North Korea
In a First, South Korea Declares Nuclear Weapons a Policy Option
SEOUL — President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea said for the first time on Wednesday that if North Korea’s nuclear threat grows, South Korea would consider building nuclear weapons of its own or ask the United States to redeploy them on the Korean Peninsula. Speaking during a joint policy briefing by his defense and […]
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South Korea’s New President Calls for Criminal Investigation of Past Government
SEOUL — The video footage and photos captured their final moments in South Korea: two North Korean fishermen taken against their will to the border. One of them was so resistant to being deported to North Korea that South Korean officials had to drag him. The other appeared resigned to his fate. The footage and […]
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Putin’s Threats Highlight the Dangers of a New, Riskier Nuclear Era
WASHINGTON — The old nuclear order, rooted in the Cold War’s unthinkable outcomes, was fraying before Russia invaded Ukraine. Now, it is giving way to a looming era of disorder unlike any since the beginning of the atomic age. Russia’s regular reminders over the past three months of its nuclear might, even if largely bluster, […]
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China-Style Covid Lockdowns Risk Deepening North Korean Crisis
SEOUL — When North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, acknowledged an outbreak of Covid-19 last week, he ordered his government to learn from China’s “success” fighting the virus. What he did not say is that an attempt to follow China’s pandemic response could send his impoverished country toward catastrophe. China has used strict lockdowns, mass testing […]
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North Korea Says Its Covid Outbreak Is Spreading Fast
SEOUL — North Korea reported a significant surge in suspected coronavirus infections and deaths on Saturday as it struggled to contain its first reported outbreak, which the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, said could be one of the greatest crises in the country’s history. State media said an additional 174,400 people had symptoms, like fever, that […]
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North Korea Reports 6 Deaths as Covid-19 Spreads ‘Explosively’
“Like any other data from North Korea, the figures are up to debate, and we cannot fully trust them,” said Ahn Kyung-su, who operates the Seoul-based DPRKHealth.org, a website and network of public health experts who study North Korea. “But what’s clear is that North Korea has the Covid phenomenon, and by publicizing those figures, […]
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North Korea Reports Its First Covid Cases
Analysts questioned whether the Covid outbreak would affect Mr. Kim’s plan to restart nuclear tests. American and South Korean officials have warned in the past week that North Korea could resume such tests as soon as this month, possibly around the time that President Biden is scheduled to meet with South Korea’s new president, Yoon […]
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South Korea Inaugurates Yoon Suk-yeol as President
SEOUL — Yoon Suk-yeol, the new president of South Korea, was sworn into office in Seoul on Tuesday, using his inaugural speech to make promises to heal political and economic divides at home, to fight for international norms and to offer an ambitious package of economic incentives to North Korea. Mr. Yoon is taking office […]
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North Korea Tests a Submarine-Launched Missile
SEOUL — North Korea fired a short-range, submarine-launched ballistic missile off its east coast on Saturday, hours after the United States warned that the country could carry out a nuclear test as soon as this month. The missile, the first of its kind tested since October, was launched from waters near the coastal city of […]
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