https://www.scmp.com/rss/522371/feed The University of North Korean Studies (UNKS), a prominent graduate institution based in Seoul, South Korea, is dedicated to the comprehensive study of North Korea and unification. Established in 2005, it offers Master’s and PhD programmes, fostering future leaders and experts in the field. UNKS focuses on interdisciplinary research, policy analysis, and academic activities, including publishing the "Review of North Korean Studies". Recognised as the sole dedicated institution for North Korean... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong He accused the United States of “state terror”. He vowed North Korea would never surrender its nuclear weapons. And yet Kim Jong-un’s address to the Supreme People’s Assembly contained one notable omission: any direct attack on Donald Trump. That absence was an attempt to leave the door to diplomacy ajar, analysts said, even as North Korea’s supreme leader slammed it shut on the notion that his nuclear-armed nation could be pressured, coerced or subdued like other US adversaries. “The United... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347683/north-koreas-kim-slams-us-state-terror-spares-trump-third-term-address?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347683/north-koreas-kim-slams-us-state-terror-spares-trump-third-term-address?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 06:55:43 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong As war with the United States and Israel batters Iran’s missile and nuclear infrastructure, analysts say Tehran is likely to turn to North Korea once again after the fighting stops, reviving a long-suspected partnership built on shared hostility towards Washington and years of military cooperation. North Korea has long been suspected of supplying missile technology to Iran and providing technical help with uranium enrichment, and analysts say it is likely to do so again once the war ends. “North... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346232/why-iran-and-north-korea-are-highly-likely-revive-missile-and-nuclear-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346232/why-iran-and-north-korea-are-highly-likely-revive-missile-and-nuclear-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:07 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong For decades, North Korea’s most potent insurance policy has been the threat it poses to Seoul, guaranteeing that any US move against Kim Jong-un’s regime would first exact an unbearable toll on the South. Now, a new Pentagon blueprint may have just offered that survival strategy Washington’s seal of approval. The new National Defence Strategy, presented to a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday, calls on Seoul to take “primary” responsibility for deterring North Korea, with... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345386/north-koreas-hostage-strategy-packs-more-bite-post-iran-us-shake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345386/north-koreas-hostage-strategy-packs-more-bite-post-iran-us-shake?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 07:39:32 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Kim Jong-un will have seen the footage. A supreme leader of nearly 37 years, killed alongside members of his own family. Citizens celebrating in the streets. Rivals already angling for a role in the political transition. If the US-Israeli strike that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday was intended to send a message to the world, analysts say North Korea almost certainly received it. Though the lesson likely learned – do not negotiate with the US and never be in Iran’s position... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345084/us-strikes-iran-north-korea-sees-nuclear-vindication?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345084/us-strikes-iran-north-korea-sees-nuclear-vindication?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 04:07:48 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong During North Korea’s latest military parade, images of its leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter wearing near-identical leather coats have prompted Pyongyang observers to speculate whether the stage is set for the next chapter in the ruling family’s history. For them, the “twin look” is another instance of carefully directed political theatre to burnish the standing of the Kims in the reclusive country for the long term. At the close of the ruling Workers’ Party’s ninth congress on Wednesday... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344929/why-twin-look-north-koreas-kim-jong-un-daughter-sparks-succession-talk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344929/why-twin-look-north-koreas-kim-jong-un-daughter-sparks-succession-talk?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:13 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has warned that Pyongyang is ready for confrontation with the US but has also left the door open for dialogue, depending on Washington’s stance. The prospects for North Korea-US relations hinge “entirely on the attitude of the United States”, he said on Wednesday. Pyongyang was prepared for both “peaceful coexistence or eternal confrontation”, but the choice lay with Washington. So long as the US respected North Korea’s nuclear-armed state status, which is... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344668/confrontation-or-dialogue-you-choose-north-koreas-kim-tells-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344668/confrontation-or-dialogue-you-choose-north-koreas-kim-tells-us?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 04:00:11 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korea appears to be recasting the human cost of its involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine as a carefully staged display of loyalty and leadership, with analysts pointing in particular to the unveiling of a new housing district in Pyongyang for families of fallen soldiers as a central part of that effort. Several observers argue that leader Kim Jong-un is seeking not only to recast battlefield losses as patriotic sacrifice but also to head off potential unease before a key party congress... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343750/why-north-koreas-kim-lauding-ukraine-war-sacrifices-key-party-congress-looms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343750/why-north-koreas-kim-lauding-ukraine-war-sacrifices-key-party-congress-looms?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 00:00:08 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has signalled that his country’s armed forces will play an even more “outstanding” role over the next five years – an indication that the coming party congress will map out a new defence build-up, including advances in nuclear and missile capabilities, analysts say. “The next five years will be a period when our army’s exceptional role, which no one can replace, rises even higher,” Kim said on Sunday during a visit to the Ministry of National Defence marking the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3342920/north-koreas-kim-signals-party-congress-will-focus-exceptional-military-build?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3342920/north-koreas-kim-signals-party-congress-will-focus-exceptional-military-build?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 00:00:13 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong A top South Korean official has hinted at a possible shift in frozen ties between the United States and North Korea, raising expectations that Washington could articulate a more open security stance on Pyongyang. In an informal meeting with South Korean reporters in Washington on Thursday, the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said “there may be some new progress in a few days”. His remarks come amid speculation that US President Donald Trump could seek a meeting with North Korean... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3342727/frozen-us-north-korea-ties-may-see-new-progress-seoul-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3342727/frozen-us-north-korea-ties-may-see-new-progress-seoul-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 01:30:15 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korea is set to use its coming Workers’ Party congress to signal an escalation towards carrying out large-scale nuclear retaliation in the event of a conflict with the US, with analysts expecting Pyongyang to unveil plans centred on intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of striking American cities. The move was foreshadowed by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Tuesday, when he said he would announce next-phase plans to further strengthen the country’s “nuclear war deterrence... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341913/north-koreas-kim-jong-un-set-signal-stronger-nuclear-deterrence-posture-congress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341913/north-koreas-kim-jong-un-set-signal-stronger-nuclear-deterrence-posture-congress?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Jan 2026 01:30:11 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s public dismissal of a vice-minister during an inspection tour of a major industrial zone reflects growing anxiety within the leadership as Pyongyang prepares for a pivotal ruling party congress amid persistent economic strain, according to analysts. By firing the official on the spot, Kim appears to be signalling zero tolerance for delays and mismanagement while reinforcing his authority ahead of the 9th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea to be held early... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340630/north-korean-blame-game-whats-behind-kim-jong-uns-public-sacking-vice-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340630/north-korean-blame-game-whats-behind-kim-jong-uns-public-sacking-vice-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 03:26:53 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday ordered an investigation into claims that the country’s military intelligence command supported a civilian accused of sending drones into North Korea. The civilian at the centre of the allegations, a graduate student in his thirties identified only by his surname Oh, claims he flew drones into North Korea three times since September last year. He previously worked in ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol’s office and allegedly received – according to local... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340527/south-korea-probes-if-spies-funded-drones-flown-north-student?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340527/south-korea-probes-if-spies-funded-drones-flown-north-student?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 07:27:00 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s influential sister has delivered a scathing warning to the South’s government after drones were reportedly flown across the border earlier this month. Kim Yo-jong, de facto spokeswoman for the ruling Workers’ Party, denounced South Korea’s leaders as a “gang of hooligans” and said the recent drone incidents had reinforced Pyongyang’s view that inter-Korean relations were fundamentally hostile. In a statement released on Sunday via the official Korean Central... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339529/why-north-koreas-gang-hooligans-rebuke-signals-freeze-inter-korean-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339529/why-north-koreas-gang-hooligans-rebuke-signals-freeze-inter-korean-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 02:07:45 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korea’s latest accusations that South Korean drones violated its airspace appear aimed at painting Seoul as a permanent enemy ahead of a key party congress, rather than addressing an actual security breach, analysts say. By reviving claims of cross-border incursions and threatening retaliation, the North is reinforcing its portrayal of inter-Korean relations as irreversibly hostile – just as South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung seeks to reopen channels of communication. Lee, who took... