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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

South Korea’s ruling party set for local election gains

The vote is widely seen as an assessment of President Lee Jae-myung’s first year in office.

3 Jun 2026 - 6:38PM

Kim Jong-un

Video | Kim meets North Korean footballers after historic win

3 Jun 2026 - 5:22PM

Diplomacy

Opinion | What Seoul must do to achieve peaceful coexistence with North Korea

3 Jun 2026 - 4:30PMvideocam

Kim Jong-un

Tears in North Korea as Kim meets footballers after historic title win

Naegohyang Women’s FC became the first North Korean side to win Asia’s top club title last month.

3 Jun 2026 - 2:52PM

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un congratulates the football players who won the AFC Under-17 Women’s Asian Cup in Pyongyang on Monday. Photo: KCNA/KNS/AFP

United States

Trump ally with no known experience made new US acting intelligence chief

Bill Pulte, the chief of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, replaces Tulsi Gabbard to oversee 18 intelligence agencies.

3 Jun 2026 - 1:51PM

China-South Korea relations

South Korea and Japan eye military logistics pact. Should China be wary?

Northeast Asian neighbours signal closer security ties, but wartime history and Seoul-Beijing relations could stand in the way, analysts say.

2 Jun 2026 - 8:54PM

South Korea

US general’s ‘dagger’ remark tests South Korea’s China balancing act

A top commander’s blunt remark spotlights a fundamental disagreement over the true purpose of the 28,500 US troops based in South Korea.

2 Jun 2026 - 3:11PM

South Korea

From submarines to trade, South Korea and US remain deadlocked ahead of talks

The two allies are also expected to discuss the transfer of military control and a data breach involving a US firm at their talks next week.

31 May 2026 - 9:30AMvideocam

Japan

Japan PM vows ‘breakthrough’ with North Korea in abduction issue

Japan officially lists 17 Japanese nationals as having been abducted by North Korea, with five returned in 2002.

30 May 2026 - 7:15PM

China-South Korea relations

How will South Korea’s nuclear submarines alter balance near first island chain?

Analyst cites further Indo-Pacific nations eyeing SSNs, with potential to ‘tie together with the broader US alliance system in the region’.

29 May 2026 - 5:28PMvideocam

South Korea says it will build its own nuclear-powered submarines, with the first vessels to be launched by the mid-2030s. Photo: Getty Images

US-China relations

China slams US commander’s ‘dagger’ label for South Korea

Chinese embassy in Seoul says US Forces Korea commander Xavier Brunson’s ‘hostile and aggressive remarks’ on podcast ‘crossed the line’.

28 May 2026 - 8:44PMvideocam

South Korea

South Korea eyes first nuclear submarine by mid-2030s, but hurdles run deep

Delayed US talks, non-proliferation concerns and budget pressures stand in the way of Seoul’s bid to boost its defence, analysts say.

27 May 2026 - 4:07PM

China-North Korea relations

A quiet reset in ties is brewing along the China-North Korea border

The resumption of train routes and a spike in overland trade underscore a reset in ties ahead of a reported leaders’ summit.

27 May 2026 - 10:15AMvideocam

Diplomacy

Opinion | The 4 trilateral frameworks defining northeast Asia future

As great-power bargaining between the US, China and Russia collides with three regional triangles, finding a balance will be key to managing competition.

27 May 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

AFC Champions League

Coach of North Korean club thanks Kim Jong-un’s ‘warm love’ after Asian win

AFC Women’s Champions League winners Naegohyang will now represent Asia at the Fifa Champions Cup next year.

25 May 2026 - 12:13AM

Naegohyang captain Kim Kyong-yong shoots past Tokyo Verdy defender Tomoko Muramatsu for the winning goal in the the AFC Women’s Champions League final. Photo: Reuters

China-Russia relations

China-Russia joint statement on Xi-Putin summit

The two countries issued a statement following this week’s meeting in Beijing between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

21 May 2026 - 3:43PM

China-North Korea relations

China’s Xi Jinping expected to visit North Korea as early as next week

The news comes hard on the heels of visits to Beijing by the presidents of the United States and Russia.

21 May 2026 - 7:32PMvideocam

AFC Champions League

North Korean women win rare match in South to reach Asian Champions League final

Naegohyang come from behind to defeat home team Suwon in a hard-fought semi-final played in a fair spirit, will stay on for Saturday’s final.

20 May 2026 - 8:50PM

Naegohyang FC’s Kim Kyong-yong is mobbed by her teammates after scoring their second goal in the 2-1 win. Photo: Reuters

China-Russia relations

Inside the royal garden that is Putin’s ‘second home’ in China

More than 1,400 heads of state have stayed in the compound, with the Russian president usually accommodated in its most prestigious villa.

