65 h. ago South Korean leader Lee takes ‘pragmatic approach’ to reset ties with China, Japan

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s back-to-back visits to China and Japan suggest a “pragmatic approach” to reset ties with both countries as tensions soar between Beijing and Tokyo, analysts said. Lee met Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday during a two-day trip to Japan. Speaking to reporters after their summit in Nara – Takaichi’s hometown – Lee said there was “unprecedented turmoil” in the global political landscape and trade order. He stressed the need for South Korea and...

Politics

4 d. ago Japan’s Takaichi seeks unity with South Korea’s Lee as China tensions persist

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will push for closer ties with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at a summit on Tuesday, as Tokyo struggles to draw a line under its widening diplomatic dispute with China. Both sides will focus on security challenges and Takaichi is expected to avoid “divisive” issues, while Lee, who last week met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, will try to achieve a “neutral” stance, analysts say. Lee’s two-day visit to Nara, Takaichi’s hometown, comes at a...

Events

5 d. ago Why timing may be right for China to press North Korea on denuclearisation

The Ukraine war and Donald Trump’s return to the White House have significantly altered northeast Asia’s geopolitical landscape. North Korea’s defence treaty with Russia and leader Kim Jong-un’s decision to deploy troops to support Moscow have shattered any remaining illusions of strategic restraint. While Russia is believed to be supplying North Korea with finance and technology, Japan and South Korea are accelerating military spending and preparing for long-term confrontation, potentially –...

Events

5 d. ago Opinion | Why China now needs North Korea’s denuclearisation

Opinion | Why China now needs North Korea’s denuclearisation  South China Morning Post

Events

5 d. ago Why North Korea’s ‘gang of hooligans’ rebuke signals freeze in ties with South

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s influential sister has issued a sharply worded warning to South Korea’s new liberal government after drones were reportedly flown from the South early this month. Calling the country a “gang of hooligans”, Kim Yo-jong used the recent drone incursions to reinforce Pyongyang’s claim that inter-Korean relations were irreparably hostile and blunt Seoul’s renewed push for reconciliation. Kim, vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of...

Events

6 d. ago NATO commander warns strategic coordination among Russia, China, Iran and North Korea

NATO commander warns strategic coordination among Russia, China, Iran and North Korea  Türkiye Today

Events

6 d. ago Companies eye Chinese market after President Lee suggests that Beijing may lift 'K

Companies eye Chinese market after President Lee suggests that Beijing may lift 'K-culture ban'  Korea JoongAng Daily

Politics

7 d. ago North Korea: the elephant in the room when Xi met Lee in Beijing

The leaders of South Korea and China wrapped up a summit this week with both underlining support for one of Beijing’s diplomatic priorities but making no tangible progress on North Korea, Seoul’s main concern. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday for a high-stakes summit held just over nine weeks after their first meeting. During the trip, Lee declared 2026 as the year for the “full restoration of South Korea-China relations” and Xi...

Politics

7 d. ago North Korea revives drone claims in rebuff to Seoul’s outreach

North Korea’s latest accusations that South Korean drones violated its airspace appear aimed at painting Seoul as a permanent enemy ahead of a key party congress, rather than addressing an actual security breach, analysts say. By reviving claims of cross-border incursions and threatening retaliation, the North is reinforcing its portrayal of inter-Korean relations as irreversibly hostile – just as South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung seeks to reopen channels of communication. Lee, who took...

Events

8 d. ago Body, capsized boat found in Japan waters raise spectre of North Korean ‘ghost ships’

A lone body discovered on a cold Japanese beach and a shattered wooden boat coated in black tar have stirred memories of the “ghost ships” that in past winters drifted across to Japan from North Korea. The body washed ashore on Wednesday in Ishikawa prefecture, while a Japan Coast Guard vessel later recovered the capsized boat nearby, local media reported. Authorities have yet to identify the man and are investigating whether he was linked to the vessel, which bore Korean characters and numbers....

Politics

8 d. ago Mystery ‘ghost ship’ discovery puzzles Japan. Fisherman, defector or spy?

A lone body discovered on a cold Japanese beach and a shattered wooden boat coated in black tar have stirred memories of the “ghost ships” that in past winters drifted across to Japan from North Korea. The body washed ashore on Wednesday in Ishikawa prefecture, while a Japan Coast Guard vessel later recovered the capsized boat nearby, local media reported. Authorities have yet to identify the man and are investigating whether he was linked to the vessel, which bore Korean characters and numbers....

Politics

8 d. ago North Korea invites China firms to spring trade fair after foreign ban last year

North Korea invites China firms to spring trade fair after foreign ban last year  NK News

Politics

9 d. ago Maduro’s fate in Venezuela hardens North Korea’s nuclear resolve

The US removal of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro from power has reverberated far beyond Latin America. In Pyongyang, where regime survival is the paramount concern and every US action is scrutinised for hostile intent, the deposing of a sitting head of state sends an unmistakable message: dialogue with Washington is a dangerous gamble, and only nuclear weapons guarantee survival. The Venezuela operation may have killed the prospects for meaningful US-North Korea diplomacy in 2026 before they even...

Events

9 d. ago Lee’s First Visit to Beijing: A Nuanced Restoration of China

Lee’s First Visit to Beijing: A Nuanced Restoration of China-South Korea Ties  The Diplomat – Asia-Pacific Current Affairs Magazine

Politics

9 d. ago North Korea’s Kim expected to cling to nuclear security blanket after Venezuela operation

The United States’ decapitation operation against Venezuela will reinforce North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, an aspiration that will continue to draw China’s “tacit tolerance”, according to analysts. After the US military abducted Nicolas Maduro during an attack on Venezuela on Saturday, Pyongyang criticised Washington’s actions as “wildly” violating the sovereignty of Caracas. It was one of a slew of countries that issued swift criticism of the US move. In a statement on Sunday, the North Korean...

Events

1 week ago As denuclearisation stalls, China will shape stability on Korean peninsula

At the recent South Korea-China summit, both sides agreed to improve dialogue, rebuild trust and promote regional peace and stability, marking a first step towards a normalisation of relations. While the Beijing meeting produced no concrete agreement for peace on the Korean peninsula, it reaffirmed the peninsula’s stability and peace as a common interest – paving the way for cooperation. The prolonged stalemate over North Korea’s nuclear programme is no longer just a diplomatic impasse. The...

Events

1 week ago South Korea says it urged China to help curb North's weapons tests

South Korea says it urged China to help curb North's weapons tests  Euronews.com

Events

1 week ago Chinese President Xi Jinping urges Seoul to be ‘patient’ over North Korean nuclear talks

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “patience” over North Korea’s nuclear programme, the South’s president, Lee Jae Myung, said on Wednesday. Speaking during a visit to Shanghai, Lee said he had asked Xi to act as a “mediator for peace” on the Korean peninsula, including on the nuclear issue. He said all channels between the North and South had been blocked and there was “zero trust” between the two sides. “President Xi noted the efforts until now and said patience is needed,” Lee said. He...

Politics

1 week ago South Korea's Lee Says Asked China's Xi To Help Curb North's Nuclear Programme

South Korea's Lee Says Asked China's Xi To Help Curb North's Nuclear Programme  Barron's

Events

1 week ago Lee says he asked Beijing to play mediator role on Korean Peninsula

Lee says he asked Beijing to play mediator role on Korean Peninsula  Yonhap News Agency

Politics