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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

Kim Jong-un

Nuclear defiance: North Korea’s Kim signals he won’t be the next Iran

Kim Jong-un’s increased appearances at military drills show his confidence in Pyongyang’s nuclear deterrence, analysts say.

3 hours agovideocam

Korean peninsula

Opinion | After years of neglect, China emerges as North Korea’s ‘top priority’

16 Apr 2026 - 7:33AMvideocam

United States

US envoy Waltz touts ‘America first’ policy, budget cuts in Senate swipe at UN

16 Apr 2026 - 2:12PMvideocam

North Korea nuclear crisis

UN watchdog warns North Korea is boosting nuclear weapons capacity

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi confirms a rapid rise in activity at North Korea’s Yongbyon nuclear complex.

15 Apr 2026 - 9:15PM

Nnew launch vehicles for nuclear-capable short-range missiles during a military ceremony in Pyongyang, North Korea, in February. Photo: Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP

China-North Korea relations

China-North Korea thaw gathers pace as Kim says ties have reached a new level

The North Korean leader met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Pyongyang on Friday as the two sides pledged further ‘practical cooperation’.

10 Apr 2026 - 9:19PMvideocam

South Korea

In South Korea, you can order online deliveries for almost anything – even drugs

The number of teenagers arrested for drug-related crimes in the country has surged from just 30 in 2005 to 1,477 in 2023.

10 Apr 2026 - 1:17PMvideocam

Kim Jong-un

‘No one loses’: why North Korea’s Kim may shake hands with Trump again

At the US-China summit, Beijing may act as a go-between to bring Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un to the negotiating table, analysts say.

9 Apr 2026 - 6:55PMvideocam

Kim Jong-un

North Korea tests electromagnetic weapon and carbon fibre bomb: state media

Such weapons use electromagnetic energy rather than explosives to disrupt or damage targets, especially electronics infrastructure.

9 Apr 2026 - 7:58AMvideocam

China-North Korea relations

Wang Yi set to visit North Korea, first for China’s top envoy since 2019

Visit comes as Beijing and Pyongyang step up engagement, including high-level exchanges in recent months.

8 Apr 2026 - 6:37PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Madness or bluster? Trump’s apocalyptic language raises key questions

A last-minute ceasefire halts threat to wipe out Iranian civilisation, but fuels questions about Trump’s negotiating style and mental state.

8 Apr 2026 - 2:47PMvideocam

US President Donald Trump participates in the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, maintaining a public schedule even as his war with Iran raged. Photo: Reuters

South Korea

North Korea launches fifth missile test after dousing South’s peace hopes

A top Pyongyang official says the designation of the South as a hostile state ‘can never change with any words or conduct’.

8 Apr 2026 - 1:46PMvideocam

People watch a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test at a train station in Seoul on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Kim Jong-un

Hidden meaning behind North Korea’s warm response to South’s drone apology

While North Korea praised the South’s actions as a ‘wise move’, it continues to rebuff any attempts at reconciliation dialogues.

7 Apr 2026 - 6:08PMvideocam

Kim Jong-un

North Korean silence on Iran signals openness to US talks: Seoul’s spy agency

Pyongyang has not sent weapons and supplies to its long-time ally , nor has it issued messages to mark Iranian leadership changes.

6 Apr 2026 - 2:32PMvideocam

South Korea

‘Irresponsible and reckless’: South Korea’s Lee regrets drones sent to North

The South Korean president said an investigation revealed that government officials were involved in the incursion earlier this year.

6 Apr 2026 - 11:12AMvideocam

Fragments of a drone lie scattered on the ground in Muksan-ri, North Korea, after being shot down on January 4. Photo: KCNA/Reuters

Diplomacy

Opinion | How America’s stumble in Iran upends East Asia’s security calculus

A region where US allies lose faith in Washington won’t necessarily embrace Beijing; it is a region more likely to reach for its own guns.

3 Apr 2026 - 9:21PMvideocam

SCMP Highlights

Cambodia’s scam industry exodus, Jollibee’s diaspora effect: 7 Asia highlights

From Cambodia’s scam industry exodus to Jollibee’s meaning to overseas Filipinos, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

31 Mar 2026 - 1:06PM

Kim Jong-un

Video | Kim attends special forces training

Kim inspects elite special forces unit stage combat drills.