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339423/north-korea-revives-drone-claims-rebuff-seouls-outreach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339423/north-korea-revives-drone-claims-rebuff-seouls-outreach?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Jan 2026 03:51:12 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong A missile test by North Korea in the aftermath of the US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro signals what analysts have said is Pyongyang’s cautionary stance over the vulnerability of countries without credible military and nuclear deterrence. While overseeing the launch of multiple missiles on Sunday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un alluded to the US attacks on Venezuela and Maduro’s arrest a day earlier and Iran in June as justifications to bolster his nuclear arsenal. The test of what... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338745/north-koreas-missile-test-after-maduros-arrest-signals-denuclearisation-equals-suicide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338745/north-koreas-missile-test-after-maduros-arrest-signals-denuclearisation-equals-suicide?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jan 2026 06:37:19 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korea’s move to publicly reveal the full hull and displacement of its first nuclear-powered submarine under construction appears to be a strategic counter to bids by the US and South Korea to expand their undersea capabilities. North Korea’s state media on Thursday released images of leader Kim Jong-un inspecting a “nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine” being built at an undisclosed location. Kim was accompanied by his wife Ri Sol-ju and daughter Kim Ju-ae, believed to be... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337712/north-koreas-new-nuclear-sub-reveal-bid-counter-us-south-korean-naval-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337712/north-koreas-new-nuclear-sub-reveal-bid-counter-us-south-korean-naval-power?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 00:00:13 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Kim Jong-un has publicly mourned nine North Korean soldiers killed in Russia, in a rare display of grief analysts say belies a harder message of military solidarity with Moscow and rising expectations of compensation. North Korean state television broadcast scenes of Kim greeting wounded soldiers in wheelchairs and consoling relatives of the fallen during a welcome ceremony in Pyongyang on Friday. The event honoured engineering units that had recently returned from Russia’s western Kursk region,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336540/what-north-koreas-war-dead-tribute-reveals-about-kims-endgame?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336540/what-north-koreas-war-dead-tribute-reveals-about-kims-endgame?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 00:00:26 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea’s former president Yoon Suk-yeol began plotting to impose martial law barely a year after taking office, aiming to cling to power by provoking a military confrontation with North Korea, special investigators have found. Announcing the results of a 180-day investigation on Monday, special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk said Yoon and his closest aides had devised a scheme to form a military junta, suspend democratic institutions, seize control of the legislature and judiciary and eliminate all... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3336443/martial-law-plot-was-yoons-plan-all-along-south-korean-prosecutors-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3336443/martial-law-plot-was-yoons-plan-all-along-south-korean-prosecutors-say?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 05:44:52 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s daughter was thrust back into the spotlight late last week at a military spectacle that analysts say was as much about succession planning and extracting concessions from Russia as it was about unveiling new missiles. Ostensibly held to mark the 80th anniversary of the North Korean air force, the ceremony on Friday seemingly served two other purposes: pressing Russia for advanced military technology in return for Pyongyang’s help in the Ukraine war, and acting... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334766/north-koreas-kim-flaunts-daughter-air-power-hunt-russian-fighter-jets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3334766/north-koreas-kim-flaunts-daughter-air-power-hunt-russian-fighter-jets?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:09 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korea is expected to remain largely impervious to Western diplomatic overtures for the foreseeable future as it rails against its rivals’ “hostile” policies. On Tuesday, North Korean state media denounced last month’s summit between US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung as proof of the “confrontational will” of its adversaries to “remain hostile … to the end”. The North was taken aback by the outcomes of the Trump-Lee summit, according to Professor Cho Han-bum... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333349/trump-took-pyongyang-surprise-nuclear-subs-south-korea-sinking-talk-hopes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333349/trump-took-pyongyang-surprise-nuclear-subs-south-korea-sinking-talk-hopes?