20 May 2026 - 5:54PMvideocam

South Korea

South Korea’s Lee hails ‘deep friendship’ as he hosts Japan’s Takaichi in hometown

The talks in Andong, a city famous for its centuries-old folk village, come after the two met in Takaichi’s hometown of Nara in January.

19 May 2026 - 6:54PMvideocam

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

The rare visit comes as North Korea has in ‌recent years labelled the South its ‘most hostile state’.

18 May 2026 - 11:33AMvideocam

North Korean Naegohyang Women’s FC soccer team arrives at the Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, on Sunday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Vietnam

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

The security chief turned paramount leader is chasing the markets and capital required to reach high-income status by 2045.

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

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

Donald Trump chats with Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 9, 2017. Photo: AP

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

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

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North Korea

South Korea’s ruling party set for local election gains

The vote is widely seen as an assessment of President Lee Jae-myung’s first year in office.

.css-1f6sr3w{color:#727272;}Video | Kim meets North Korean footballers after historic win

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | What Seoul must do to achieve peaceful coexistence with North Korea

Tears in North Korea as Kim meets footballers after historic title win

Naegohyang Women’s FC became the first North Korean side to win Asia’s top club title last month.

Trump ally with no known experience made new US acting intelligence chief

Bill Pulte, the chief of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, replaces Tulsi Gabbard to oversee 18 intelligence agencies.

South Korea and Japan eye military logistics pact. Should China be wary?

Northeast Asian neighbours signal closer security ties, but wartime history and Seoul-Beijing relations could stand in the way, analysts say.

US general’s ‘dagger’ remark tests South Korea’s China balancing act

A top commander’s blunt remark spotlights a fundamental disagreement over the true purpose of the 28,500 US troops based in South Korea.

From submarines to trade, South Korea and US remain deadlocked ahead of talks

The two allies are also expected to discuss the transfer of military control and a data breach involving a US firm at their talks next week.

Japan PM vows ‘breakthrough’ with North Korea in abduction issue

Japan officially lists 17 Japanese nationals as having been abducted by North Korea, with five returned in 2002.

How will South Korea’s nuclear submarines alter balance near first island chain?

Analyst cites further Indo-Pacific nations eyeing SSNs, with potential to ‘tie together with the broader US alliance system in the region’.

China slams US commander’s ‘dagger’ label for South Korea

Chinese embassy in Seoul says US Forces Korea commander Xavier Brunson’s ‘hostile and aggressive remarks’ on podcast ‘crossed the line’.

South Korea eyes first nuclear submarine by mid-2030s, but hurdles run deep

Delayed US talks, non-proliferation concerns and budget pressures stand in the way of Seoul’s bid to boost its defence, analysts say.

A quiet reset in ties is brewing along the China-North Korea border

The resumption of train routes and a spike in overland trade underscore a reset in ties ahead of a reported leaders’ summit.

Opinion | The 4 trilateral frameworks defining northeast Asia future

As great-power bargaining between the US, China and Russia collides with three regional triangles, finding a balance will be key to managing competition.

Coach of North Korean club thanks Kim Jong-un’s ‘warm love’ after Asian win

AFC Women’s Champions League winners Naegohyang will now represent Asia at the Fifa Champions Cup next year.

China-Russia joint statement on Xi-Putin summit

The two countries issued a statement following this week’s meeting in Beijing between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

China’s Xi Jinping expected to visit North Korea as early as next week

The news comes hard on the heels of visits to Beijing by the presidents of the United States and Russia.

North Korean women win rare match in South to reach Asian Champions League final

Naegohyang come from behind to defeat home team Suwon in a hard-fought semi-final played in a fair spirit, will stay on for Saturday’s final.

Inside the royal garden that is Putin’s ‘second home’ in China

More than 1,400 heads of state have stayed in the compound, with the Russian president usually accommodated in its most prestigious villa.

South Korea’s Lee hails ‘deep friendship’ as he hosts Japan’s Takaichi in hometown

The talks in Andong, a city famous for its centuries-old folk village, come after the two met in Takaichi’s hometown of Nara in January.

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

The rare visit comes as North Korea has in ‌recent years labelled the South its ‘most hostile state’.

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

The security chief turned paramount leader is chasing the markets and capital required to reach high-income status by 2045.

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.

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.

Video | Kim meets North Korean footballers after historic win

Opinion | What Seoul must do to achieve peaceful coexistence with North Korea