author

 
 

Meta

Jon Herskovitz
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Premier Kim Tok Hun visit a flood-affected area near North Korea's border with China in this undated photo released on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Aug 2, 2024
Kim Jong Un wades into North Korean floods in propaganda drive
Showing a hands-on Kim Jong Un in a disaster could mean North Korea's government is trying to enhance the cult of personality around him.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (center) attends a ceremony with military veterans to mark the 71st anniversary of the end of the Korean War in Pyongyang on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 29, 2024
North Korea may stage nuclear test near U.S. election, South Korea warns
Pyongyang has a habit of timing its provocations to coincide with major political events.
A portrait of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un is displayed at a national meeting to commemorate Kim's 10-year anniversary as head of the country's ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in Pyongyang on April 10, 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 23, 2024
Kim Jong Un’s portrait elevated to big three in personality cult
Also spotted at a new training school were rare portraits of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin.
Head of North Korean propaganda Kim Ki Nam has died at 94.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 8, 2024
North Korea propaganda boss who shaped image of leaders dies at 94
He played an essential role in shaping the country’s messaging as leadership transferred to Kim Jong Il, and helped in the succession of Kim Jong Un.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the Kim Il Sung Military University in Pyongyang on Thursday, to mark the 92nd anniversary of the founding of the country's army.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 26, 2024
Kim Jong Un tests new rockets that could boost ability to hit Seoul
The test of a 240-millimeter multiple rocket launcher is the second this year reported by state media.
Gen. Charles Flynn at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys, south of Seoul, on Saturday
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 8, 2024
North Korea’s ballistic missiles are getting valuable battlefield testing in Ukraine
Pyongyang is gaining valuable information in technical matters, procedures and the munitions themselves, a top U.S. general has said.
South Korea is seeking to step up its own reconnaissance capabilities with a series of launches aimed at putting five spy satellites in orbit by 2025.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 8, 2024
South Korea launches second homegrown spy satellite
The synthetic aperture radar satellite uses radar waves to produce ultrahigh resolution images of objects on the ground, regardless of cloud cover.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un looks on as he guides a training of the fire division in this picture released on March 19. Pyongyang has spent decades stockpiling millions of rounds of artillery and thousands of rockets in the terrain north of the demilitarized zone, which sits some 40 kilometers away from Seoul.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 3, 2024
Kim Jong Un faces annihilation in nearly all Korea war scenarios
Although North Korea has a manpower advantage, the bulk of its forces rely on "increasingly obsolete equipment” dating back to Soviet era.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a major operational training base at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 7, 2024
Kim Jong Un observes training to storm border posts in war drills
The training comes as the U.S. and South Korea kicked off their Freedom Shield joint military exercise.
South Korean doctors and other demonstrators march during a protest in Seoul on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Feb 27, 2024
South Korea probing if woman’s death linked to doctor walkout
More than 9,000 of the country’s roughly 13,000 trainee doctors, who play a key role in emergency care, have walked off their jobs in labor action.
Kim Jong Un gives a speech in Pyongyang on Feb. 8. The North Korean leader has reportedly sent new batches of his workers overseas since relaxing pandemic border controls and launched a fresh crackdown on his people.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 14, 2024
North Korea sending new batches of workers abroad: U.S. envoy
North Korea has sent workers to Russia and China for years, where they earn hard currency needed by Pyongyang.
A news broadcast showing at a railway station in Seoul on Tuesday shows footage of a previous North Korean missile launch.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 2, 2024
North Korea fires missiles as Kim seeks ‘war preparation’ boost
Kim is likely using the tests to show he many ways to launch a strike, adding to the planning contingencies for the U.S. and its allies in the region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in Moscow on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 17, 2024
Putin meets North Korea’s top envoy as arms flow builds
Putin held talks with Choe Son Hui on Tuesday during a visit to Moscow, the Tass news agency reported
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
WORLD / Politics
Jan 11, 2024
North Korea set to send new class of missiles to Russia, Seoul says
By sending more weapons of greater sophistication, Kim is likely receiving substantial aid that keeps his sanctions-hit economy afloat as well as technology from Russia.
An image from Dec. 9 appears to show the Russian container ship Angara, sanctioned by the U.S., unloading cargo at Najin port while containers from North Korea await loading at an adjacent pier.
WORLD
Dec 27, 2023
Ghost ships at reawakened North Korea port put Ukraine in peril
The vessels are suspected to be delivering arms to Russia that eventually make their way to the frontlines of Vladimir Putin's invasion.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un views the launch of a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile, during what North Korea has described as a drill, at an unknown location on Dec.18.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 26, 2023
At peak of his powers, Kim Jong Un set to lead 2024 policy address
Arms transfers to Russia in recent months have likely boost Kim's sanctions-hit economy, while his weapons program has also made significant gains.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un waves as he takes poses for photos during the Fifth National Mothers' Convention in Pyongyang.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 13, 2023
Kim Jong Un admits rare weakness as North Korea population falls
The rare admission indicates Kim is just as worried about a demographic crunch as he is about the U.S. forces that he says want to end his regime.
A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet on display at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, Paris, in June.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 11, 2023
U.S. F-16 crashes into sea off South Korea after in-flight problem
The plane crashed into the sea after it experienced "an in-flight emergency over the Yellow Sea.” The pilot ejected the jet and is in good condition.
A television screen showing news footage of a North Korean missile test, in Seoul, on Sept. 13.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 20, 2023
South Korea warns North's Kim to halt imminent satellite launch
Seoul told Pyongyang "to immediately stop” preparations for another launch after two previous efforts failed.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 20, 2023
Kishida’s support rate hits new lows in three major polls
Polls by three major newspapers — the Yomiuri, Asahi and Mainichi — showed Kishida’s support rate at 24%, 25% and 21%, respectively.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?