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Nov 2025 04:27:47 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea has thrown its weight behind a United Nations resolution condemning the North’s dire human rights record, a choice that could complicate Seoul’s push to reopen dialogue with Pyongyang, analysts have warned. The decision to co-sponsor the annual UN resolution – despite expectations that President Lee Jae-myung’s liberal government might step back to create a friendlier atmosphere for engagement – is likely to trigger an angry reaction from Pyongyang and narrow the already limited... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3332689/seouls-backing-un-resolution-north-koreas-rights-abuses-tests-limits-dialogue-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3332689/seouls-backing-un-resolution-north-koreas-rights-abuses-tests-limits-dialogue-push?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 00:00:32 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korea has denounced new US sanctions targeting its cybercrime networks, accusing Washington of harbouring “wicked” hostility, but analysts have said Pyongyang’s unusually restrained response suggests it is leaving the door open to future dialogue. “Now that the present US administration has clarified its stand to be hostile towards the DPRK to the last, we will also take proper measures to counter it with patience for any length of time,” read a statement by North Korean Vice-Foreign... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331815/north-korea-slams-us-wicked-hostility-over-sanctions-linked-cybercrime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331815/north-korea-slams-us-wicked-hostility-over-sanctions-linked-cybercrime?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Nov 2025 01:30:11 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korea pre-emptively slammed any discussion of its denuclearisation as a “pipe dream” just hours before Chinese President Xi Jinping was scheduled to meet South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea. Analysts suggest Pyongyang’s blunt intervention was aimed at deterring both Seoul and Beijing from prioritising the explosive topic. This intervention was also seen as a show of “displeasure” that... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331145/north-korean-denuclearisation-pipe-dream-pyongyang-warns-ahead-seoul-beijing-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331145/north-korean-denuclearisation-pipe-dream-pyongyang-warns-ahead-seoul-beijing-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Nov 2025 02:17:45 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Mere hours before US President Donald Trump arrived in South Korea for this week’s Apec summit, Pyongyang launched a salvo of ship-based cruise missiles in an act analysts viewed as a calculated bid to reinforce its nuclear credentials. The missiles, described by North Korean state media as enhanced models optimised for ship-based launches, were fired vertically on Tuesday, reportedly soaring for about 7,800 seconds – more than two hours – before striking their land-based target. Pyongyang... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330722/north-korea-welcomes-trump-apec-nuclear-capable-fire-arrow-missile-test?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330722/north-korea-welcomes-trump-apec-nuclear-capable-fire-arrow-missile-test?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Oct 2025 04:02:50 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Despite weeks of frantic diplomacy, the chances of South Korea and the United States sealing a trade deal before next week’s Apec summit appear to be slim, with strong domestic backing enabling Seoul to resist a compromise seen as perilous to the national economy. Under a framework agreement reached in July, US President Donald Trump’s administration offered to cut tariffs on South Korean imports from 25 per cent to 15 per cent – but only if Seoul committed US$350 billion in investments into... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3330214/south-korea-us-trade-talks-chances-deal-slim-apec-nears-seoul-stand-firm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3330214/south-korea-us-trade-talks-chances-deal-slim-apec-nears-seoul-stand-firm?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Oct 2025 01:30:11 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong With the Apec summit in South Korea just days away, the nuclear-armed North fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday in an apparent bid to remind the world of its growing arsenal. The launch, occurring against the backdrop of deepening military ties between North Korea and Russia, has reignited fears of escalating provocations and their implications for global stability. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that the missile, presumed to be a Hwasong-11da-4.5, was launched from North Hwanghae... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3329877/north-korea-prepares-apec-ballistic-missile-launch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3329877/north-korea-prepares-apec-ballistic-missile-launch?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Oct 2025 03:43:16 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong With rumours swirling of a fourth face-to-face meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un later this month, analysts say it is the North Korean leader who is now dictating the terms. Buoyed by deepening alliances with Russia and China, and commanding a nuclear arsenal larger than ever before, Kim approaches the prospect of diplomacy with the United States from a position of distinct strength. The US president – who is expected to visit the Korean peninsula from October 30 for this month’s Apec... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3329745/why-fourth-trump-kim-summit-would-be-north-koreas-terms-ground-has-shifted?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3329745/why-fourth-trump-kim-summit-would-be-north-koreas-terms-ground-has-shifted?