https://www.scmp.com/rss/522673/feed The latest news and top stories on Cho Han-bum. Known for his cautious interpretation of North Korea's actions as 'reflexive', he is a prominent expert on North Korean affairs and unification. As a Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification since 1995, he researches socialist system transition and unification issues. He holds a PhD in Sociology and lectures at Korea University. His responsibilities include directing the Research Council on Unification Policy and... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korea has issued a notably restrained response to next week’s annual US–South Korean military exercises, signalling an effort by both sides to cool tensions on the Korean peninsula. A week before the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills are set to begin, Pyongyang’s defence minister No Kwang-chol on Monday denounced the exercises as “provocative” and warned of “negative consequences”. Yet analysts say his statement was stripped of the fiery invective that has long characterised the North’s reaction... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321435/whats-behind-north-koreas-unusual-reaction-us-south-korea-drills?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3321435/whats-behind-north-koreas-unusual-reaction-us-south-korea-drills?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Aug 2025 00:00:08 +0000