https://www.scmp.com/rss/522384/feed The Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU): A prominent Seoul-based, state-funded research institute and think tank, KINU was established in 1990 to contribute to South Korea’s national unification policy. Its primary mission involves comprehensive research and analysis on issues concerning Korean unification, inter-Korean relations, and North Korean studies, including human rights. KINU publishes significant reports, such as the annual "White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea," and... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong As the war on Iran continues to command global attention, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has stepped up his appearances at military events, using drills and missile tests to project confidence at home and defiance abroad. His heightened visibility suggests that Kim feels more secure in his country’s nuclear deterrence as Washington’s focus is pulled in several directions, analysts say. Kim has cast himself as increasingly assertive and is distancing himself from the symbolic rituals observed by... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350305/north-koreas-kim-ramps-show-force-us-war-iran-raises-stakes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350305/north-koreas-kim-ramps-show-force-us-war-iran-raises-stakes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:13 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korea’s recent string of weapons tests, including cluster munitions, marks a renewed show of military strength ahead of next month’s US-China summit, even as Beijing may become a go-between to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula. Analysts say the summit could be an opportunity for China to arrange subsequent talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump. On Thursday, Pyongyang said tests conducted over the previous two days involved a radar-evading missile... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349499/why-north-koreas-kim-may-shake-hands-trump-again-despite-missile-tests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349499/why-north-koreas-kim-may-shake-hands-trump-again-despite-missile-tests?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 07:02:56 +0000 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 South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has bluntly said that Seoul cannot prevent the United States from redeploying military assets from the peninsula, raising concerns about the shifting role of American forces stationed in the country. Analysts say the episode exposes a stark reality for Seoul: US Forces Korea (USFK) are increasingly being used for missions beyond deterring North Korea as Washington pushes for greater “strategic flexibility” for its troops overseas. Lee made the remarks after... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346144/south-korea-grapples-clear-reality-us-forces-shifting-role-peninsula?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346144/south-korea-grapples-clear-reality-us-forces-shifting-role-peninsula?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:10 +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’s ruling party congress, convened only once every five years, opened in Pyongyang this weekend with supreme leader Kim Jong-un poised to formalise a military doctrine with far-reaching implications for security on the Korean peninsula and beyond. State media described the opening of the ninth congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea as unfolding “with splendour” in “the capital city of the revolution”, with 5,000 delegates and 2,000 observers in attendance. The carefully choreographed... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344165/where-kim-ju-ae-succession-question-hangs-over-north-koreas-ruling-congress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344165/where-kim-ju-ae-succession-question-hangs-over-north-koreas-ruling-congress?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 00:00:18 +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 In his new year message, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un praised troops fighting alongside Russia in Ukraine, a move observers said pointed to Pyongyang’s intention to sustain and deepen military cooperation with Moscow into 2026. The emphasis on Russia came as Seoul and Beijing confirmed plans for a state visit next week, with analysts noting that North Korean state media played down Chinese President Xi Jinping’s new year greeting while highlighting Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s message in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338407/why-kim-jong-un-lauding-north-koreas-invincible-alliance-russia-new-year-message?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338407/why-kim-jong-un-lauding-north-koreas-invincible-alliance-russia-new-year-message?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jan 2026 00:00:17 +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 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 New satellite imagery suggests North Korea has spent the past year steadily enlarging and modernising its main fissile material site, in what analysts call a concrete response to leader Kim Jong-un’s demand for his nuclear arsenal’s “exponential growth”. Commercial satellite images of the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Centre from October and November show renovation and large-scale expansion across the complex, according to 38North, a website from US think tank the Stimson Centre devoted... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333943/north-koreas-nuclear-upgrades-seen-space-south-readies-monster-missiles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333943/north-koreas-nuclear-upgrades-seen-space-south-readies-monster-missiles?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Nov 2025 00:00:10 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times North Korea’s wealth gap is reportedly widening, as luxury goods circulate among affluent border residents while ordinary citizens face growing extreme poverty. Economic disparities in areas near the Chinese border have become more pronounced compared with the period before trade resumed, according to Daily NK on Friday. In cities such as Hoeryong in North Hamgyong province and Hyesan in Ryanggang province, cross-border commerce through customs offices has increased, and the number of high-end... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3333888/north-koreas-rich-flaunt-fur-coats-chanel-cosmetics-poor-freeze-without-insulation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3333888/north-koreas-rich-flaunt-fur-coats-chanel-cosmetics-poor-freeze-without-insulation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 03:50:38 +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 South Korea’s intelligence agency has reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s daughter is consolidating her position as a potential heir, but analysts urge caution over the latest news as they point to Pyongyang’s silence on the 12-year-old’s name. They also voiced scepticism over the National Intelligence Service’s (NIS) assessment that Kim could hold a fourth summit with US President Donald Trump around March next year. Observers say there is little sign the regime has begun laying the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3331709/north-koreas-kim-jong-un-preparing-daughter-take-power-not-so-fast-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3331709/north-koreas-kim-jong-un-preparing-daughter-take-power-not-so-fast-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 03:15:44 +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 A US-North Korea flash summit remains a long shot despite Donald Trump signalling he was open to such talks and describing Pyongyang as “sort of a nuclear power” as he embarked on his Asia trip last week. The choice of words by the US president could be interpreted as a diplomatic concession by Kim Jong-un, some analysts said. Others said the North Korean leader’s focus was on alliances with China and Russia amid the Ukraine war, making it difficult to devote time and resources to a photo-op... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330407/us-north-korea-meeting-2-big-egos-remains-long-shot-despite-trumps-open-offer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330407/us-north-korea-meeting-2-big-egos-remains-long-shot-despite-trumps-open-offer?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Oct 2025 01:28:55 +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 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A North Korean soldier was taken into custody by the South after he voluntarily crossed the heavily fortified land border separating the two Koreas on Sunday, Seoul’s military said. The soldier was seeking to “defect to the South,” a defence ministry official said. Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to South Korea since the peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s, with most going overland to neighbouring China first, then entering a third country such as Thailand before finally... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3329588/north-korean-soldier-crosses-dmz-defects-south-seoul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3329588/north-korean-soldier-crosses-dmz-defects-south-seoul?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Oct 2025 12:51:06 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea should adhere to pragmatic diplomacy to safeguard its national interests as Washington steps up pressure on Seoul to clarify its role in countering China, analysts have said. They warned that leaning too far towards the United States under a transactional President Donald Trump could trap South Korea diplomatically and leave it with little room to manoeuvre amid growing global uncertainty. The warnings came in response to remarks by a senior Pentagon official, who said on Tuesday... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328450/south-korea-cant-afford-lose-china-seoul-urged-stay-pragmatic-amid-us-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328450/south-korea-cant-afford-lose-china-seoul-urged-stay-pragmatic-amid-us-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Oct 2025 01:30:13 +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 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 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 inspection by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un of several weapons and missile facilities ahead of a trip to China is to signal Pyongyang’s evolving nuclear capabilities to the US and his clout on the international stage, according to analysts. The North Korean state news agency KCNA reported that on Sunday, Kim visited a research institute behind the development of new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). KCNA’s announcement on Monday came shortly after Kim departed Pyongyang for... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324035/north-koreas-kim-jong-un-signals-nuclear-clout-us-china-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324035/north-koreas-kim-jong-un-signals-nuclear-clout-us-china-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 07:38:15 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korean President Lee Jae-myung emerged heavily burdened with an unexpected challenge from his high-stakes first meeting with US President Donald Trump, whose penchant for expansionism and unconventional diplomacy has kept allies on edge, analysts say. Lee’s spokeswoman, Kang Yu-jung, sought to frame the summit positively, describing it as a “rapport-building” get-together and declaring: “The summit went so well that there was no need for a joint statement.” Yet the absence of a statement... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3323144/after-trump-talk-south-koreas-lee-has-new-burden-us-wants-military-base-land?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3323144/after-trump-talk-south-koreas-lee-has-new-burden-us-wants-military-base-land?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Aug 2025 03:46:07 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korean President Lee Jae-myung is set to meet US President Donald Trump for the first time next week, seeking to dispel doubts in Washington about his progressive government’s commitment to strengthening their military alliance. The meeting, scheduled for Monday in Washington, comes with President Lee under pressure to demonstrate unwavering support for the US-South Korea alliance, even as his administration faces scepticism in Washington about its long-term strategic intentions. “The... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322504/trump-lee-summit-what-can-turtle-ship-do-us-south-korea-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322504/trump-lee-summit-what-can-turtle-ship-do-us-south-korea-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Aug 2025 00:00:11 +0000