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 04:37:08 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong A plan to construct South Korea’s first civic nuclear bunker in the country’s capital has raised eyebrows, as critics question both its practicality and potential to inflame public anxiety amid growing threats from the nuclear-armed North. Seoul Metropolitan Government’s plan reflects both the growing unease over Pyongyang’s advancing nuclear arsenal and broader global instability, analysts say. City officials have confirmed that the underground fallout shelter will be built beneath a new public... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3328962/seoul-build-its-first-public-nuclear-fallout-shelter-north-koreas-threats-grow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3328962/seoul-build-its-first-public-nuclear-fallout-shelter-north-koreas-threats-grow?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2025 09:39:01 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korea is expected to showcase a new generation of strategic missiles and advanced weapons systems at a massive military parade this week, in what observers say is an attempt to project its growing ability to strike US and South Korean targets. Analysts predict that the parade will centre on a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile and a series of hypersonic weapons designed to threaten US naval forces in the region. The new ICBM, which reportedly has a high-thrust solid-fuel... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327973/north-korea-set-flaunt-its-growing-arsenal-massive-military-parade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327973/north-korea-set-flaunt-its-growing-arsenal-massive-military-parade?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Oct 2025 04:54:06 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong The prospect of a fourth summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is gaining traction ahead of the Apec summit in late October, observers say, amid signs that both sides may be testing the waters for a return to high-level nuclear diplomacy. Speculation intensified after North Korea’s vice-foreign minister, Kim Son‑gyong, travelled to New York last week – the first visit by a senior North Korean diplomat since 2019 – to lead Pyongyang’s delegation at the UN... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327243/north-korea-signals-diplomatic-return-will-trump-kim-revive-bromance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327243/north-korea-signals-diplomatic-return-will-trump-kim-revive-bromance?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:09 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung has unveiled what he calls a “realistic” path to peace on the Korean peninsula, proposing that exchanges and trust-building take precedence while shelving immediate demands for Pyongyang’s denuclearisation. Analysts say the initiative departs from the long-standing stance shared by Seoul and Washington that North Korea must first embark on denuclearisation in return for exchanges and moves towards diplomatic ties with the United States. Lee’s proposal came... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3326631/south-koreas-lee-unveils-realistic-peace-plan-will-kim-reciprocate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3326631/south-koreas-lee-unveils-realistic-peace-plan-will-kim-reciprocate?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 04:16:50 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has responded positively to a recent overture by US President Donald Trump, even as analysts say the prospects for another summit between the two leaders remain slim due to their wide differences over denuclearisation. Kim said he could meet Trump again, provided the US were to drop its insistence on North Korea’s denuclearisation, noting he had “good memory” of Trump, according to Pyongyang’s state media. The comments by Kim followed a statement by Trump at his... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3326347/will-kim-jong-uns-good-memory-trump-lead-us-north-korea-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3326347/will-kim-jong-uns-good-memory-trump-lead-us-north-korea-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Sep 2025 04:27:15 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea’s prime minister has ordered a clampdown on anti-China demonstrations outside the Chinese embassy, amid warnings that such protests could derail Seoul’s efforts to reset ties with Beijing. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on Friday directed law enforcement to “take strong action” against the increasingly disruptive rallies, which had led to merchants and residents complaining of noise, abuse and declining tourist traffic. Kim told police to “closely monitor the protests, and do everything... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3326216/south-korea-vows-strong-action-against-anti-china-protests-amid-efforts-reset-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3326216/south-korea-vows-strong-action-against-anti-china-protests-amid-efforts-reset-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Sep 2025 02:00:38 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea is investigating reports that Russia has supplied North Korea with nuclear submarine reactor modules, a move analysts see as highly plausible and one that could mark a breakthrough in Pyongyang’s decades-long push for a nuclear-powered navy. Citing unnamed government sources, South Korean daily JoongAng Ilbo reported that Moscow is thought to have supplied North Korea with two or three modules in the first half of this year, comprising reactor cores, turbines and cooling systems... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325884/russia-suspected-helping-north-korea-build-nuclear-submarines-seoul-investigating?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325884/russia-suspected-helping-north-korea-build-nuclear-submarines-seoul-investigating?