30 Mar 2026 - 5:53PM

Air China

Video | Air China resumes direct flights to Pyongyang

The route resumption is seen as a sign of warming economic ties between China and North Korea.

30 Mar 2026 - 4:58PM

China-North Korea relations

China steps up North Korea connections as regular Pyongyang flights resume

Air China flight arrives in North Korea days after passenger train services between the neighbours were restored.

30 Mar 2026 - 5:54PMvideocam

My Take

My Take | Iran has shown the West’s containment of China is a fool’s errand

Countries across the world will be wise to hedge their bets with Beijing as the war exposes US security ‘guarantees’ as burdens and liabilities for allies.

29 Mar 2026 - 9:15PM

China-Japan relations

Japan upgrades ship with Tomahawk missiles. Why it might pose a threat to China

Analysts say the move marks a fundamental shift in Tokyo’s defence strategy, forcing Beijing to stay on high alert.

29 Mar 2026 - 8:00PM

Japanese destroyer JS Chokai has been equipped to fire long-range Tomahawk missiles, with the first firing test expected this summer. Photo: Commander, US Third Fleet

Kim Jong-un

North Korea tests powerful missile engine. Will an ICBM launch follow?

The engine may be used in the Hwasong-20, which analysts say is capable of hitting targets around the globe.

31 Mar 2026 - 9:11AMvideocam

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspects a test of a solid-fuel rocket engine at an undisclosed location in the country. Photo: KCNA via KNS/AFP

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump’s Iran gamble falters as war drags on amid concerns of long-term chaos

With Iran emboldened despite US and Israeli strikes, analysts warn of the ‘permanent risk of repeated disruption’ for the global economy.

28 Mar 2026 - 3:53PM

Russia

North Korea and Belarus sign friendship treaty on Lukashenko’s first visit

Kim Jong-un and Alexander Lukashenko formalise ties in Pyongyang, agree to cooperate in an array of fields.

27 Mar 2026 - 10:08AM

South Korea

‘Anyone from the North?’: US comedian Seth Herzog apologises over BTS joke

Herzog’s remarks sparked backlash from fans ahead of the K-pop band’s American TV comeback.

26 Mar 2026 - 3:14PMvideocam

BTS members perform during their comeback concert in Seoul, South Korea, on Saturday. Photo: AP

Belarus

Kim welcomes Belarus’ Lukashenko to North Korea with a 21-gun salute

The two countries also signed a ‘friendship and cooperation’ treaty to deepen ties.

26 Mar 2026 - 3:49PM

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (right) and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Pyongyang on Wednesday. Photo: EPA/Belarusian presidential press service

Human rights

How North Korea makes US$500 million yearly – at its own people’s expense

The report details the ‘brutal’ conditions North Korean workers endure in Russia that reveal a pattern of ‘control, coercion and abuse’.

25 Mar 2026 - 5:07PMvideocam

Kim Jong-un

North Korea’s Kim slams US ‘state terror’ but spares Trump in third-term address

Mindful of the fate of Iran and Venezuela’s leaders, Kim Jong-un used his speech to cast nuclear weapons as a non-negotiable shield.

24 Mar 2026 - 3:39PMvideocam

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North Korea

Nuclear defiance: North Korea’s Kim signals he won’t be the next Iran

Kim Jong-un’s increased appearances at military drills show his confidence in Pyongyang’s nuclear deterrence, analysts say.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | After years of neglect, China emerges as North Korea’s ‘top priority’

US envoy Waltz touts ‘America first’ policy, budget cuts in Senate swipe at UN

UN watchdog warns North Korea is boosting nuclear weapons capacity

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi confirms a rapid rise in activity at North Korea’s Yongbyon nuclear complex.

China-North Korea thaw gathers pace as Kim says ties have reached a new level

The North Korean leader met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Pyongyang on Friday as the two sides pledged further ‘practical cooperation’.

