Korea visit helped cement China’s vital role?

The Chinese leader’s meetings with Kim Jong-un may have helped underline that Pyongyang cannot do without Beijing’s economic support.

.css-1f6sr3w{color:#727272;}Video | Xi visits Korean war memorial for Chinese Soldiers

Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up his two-day state visit, pledging to continue the ‘revolutionary spirit’ of the Korean war.

Xi’s visit to North Korean war monument evokes ‘eternal historical memory’

Chinese and North Korean leaders recall ‘shared battles’ as tribute paid to Chinese People’s Volunteers who fought during Korean war.

India’s rise in critical minerals; ‘involution’ and Malaysia: 7 Asia highlights

From RedNote’s advice on ‘involution’ to a refugee’s journey to Malaysia, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Tilt towards Beijing? Xi and Kim vow to ‘open new chapter’ in ties

North Korean leader says strengthening relations with China is the country’s ‘most important strategic mission’, according to state media.

Xi returns to exclusive Pyongyang guest house only a handful of leaders ever see

The Kumsusan State Guest House has hosted a handful of foreign leaders, including Russia’s Putin and Belarus’ Lukashenko.

Tungsten and eyelashes: N Korea-China trade hits 9-year high as Xi hails ties

On his state visit to Pyongyang, President Xi eyes infrastructure, agriculture and tech gains as cross-border rail restarts, while high volumes of hair and tungsten fuel China’s imports.

Xi Jinping says China’s support for North Korea and Kim Jong-un is ‘unwavering’

The Chinese leader begins his first foreign trip of the year by pledging that the ‘traditional friendship’ between the countries will not change.

Xi Jinping arrives in a North Korea armed with advanced warships and AI drones

Could Xi’s visit indirectly advance North Korea’s military build-up as Pyongyang strengthens ties with Beijing and Moscow?

Pyongyang rolls out the red carpet as Xi is welcomed with pomp and ceremony

Crowds waving flags and carrying bouquets of flowers line the streets of the North Korean capital to welcome the Chinese leader.

Xi lands in North Korea with denuclearisation likely off the table

Chinese President Xi Jinping is making a rare trip to North Korea having stepped back from efforts to deter his host from building nuclear weapons.

Hong Kong serves up local flavour as ‘Typhoon Dim-sum’ joins new storm names list

City’s weather forecaster says latest submission has been endorsed by UN-backed Typhoon Committee for use in the Western North Pacific region.

Japan prepares to drop its pacifist mask as the right rises

A right-wing parliamentary supermajority is paving the way for Tokyo to amend its post-war pacifist constitution.

China’s nuclear stockpile growing as disarmament era ends: SIPRI

Swedish think-tank says Beijing now has 620 nuclear warheads and may be increasing deployment as New Start’s expiry ends arms control era.

North Korea says nuclear programme is ‘irreversible’ ahead of Xi’s visit

Kim Yo-jong, the sister of the country’s leader, rejects ‘anachronistic’ US push for denuclearisation a day before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s arrival.

Will Xi’s North Korea visit show that China remains Pyongyang’s most vital ally?

Beijing has been concerned by its neighbour’s closer ties with Russia and is expected to highlight the importance of its economic support.

Why North Korea’s Kim is doubling down on nuclear might as Xi visit looms

Kim Jong-un has vowed to ‘exponentially’ strengthen North Korea’s nuclear arsenal during a recent visit to a production facility.

Xi heads to North Korea, tech transfer clampdown, inflation pickup

Opinion | Why the US must get real about North Korea’s nuclear status, and soon

Video | Xi visits Korean war memorial for Chinese Soldiers