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North Korea nuclear crisis

North Korea nuclear crisis
The latest news, analysis and opinion on North Korea nuclear crisis. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
South Korean navy sailors wave as the USS nuclear-powered submarine USS Annapolis arrives at a South Korean naval base on Jeju Island in 2023. Photo: AP
South Korea

South Korea designated by US as ‘sensitive’ country amid nuclear bomb talk

Several South Korean leaders have said Seoul may pursue nuclear weapons amid fears over Pyongyang’s weapons programme.

South Korea

Is North Korea a nuclear power? Trump seems to think so

North Korea

‘Absolutely threatening’: North Korea’s nuclear submarine plan raises concerns

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South Korea

Opinion | What can South Korea do about the strategic threats in Trump era?

Developing its own nuclear arms is a political luxury Seoul can’t afford. Instead, it must expand its economic and diplomatic networks.

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A float depicting US President Donald Trump, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin passes by the crowd during the Carnival of Nice in France on February 15. South Korea’s strategic posture demands balancing the US alliance, foreign policy autonomy and regional partnerships. Photo: EPA-EFE
North Korea

Is Kim’s sister using Trump’s disdain for Biden to North Korea’s advantage?

Kim Yo-jong’s ‘carefully calibrated’ remarks aim to exploit Trump’s animosity towards Biden to push the US to change course, analysts say.

South Korea

US aircraft carrier arrives in South Korea as show of force

The arrival of the ship is expected to infuriate North Korea, which views deployments of such powerful military assets as security threats.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | How China can make sure it holds the keys to North Korea’s future

A potentially disastrous carrot-and-stick US approach to Pyongyang is China’s chance to play a key role in a better future for North Korea.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Japan

‘Extremely unfortunate’: Japan’s snub of nuclear ban summit sparks criticism

Activists argue that Japan is missing a crucial opportunity to champion disarmament, especially as the only nation to have experienced nuclear attacks.

North Korea

‘Solemn will’: North Korea’s Kim reclaims ancestors’ legacy with tomb visit

Observers note a potential shift in Kim’s approach – reviving the personality cult of his ancestors to strengthen his own authority.

North Korea

US, South Korea and Japan reaffirm pledge to seek North Korea denuclearisation

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met his counterparts from the two nations on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

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A television screen at a railway station in Seoul in January shows an image of a North Korean missile launch. Photo: AP
North Korea

Pentagon says North Korean missiles that can hit US may soon be in production

A senior commander believes Kim Jong-un is ‘eager to transition his weapons programme from development to serial production and fielding’.

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North Korea test-fired the Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile in 2024. Photo: KCNA via KNS/AFP
US-China relations

Opinion | China on edge after Trump makes overtures to North Korea and Iran

Latest gambits are not likely to be received well in Beijing, which sees Pyongyang as a buffer against South Korea and Japan.

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North Korea

Is Kim hinting to Trump on bromance part 4 with less hardline statement?

Kim Jong-un’s comments on Washington’s regional moves are a hint at a precondition for a fourth summit between him and Trump, analysts say.

North Korea

Opinion | Trump’s US must go beyond ‘grand bargain’ to engage with North Korea

Old tactics unlikely to work given a changed Pyongyang and region. Trump will need to approach Kim with cooperation and reciprocity.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Russia

Opinion | Why Russia’s treaties with Iran and North Korea differ in scope

Key differences in comprehensive strategic partnership treaties with Pyongyang and Tehran give insight into Moscow’s diplomatic strategy.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attend a ceremony to sign an agreement of comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia on January 17. Photo: Sputnik / Pool via Reuters
US-China relations

Trump says North Korea is a nuclear power. Why does it matter to China?

White House official says US will pursue ‘complete denuclearisation’ but analysts believe Trump will instead pursue disarmament or reduction.

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North Korea

Kim Jong-un seeks negotiating leverage with new nuclear demands: analysts

Experts say Kim’s public demand for more weapons-grade nuclear material is a calculated move to take denuclearisation off the table.

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North Korea

North Korea sends ‘a subtle signal’ to Trump on dialogue – via a missile test

The missile launch came on the heels of the newly inaugurated US president acknowledging Kim Jong-un’s hermit state as a nuclear power.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (right) oversees the test-firing from underwater of a strategic cruise and guided weapon at an undisclosed location in a photograph released by state media on Sunday. Photo: KCNA via KNS/AFP
Diplomacy

Opinion | How North Korea might take advantage of Trump’s second presidency

Northeast Asia’s power balance will shift as the US adopts an ‘America first’ security policy and a friendlier attitude towards Kim Jong-un.

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North Korea

‘He’s a nuclear power’: Donald Trump’s North Korea remarks upend US doctrine

Donald Trump’s convention-busting acknowledgement of North Korea as a nuclear power bucks years of US policy – and sets South Korea on edge.

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South Korea

South Korea seeks Iron Dome-like system as Trump touts friendship with Kim

Seoul is aiming to build the US$330 million defence system to intercept rockets fired by North Korea.

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An interceptor missile is fired by a launcher as part of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system. Photo: dpa
Iran

Opinion | Why time is right to press Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions

Iran’s economic vulnerabilities, the region’s changing dynamics and a new reform-minded administration present an opportunity for a new deal.

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Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian meets International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Rafael Mariano Grossi in Tehran, Iran, on November 14. Photo: Handout via Reuters
North Korea

Nuclear arms Kim Jong-un’s ‘insurance policy’ to stay in power, Rubio says

Trump’s secretary of state pick said the incoming administration would consider ‘broader’ policies to deal with ‘dictator’ Kim.

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South Korea

South Korea rejects Hegseth’s ‘nuclear power’ label for North Korea

Seoul says North Korea ‘can never be recognised as a nuclear-armed state’ under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

War and conflict

Opinion | Why the US will not allow a nuclear-armed South Korea

While Seoul’s own nuclear defence would lessen the US security burden, it would also undermine American interests in the Indo-Pacific region.

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(From left) Incoming commander General Xavier Brunson, outgoing commander General Paul LaCamera, US Navy admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, and South Korea’s acting defence minister Kim Seon-ho inspect troops during a change-of-command ceremony for the United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on December 20. Photo: EPA-EFE
North Korea

North Korea claims hypersonic missile breakthrough in message to US – and Trump

The hypersonic missile’s reported capabilities put US bases in Guam within reach, though Kim Jong-un insists it is purely defensive.

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A missile is launched during what North Korean state media said was a test of a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile on Monday. Photo: KCNA via KNS/AFP
US-China relations

How a Trump defence pick points to US Forces Korea focus shift to China

Elbridge Colby says US forces on the Korean peninsula ‘should not be held hostage to dealing with the North Korean problem’.

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North Korea

North Korea declares ‘strongest’ US strategy in key party meeting

The meeting was held to review the ruling party’s work throughout the year and to discuss strategies and policies for 2025.

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