North Korea

South Korea’s Yoon sentenced to 5 years in prison over martial law charges

16 Jan 2026 - 6:54PMvideocam

South Korea-Japan summit exposes ‘strategic’ divide amid great-power tensions

14 Jan 2026 - 8:17PMvideocam

Video | Kim’s sister blames ‘gang of hooligans’ in Seoul for drone

Kim Yo-jong’s latest statement claimed that captured drone footage included images of a uranium mine, border guard posts and the closed inter-Korean industrial complex at Kaesong.

13 Jan 2026 - 12:03PM

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Why China now needs North Korea’s denuclearisation

As optimism grows over an end to the Ukraine war, a weakening of Moscow’s support for Pyongyang may give Beijing new leverage to stabilise the Korean peninsula.

13 Jan 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

‘Gang of hooligans’: rebuke from North Korea signals icy ties with South

The unusually coarse language from Kim Jong-un’s sister shows that Pyongyang has no intention of reconciling with Seoul, experts say.

13 Jan 2026 - 11:59AMvideocam

North Korea nuclear crisis

North Korea: the elephant in the room when Xi met Lee in Beijing

Lee Jae Myung and Xi Jinping found common ground on ‘one China’ but there was no word on what to do about Pyongyang.

10 Jan 2026 - 6:00PMvideocam

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung holds summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday. Photo: EPA

US-Venezuela conflict

Venezuela’s furious streets forces are angry, armed and asking questions

The ousting of Maduro has left the ‘colectivos’ frustrated and bewildered, convinced that he was betrayed by close allies.

10 Jan 2026 - 5:00PM

Drones

North Korea revives drone claims in rebuff to Seoul’s outreach

Analysts dismiss the ‘implausible’ breach involving low-tech devices as a ploy, backing Seoul’s denial that its military was involved.

10 Jan 2026 - 11:51AM

Japan

Fisherman, defector or spy? Mystery ‘ghost ship’ discovery puzzles Japan

Korean writing on the boat led to conjecture that it was a ‘ghost ship’ similar to those that washed up on Japanese shores in the past.

15 Jan 2026 - 5:13PMvideocam

A wooden boat that washed ashore on a beach in Kanazawa, Japan, in 2018. Seven bodies were found nearby. Photo: Kyodo

Diplomacy

Editorial | For South Korea to reset relations with China, it must withstand US pressure

The South Korean president’s visit to China was a sign of a more pragmatic approach that departs from that of his US-leaning predecessor.

9 Jan 2026 - 7:15AM

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (left) takes a selfie with Chinese President Xi Jinping using a Xiaomi smartphone following a state dinner in Beijing, China, on January 5. Photo: EPA/Yonhap/Pool

Opinion | Maduro’s fate in Venezuela hardens North Korea’s nuclear resolve

It confirms Pyongyang’s belief that leaders seen as thorns in the US side who lack nuclear weapons ultimately fall victim to US intervention.

9 Jan 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

US-Venezuela conflict

North Korea’s Kim set to grab nuclear security blanket after Venezuela operation

Xi will ‘continue to support Kim if he sees the US and its allies undercutting China’s own influence in the region’, analyst says.

9 Jan 2026 - 12:22PMvideocam

China-North Korea relations

China’s role in Korean peninsula stability tested amid nuclear submarine moves

Seoul’s calls for Chinese mediation seen to underscore Beijing’s central role in preserving stability between two Koreas.

8 Jan 2026 - 11:04AMvideocam

North Korea nuclear crisis

Opinion | As denuclearisation stalls, China will shape stability on Korean peninsula

South Korean leader’s Beijing visit makes clear need to manage inter-Korean tensions and establish stability en route to denuclearisation.

8 Jan 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung takes a selfie with Chinese President Xi Jinping using a Xiaomi smartphone after a state dinner in Beijing, China, on January 5. Xi gave Lee the smartphone during their first summit talks in Gyeongju, South Korea, in November. Photo: EPA / Yonhap

Beijing urges Seoul to be ‘patient’ over Pyongyang nuclear talks

President Lee Jae Myung says he asked his Chinese counterpart to act as a mediator to help restart talks about Pyongyang’s arsenal.

7 Jan 2026 - 5:47PMvideocam

Lee’s bid for South Korea-China reset can only go so far

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s success in improving relations with China means little when it comes to the issue of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal.

7 Jan 2026 - 5:00PM

US-Venezuela conflict

The Maduro effect: US raid accelerates Asia’s drift away from Washington

Cambodia, Laos and North Korea are expected to tighten their embrace of Moscow and Beijing amid growing distrust of the US.

7 Jan 2026 - 7:16PMvideocam

Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro is led into custody by US Drug Enforcement Administration officers at an airbase in New York on Saturday. Photo: Handout/Reuters

Li Qiang and Lee Jae Myung back free trade and multilateralism in Beijing talks

In meeting with visiting South Korean president, Chinese premier calls for cooperation in AI, new energy and high-end manufacturing.

6 Jan 2026 - 8:19PMvideocam

Chinese leader Xi Jinping urges South Korea to ‘make correct strategic choices’

Appeal to President Lee Jae Myung comes as Seoul is looking to ‘open a new chapter’ in the relationship after years of tension.

5 Jan 2026 - 10:59PMvideocam

North Korea doubles down with missile test, slams ‘US hegemony’ over Maduro

The test also appears to indicate Pyongyang’s objection to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to Beijing.

5 Jan 2026 - 5:30PMvideocam

North Korea links Sunday’s missile launch to ‘recent geopolitical crisis’

Kim Jong-un, who denounced the US capture of Venezuela’s Maduro, said achievements have been made in preparing forces ‘for an actual war’.

5 Jan 2026 - 8:05AM

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits a military factory and inspects the production status of tactical guided weapons. Photo: KCNA via Reuters

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung lands in Beijing with 200-strong delegation

State visit unfolds amid turbulent global landscape where South Korea must delicately navigate US-China rivalry and China-Japan tensions.

5 Jan 2026 - 6:00AMvideocam

North Korea fires missiles ahead of major party congress

The projectiles, launched off the North Korean east coast, are believed to have fallen outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

4 Jan 2026 - 1:44PMvideocam

China conflict won’t benefit South Korea, Lee says ahead of state visit

South Korean leader, who is expected to meet Xi Jinping on Monday, also tells CCTV interview he respects one-China principle.

5 Jan 2026 - 12:44PMvideocam

Lee Jae-myung is due to arrive in China on Sunday for a four-day state visit. Photo: dpa

South Korea’s Lee to ‘push denuclearisation, end to culture ban’ in China

Four-day trip starting on Sunday will make Lee Jae-myung the first sitting South Korean president to visit since 2019.

2 Jan 2026 - 11:38PMvideocam

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet on the margins of the Apec forum in Gyeongju, South Korea, in November 2025. Photo: dpa

‘More than a beloved child’: palace visit renews debate on Pyongyang succession

State media has released images of the first recorded visit of Kim Ju-ae, the teen daughter of Kim Jong-un, to the country’s most sacred site.

2 Jan 2026 - 12:45PMvideocam