This Month
- Analysis
- Analysis
On the front line of North Korea’s nuclear threat
The possibility of another Trump presidency has global leaders nervous about Kim Jong-un’s erratic behaviour. Would a second mandate tame or embolden “little rocket man”.
- Updated
- Jessica Sier
June
Putin and Kim sign mutual defence pact
The pact could be a dramatic shift in the strategic balance in Northeast Asia by placing Russia’s heft behind North Korea.
- Josh Smith and Ju-min Park
March
South Korea sends scandal-hit ambassador to Australia
The arrival of South Korea’s former defence minister in Canberra this week has made headlines in Seoul, where the opposition accused him of fleeing the country.
- Updated
- Michael Smith
This is what it’s like to live in North Korea’s firing line
Kim Jong-un, now on a war footing, has been emboldened by its closer relations with Russia and China. That’s a problem for South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island.
- Updated
- Michael Smith and Sean Na
December 2023
What a Trump second term might look like
Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign has painted a vivid picture of his second term plans: prosecuting his political rivals, finishing his border wall, massive deportations, a trade war with China.
- Rozina Sabur
October 2023
Australia seeks to bolster South Korea, Japan defence ties
Richard Marles has met North Asian counterparts in Japan and South Korea amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
- Michael Smith
September 2023
More than weapons riding on Kim’s train ride to Vladivostok
For Pyongyang, tighter partnerships with Russia and China help break its diplomatic isolation to become part of a united front against the United States.
- Nicola Smith
June 2023
North Korea’s deadly little sister
In the Hermit Kingdom every person except her dictator brother bows down to Kim Yo-jong.
- Sung-Yoon Lee
May 2023
Australia, Korea to take defence ties to ‘next level’
Defence Minister Richard Marles is confident the Albanese government’s move to wind back some South Korean defence contracts will not upset Seoul.
- Michael Smith
April 2023
How North Korea’s hackers bankroll its quest for the bomb
Cybercrime is a windfall for Kim Jong Un’s nuclear weapon ambitions.
- Robbie Gramer and Rishi Ivengar
March 2023
Kim oversees simulated nuclear counterattack against US, South Korea
North Korea’s drills involved a short-range missile launch but – unusually – the missile flew from a buried silo.
- Hyonhee Shin
North Korea launches cruise missiles from subs in new threat
Kim Jong-un’s submarine missile program potentially extends North Korea’s nuclear arsenal range, posing a bigger threat to the US and its allies.
- Updated
- Choe Sang-Hun
February 2023
- Opinion
- Opinion
Sanctions likely to fail without diplomatic carrots
Sanctions alone against authoritarian regimes will not succeed, as they increasingly withdraw from the global economy and become self-sufficient.
- Ken Heydon
January 2023
Too great to deter? North Korea’s evolving nuclear threat
North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un’s growing arsenal is setting the scene for a risky game of military one-upmanship with the US and its east Asian allies.
- Christian Davies, Kana Inagaki and Demetri Sevastopulo
December 2022
What Kim Jong-un really wants
With the world focused on Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, Pyongyang has staged more tests this year than any other on record.
- John Delury
November 2022
Pyongyang fires missile barrage near Japan, South Korea
The launches came a day after North Korea fired 23 missiles, the most in a single day, including one that landed off South Korea’s coast for the first time.
- Updated
- Kim Tong-Hyung and Mari Yamaguchi
October 2022
Warnings as North Korea missile flies over Japan
Japan has issued a rare warning for some residents to seek shelter after North Korea launched a ballistic missile over the country on Tuesday.
- Michael Smith
September 2022
North Korea shifts nuclear policy to allow pre-emptive strikes
The North Korean leader says he will never give up the country’s arsenal or enter talks to decommission its weapons.
- Josh Smith
May 2022
Biden seeks to shore up support for Asia-Pacific economic plan
Although far less sweeping than the TPP, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework will set standards for the digital economy, clean energy and supply-chain resilience.
- Updated
- Zolan Kanno-Youngs
North Korea reports 15 more suspected COVID-19 deaths
The additional deaths on Sunday took the country’s reported fever-related fatalities to 42.
- Hyung-Jin Kim
