North Korea

North Korea’s new threat: “Core central striking means”
North Korea’s new threat: “Core central striking means”
North Korea regularly threatens to turn the South Korean capital Seoul into a “sea of fire” but it is conventional artillery weapons – not nuclear strikes – that have long been…
A summit between Japan and North Korea? About time
A summit between Japan and North Korea? About time
North Korea keeps on surprising. While Pyongyang is busy erasing all references to unification with South Korea, it is extending an olive branch to Japan. It all began early in…
Can South Korea become a global pivotal state?
Can South Korea become a global pivotal state?
“South Korea should no longer be confined to the Korean Peninsula but rise to the challenge of being what I have described as a ‘global pivotal state’, one that advances freedom,…
Open for business: North Korea welcomes back visitors
Open for business: North Korea welcomes back visitors
After three years of pandemic lockdowns, North Korea is reopening its doors to foreigners. The welcome mat was put out in March 2023, when the country welcomed new Chinese…
North Korea is not about to start a war
North Korea is not about to start a war
Many observers think it is likely North Korea is planning and preparing to start a war this year. Pyongyang has indeed made bellicose noises in the last few months. But the main…
Open and shut: North Korea sends a message with its embassy network
Open and shut: North Korea sends a message with its embassy network
North Korea started the new year with a bang, declaring it will no longer pursue unification with an “enemy” in South Korea. More cruise missile tests have set the region on edge,…
A new year, same old story on the Korean Peninsula in 2024
A new year, same old story on the Korean Peninsula in 2024
It is only mid-January, but the Korean peninsula is already off to a rough start. North Korea’s Chairman Kim Jong-un remarked at a year-end party that peaceful unification of the…
Why do we travel to unsettling places?
Why do we travel to unsettling places?
During a summer break, The Interpreter will feature selected articles each day from throughout the past year. Normal publishing will resume 15 January, 2024. This article first…
Should Trump win, will Kim Jong-un pick up the phone?
Should Trump win, will Kim Jong-un pick up the phone?
Imagine Donald Trump does win in the US Presidential election next year. Will he expect another “beautiful letter” from North Korea’s Kim Jong-un? Trump’s summitry bromance…
The extra bad news behind the latest Korean break-down
The extra bad news behind the latest Korean break-down
North Korea sent a satellite rocket up, and a key deal with South Korea came tumbling down. The effective scrapping last week of the inter-Korean military agreement was not…