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Sep 2025 01:30:13 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong A new era in North Korea’s missile programme may be dawning, as analysts warn of an imminent test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple warheads to the US mainland. Fresh from his appearance at China’s Victory Day parade in Beijing last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un personally oversaw the trial of a lighter, more robust solid-fuel ICBM engine, state media reported on Tuesday, touting the achievement as a “strategic” breakthrough. Reportedly built... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324998/north-korea-set-become-worlds-fourth-icbm-power-after-missile-breakthrough?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324998/north-korea-set-become-worlds-fourth-icbm-power-after-missile-breakthrough?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 04:56:43 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong The daughter of North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un could present a softer image for Pyongyang, away from her father’s sabre-rattling reputation as he continues to hint at his choice of successor by placing her under the glare of the world’s media. As Kim Ju-ae flanked her father at China’s Victory Day events on Wednesday, observers have drawn parallels to the precedent set by her paternal grandfather Kim Jong-il, who accompanied his own father – North Korea’s founding leader Kim Il-sung – on... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324230/why-daughter-north-koreas-kim-jong-un-has-inched-closer-becoming-next-ruler?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324230/why-daughter-north-koreas-kim-jong-un-has-inched-closer-becoming-next-ruler?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 01:30:24 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong For the first time since its founding in 1948, North Korea has openly acknowledged the deaths of its soldiers fighting on foreign soil with a carefully staged ceremony that analysts say betrays supreme leader Kim Jong-un’s deepening domestic anxieties. Kim embraced weeping children, affixed medals to portraits of the dead and even appeared to wipe away tears as he honoured more than 100 North Korean troops killed in Russia’s war at the event on Friday. Though 101 portraits were visible in the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3323023/kim-jong-un-weeps-north-koreas-ukraine-war-dead-display-calculated-grief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3323023/kim-jong-un-weeps-north-koreas-ukraine-war-dead-display-calculated-grief?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Aug 2025 04:23:57 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s attempt at engagement with the North by unilaterally reviving some inter-Korean agreements despite Pyongyang’s persistent hostility is a long-term reconciliation strategy, according to analysts. Lee on Monday ordered government ministries to prepare for a phased implementation of the suspended agreements, beginning with those that Seoul could act on independently. His latest call for trust building came as the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322248/south-korea-revives-inter-korean-pacts-despite-norths-hostility?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322248/south-korea-revives-inter-korean-pacts-despite-norths-hostility?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 00:00:14 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong In a rare display of rapid-fire messaging, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has issued back-to-back warnings to the United States and South Korea, rejecting any attempt to question its nuclear status. Analysts interpret the diplomatic offensive, being led by Kim Yo-jong, as Pyongyang’s bid to seize control of the diplomatic agenda on the Korean peninsula following the recent change of power in Seoul. On Tuesday, Kim cautioned the US against pursuing denuclearisation,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3319927/why-north-korea-issued-twin-nuclear-warnings-us-seoul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3319927/why-north-korea-issued-twin-nuclear-warnings-us-seoul?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jul 2025 03:32:56 +0000 Park Chan-kyong,Reuters,Associated Press Park Chan-kyong,Reuters,Associated Press South Korea’s new Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said on Monday he planned to recommend to President Lee Jae-myung that the coming South Korea-US joint military exercises be adjusted as part of efforts to restore peace and stability on the Korean peninsula. His remarks came just hours after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, accused the Lee administration of “blindly adhering” to the South Korea-US alliance and declared that Pyongyang had no intention of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319785/north-korea-rejects-seouls-push-dialogue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319785/north-korea-rejects-seouls-push-dialogue?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jul 2025 03:07:49 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korea’s secretive ruling family put on a rare display of domestic harmony this week, as first lady Ri Sol-ju re-emerged in public after a 17-month absence, her return appearing to signal a carefully orchestrated bid to project an image of dynastic stability. Ri, carrying what appeared to be a Gucci handbag, was photographed alongside her husband, Kim Jong-un, and their daughter, Kim Ju-ae, at the opening of the long-delayed Wonsan-Kalma coastal resort – a showcase tourist zone on the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3315912/north-koreas-first-lady-reappears-after-17-month-absence-gucci-bag-tow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3315912/north-koreas-first-lady-reappears-after-17-month-absence-gucci-bag-tow?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jun 2025 08:00:07 +0000