The details of the US-North Korea summit are set, and the buildup has officially begun. Donald Trump announced via Twitter yesterday—when he also welcomed home three American hostages released by Pyongyang—that his historic meeting with Kim Jong-un will take place in Singapore on June 12.
Donald Trump essentially tore up the Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday (May 8), as he promised he would. Many experts warned the move would complicate his planned summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, who they argue will now have less reason to trust any agreement with the US. Trump seems to think the Iran move will give him more, not less, leverage over Kim, because it shows he’s serious about his willingness to walk away from any deal he deems inadequate.
China is clearly militarizing the South China Sea. To many, that was obvious years ago. For remaining doubters, Mischief Reef should clear up any doubts.
Even the most cynical of Korea watchers couldn’t help but be stunned by the scenes that emerged from yesterday’s summit between the leaders of North and South Korea. The world looked on as a jovial and warm Kim Jong-un—better known outside his country for bellicose words and an unpredictable temperament—crossed over the military demarcation line into South Korea, the first North Korean leader to do so, and shook hands with his counterpart, president Moon Jae-in. Kim even invited Moon, in an unscripted moment, to step over the line into North Korea, the country from which Moon’s parents fled as refugees after the Korean War. Reporters present apparently gasped at the sight. Or was it at the fact that something off-script happened, however briefly, in the precisely timed proceedings?
Last year, North Korea routinely bragged about its weapons. This year, it has surprised many with how humble it can be—not about its missiles and nuclear weapons, but about much else.
The Korea summit got underway this morning (local time) at the border separating North Korea and its southern neighbor. While images of Kim Jong-un crossing the military demarcation line next to South Korean president Moon Jae-in were interesting, what captivated many was hearing what Kim actually sounds like when he speaks conversationally.
North Korea and its southern neighbor will hold a top-level summit for just the third time tomorrow, and gift exchanges will no doubt be part of the proceedings. It remains to be seen what Kim Jong-un will give South Korean president Moon Jae-in, and vice versa, when they meet at the border.
History will be made by North Korea and South Korea this week. Meeting at their border on April 27, the two nations will hold their first top-level summit outside Pyongyang, and only their third ever. And in a highly symbolic move, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will cross the military demarcation line into the south.
As he’s prone to do, Donald Trump yesterday (April 22) tweeted angrily in response to something he saw on TV.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said he will suspend nuclear and missile tests beginning this weekend, and shut down the site where previous nuclear tests were conducted.
In 1953, an uneasy truce was reached in the Korean War—and things were left there. No peace treaty has ever been signed, and technically, at least, the war is ongoing.
China is flexing its maritime muscle. In the South China Sea last week, it put on its biggest-ever display of naval power, and its navy is conducting a live-fire drill in the Taiwan Strait this week, rattling nerves in Taipei and beyond.
That the Trump administration is mired in scandals, investigations, and criticism is well known to most Americans—as highlighted by former FBI director James Comey calling Trump “morally unfit to be president” during an ABC News interview that aired yesterday (April 15).
China’s military put on something of a show in the contested South China Sea this week. In its largest-ever maritime exercise, the People’s Liberation Army sent forth 48 warships, 76 aircraft, and more than 10,000 personnel, with president Xi Jinping making an appearance yesterday to watch the proceedings and address the troops.
For decades, Australia has enjoyed one clear benefit from its remote location: No major military power has posed a nearby threat. In the years ahead, that could change.
At some point before their historic summit on April 27, the leaders of South and North Korea will talk on a new hotline to be established in the near future. The office of South Korean president Moon Jae-in confirmed the plans after working-level officials from each side held closed-door talks at the border this weekend on how to go about setting up the line of communication.
Once upon a time, Saudi Arabia had commercial movie theaters. Hardline Islamic clerics shut them down in the 1970s while rolling out ultraconservative religious laws. This month, the cinema ban will come to an end after more than 35 years.
The date approaches, for better or worse. On April 27, the leaders from the two Koreas, technically still at war, will hold a summit at the border. The parties met today to work out security details.
North Korea is known for a lot of things, but apologizing is not one of them. So it was noteworthy when a hard-line North Korean general offered an apology yesterday (April 2) to South Korean reporters, of all people, visiting Pyongyang.
North Korea, under current leader Kim Jong-un, has never held a summit with South Korea. That looks set to change on April 27.
Donald Trump has chosen John Bolton to be his new national security advisor, he announced via tweet yesterday. While H.R. McMaster, whom Bolton will replace, has been viewed as a moderating force on the US president, Bolton is a defense hawk who is often, like Trump, dismissive of international diplomacy. He’s called for using military force against Iran and North Korea, and for taking a hard line against Russia.
Most parliaments in the world are dominated by men (pdf). That certainly holds true in Down Under, where nearly 70% of parliamentarians at the federal level are male. But change is afoot in Tasmania.
Leaders from Southeast Asia are descending on Sydney for a summit this weekend between Australia and the ASEAN nations. Among them is Cambodia’s Hun Sen, the world’s longest-serving prime minister.
For Shinzo Abe and his inner circle, it’s the scandal that won’t go away.