In South Korea, you can order online deliveries for almost anything – even drugs

The number of teenagers arrested for drug-related crimes in the country has surged from just 30 in 2005 to 1,477 in 2023.

‘No one loses’: why North Korea’s Kim may shake hands with Trump again

At the US-China summit, Beijing may act as a go-between to bring Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un to the negotiating table, analysts say.

North Korea tests electromagnetic weapon and carbon fibre bomb: state media

Such weapons use electromagnetic energy rather than explosives to disrupt or damage targets, especially electronics infrastructure.

Wang Yi set to visit North Korea, first for China’s top envoy since 2019

Visit comes as Beijing and Pyongyang step up engagement, including high-level exchanges in recent months.

Madness or bluster? Trump’s apocalyptic language raises key questions

A last-minute ceasefire halts threat to wipe out Iranian civilisation, but fuels questions about Trump’s negotiating style and mental state.

North Korea launches fifth missile test after dousing South’s peace hopes

A top Pyongyang official says the designation of the South as a hostile state ‘can never change with any words or conduct’.

Hidden meaning behind North Korea’s warm response to South’s drone apology

While North Korea praised the South’s actions as a ‘wise move’, it continues to rebuff any attempts at reconciliation dialogues.

North Korean silence on Iran signals openness to US talks: Seoul’s spy agency

Pyongyang has not sent weapons and supplies to its long-time ally , nor has it issued messages to mark Iranian leadership changes.

‘Irresponsible and reckless’: South Korea’s Lee regrets drones sent to North

The South Korean president said an investigation revealed that government officials were involved in the incursion earlier this year.

Opinion | How America’s stumble in Iran upends East Asia’s security calculus

A region where US allies lose faith in Washington won’t necessarily embrace Beijing; it is a region more likely to reach for its own guns.

Cambodia’s scam industry exodus, Jollibee’s diaspora effect: 7 Asia highlights

From Cambodia’s scam industry exodus to Jollibee’s meaning to overseas Filipinos, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

.css-1t72pn8{color:#C79A00;}Video | Kim attends special forces training

Kim inspects elite special forces unit stage combat drills.

Video | Air China resumes direct flights to Pyongyang

The route resumption is seen as a sign of warming economic ties between China and North Korea.

China steps up North Korea connections as regular Pyongyang flights resume

Air China flight arrives in North Korea days after passenger train services between the neighbours were restored.

My Take | Iran has shown the West’s containment of China is a fool’s errand

Countries across the world will be wise to hedge their bets with Beijing as the war exposes US security ‘guarantees’ as burdens and liabilities for allies.

Japan upgrades ship with Tomahawk missiles. Why it might pose a threat to China

Analysts say the move marks a fundamental shift in Tokyo’s defence strategy, forcing Beijing to stay on high alert.

North Korea tests powerful missile engine. Will an ICBM launch follow?

The engine may be used in the Hwasong-20, which analysts say is capable of hitting targets around the globe.

Trump’s Iran gamble falters as war drags on amid concerns of long-term chaos

With Iran emboldened despite US and Israeli strikes, analysts warn of the ‘permanent risk of repeated disruption’ for the global economy.

North Korea and Belarus sign friendship treaty on Lukashenko’s first visit

Kim Jong-un and Alexander Lukashenko formalise ties in Pyongyang, agree to cooperate in an array of fields.

‘Anyone from the North?’: US comedian Seth Herzog apologises over BTS joke

Herzog’s remarks sparked backlash from fans ahead of the K-pop band’s American TV comeback.

Kim welcomes Belarus’ Lukashenko to North Korea with a 21-gun salute

The two countries also signed a ‘friendship and cooperation’ treaty to deepen ties.

How North Korea makes US$500 million yearly – at its own people’s expense

The report details the ‘brutal’ conditions North Korean workers endure in Russia that reveal a pattern of ‘control, coercion and abuse’.

North Korea’s Kim slams US ‘state terror’ but spares Trump in third-term address

Mindful of the fate of Iran and Venezuela’s leaders, Kim Jong-un used his speech to cast nuclear weapons as a non-negotiable shield.

Opinion | After years of neglect, China emerges as North Korea’s ‘top priority’

Video | Kim attends special forces training