In this photo provided by the North Korean government, Kim Jong Un and his daughter visit a factory that produces rocket launchers.
Associated Press/Alamy
North Korea’s succession is secretive and complicated. But it appears that Kim Jong-un’s young daughter is being groomed to take over on her father’s death.
Kim Jong Un has followed his father and grandfather in ruling by fear. The coronavirus pandemic has made North Korea ever more isolated, while expanded military capabilities make it a growing threat.
Kim Yo-jong: now widely thought of as a possible successor to her older brother Kim Jong-un.
EPA-EFE/Jorge Silva
The increasing prominence of Kim Jong-un’s younger sister has prompted speculation about whether she is positioning herself for ultimate power in North Korea.
Madman? Or diplomatic genius? Kim Jong-un.
EPA_EFE/Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)
North Korea’s test of two new missile systems have stoked fears of a nuclear confrontation in Asia. But the North Korean leader may not be as unstable as he is made out.
Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in the Korean demilitarized zone in June 2019.
Donald Trump avoided a major crisis with North Korea. But the North Korean nuclear issue remains unresolved as the country continues to develop its nuclear and ballistic capabilities.
North Korea and Cuba have struck up a friendship that is particularly bizarre given each country’s attitudes towards children. North Korean children, left, live an Orwellian nightmare at the hands of its socialist government while Cuban children, right, are revered, supported and celebrated.
The Associated Press
The new friendship between North Korea and Cuba is puzzling. The two countries should share values as socialist republics, but their brands of socialism are worlds apart when it comes to children.
North Korean women work at the cashier table of a bookstore in Pyongyang, North Korea.
AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
Meredith Shaw, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
The state-produced stories, which include tales about apartment lotteries, theme parks and the Clintons, might seem absurd. But they offer a window into the regime’s priorities and anxieties.
North Koreans cheer in this November 2017 as they watch a news broadcast announcing Kim Jong-un’s order to test-fire the inter-continental ballistic missile Hwasong-15 at the Pyongyang Train Station in Pyongyang, North Korea.
(AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin)
Military options should, and must, be on the table if diplomacy fails to compel North Korea to de-nuclearize.
South Korean people watch a live TV report showing North Korea’s special announcement that it has successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at a station in Seoul, South Korea, 29 November 2017.
EPA-EFE/KIM HEE-CHUL
We should interpret the threat posed by North Korea from an informed perspective based on demonstrable strategic logic, rather than on caricatured misrepresentations of its leadership.
China is probably no more fond of the North Korean regime than the Americans are, but it is walking a fine line between managing both nations and ensuring its own continued rise.
Supporters of presidential candidate Moon Jae-in.
REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
For a man who likes to be called ‘outstanding leader’ and ‘brilliant comrade’, Kim Jong-un is strangely unwilling to strut his stuff on the world stage.
The release of The Interview, an American comedy depicting the death of North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, has been cancelled. A massive cyberattack on Sony, widely blamed on Pyongyang, and apparent threats against…