A 52-year-old gunshot reopens South Korea’s historical divide
When the new film opened in South Korean theaters, it sparked a controversy that extends far beyond the cinema. The box-office success has also triggered...
A DMZ mine tests Lee Jae-myung’s North Korea policy
An operation to clear a North Korean minefield in the southern part of the DMZ. Photo: the Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff. On...
North Korea loosens phone word restrictions — but ‘Korea’ and ‘unification’ remain banned
North Korea appears to have relaxed restrictions on some everyday South Korean expressions on mobile phones manufactured in June this year, according to an examination...
From test to drill: North Korea signals hypersonic missile readiness
Kim Jong-un and his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, watch the missile launch. Photo: KCNA North Korea launched an intermediate-range hypersonic missile late last week, describing the...
For North Korean footballers, Japan is more than just an opponent
Watching North Korea’s recent men’s football match against Japan brought back memories of the education I received at school many years ago. North Korea lost...
When will the Koreas be reunited?
Whenever South Koreans meet someone from North Korea, there is one question they seem to ask, almost as if they had agreed on it beforehand:...
Two North Korean prisoners, one diplomatic dispute: What was agreed between Seoul and Kyiv?
The transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war from Ukraine to South Korea was supposed to be a humanitarian success. Instead, it has turned...
North Korea is building new weapons and drones. Russia may be making them better
KCNA reported on Sept. 19 that Kim Jong-un had spent Sept. 16–18 inspecting major defense-industrial enterprises, where he reviewed weapons production and called for greater...
North Korea drops ‘unification’ from party charter, boosts Kim Jong-un’s power
North Korea has removed references to “peaceful reunification,” “great national unity” and “South Korea” from the governing charter of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea...
North Korea subjects women to strip searches at border, sources say
North Korean authorities are reportedly forcing women leaving the country to remove all their clothing and, in some cases, submit to intimate searches in an...
Man jailed for spying on defectors and soldiers for North Korean agent
A South Korean cryptocurrency investment company operator has been sentenced to five years in prison for collecting information on North Korean defectors, activists and active-duty...
Is the Kim family still Big Brother?
In every home in North Korea, portraits of the Kim family hang on the wall. Even while they were alive, they inspired fear and awe...
Is Trump about to try to solve the Korea question?
Eighteen months into his second term – after tariffs, serious arguments with America’s closest allies, and interventions in Nicaragua, Gaza and Iran – is U.S....
When the past became hope
Today, I came across an article with a photograph of Kim Jong-un smiling brightly. The moment I saw his face as he waved to the...
Trump wants Kim back at the table. This time, Kim holds the cards.
U.S. President Donald Trump wants to revive summit diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. American officials told The Wall Street Journal that Trump was...
Why is North Korea sending women to Russia?
I recently saw a report about an advertisement on an online marketplace offering to supply 40 North Korean female workers to a single workplace. According...
Border residents supplied with glass for windows to replace plastic sheeting
North Korean authorities are reportedly taking steps to improve the country’s appearance by supplying glass for the windows of houses facing China. Under the slogan...
In North Korea, a newspaper editorial is never just an editorial
Several years ago, when I worked at a state institution in Pyongyang, an order arrived from higher authorities to launch a new project. The goal...