North Korea

ThinkCartoon (17 June 2026)

Heng Kim Song has been the freelance editorial cartoonist for Lianhe Zaobao since 1984. His cartoons are also featured in many major international publications including The New York Times, Asahi Shimbun, JoongAng Ilbo, South China Morning Post and Yazhou Zhoukan. His many awards include the Top Award in United Nations ESCAP’s Cartoon Competition and the Grafica Internazionale Award presented by Italian Museum of Political Satire and Caricature. Heng has also participated in many international exhibitions and events, including the World Economic Forum Annual Meetings held in Davos, Switzerland.

Heng Kim Song

17 Jun 2026

China sidelines denuclearisation to strengthen ties with North Korea

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent Pyongyang visit signals a pragmatic shift in Beijing’s policy, tacitly accepting a nuclear-armed North Korea to counter shifting regional alliances. Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong tells us more.

Han Yong Hong

12 Jun 2026

Xi in Pyongyang: Opening Asia’s frozen northeast frontier

The clearest signal delivered at Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Pyongyang visit was all in the map, says academic Hao Nan. A northern Northeast Asian corridor linking China’s northeast to the Tumen River, North Korea’s Rason, Russia’s Far East and the Sea of Japan, is now more possible than ever. 

Hao Nan

10 Jun 2026

Is China giving up on denuclearising North Korea?

On his first visit to North Korea in seven years, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke of strategic cooperation, without mentioning denuclearisation, which used to be part of the conversation. Is the topic now off the table, or merely put aside for the time being? Journalist Kang Gwiyoung finds out more.

Kang Gwiyoung

09 Jun 2026

After Trump and Putin, Xi turns to North Korea

Amid rumours of Xi Jinping visiting North Korea, analysts believe this is a calculated move by China to hold the strategic initiative and balance ties among the US, Russia and North Korea. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei finds out more.

Sim Tze Wei

22 May 2026

[Big read] Not just nukes: Why the US won’t strike North Korea

The Iran war has sharpened Pyongyang’s sense of insecurity and bolstered its nuclear programme. Beyond weapons, any US strike risks confrontation with China and Russia and the prospect of global escalation. Journalist Kang Gwiyoung reports from South Korea.

Kang Gwiyoung

25 Mar 2026

South Korea’s ‘pragmatic’ China policy in a vortex of uncertainty

Standing at the crossroads of intense great power politics, South Korea must guard its flanks in the Korea-US alliance, Seoul-Tokyo relations and most tricky of all, Seoul-Beijing relations — all against the background of volatile US-China relations. Can its “pragmatic diplomacy” stand the tests of these trials? South Korean academic Jae Ho Chung explores the issue.

Jae Ho Chung

11 Mar 2026

Should South Korea build the nuclear bomb?

As North Korea advances its nuclear arsenal, Seoul faces a stark choice: develop its own bomb, rely on US deterrence or adopt a nuclear-threshold strategy to safeguard the peninsula. South Korean academic Jaeho Hwang weighs the options.

Jaeho Hwang

10 Mar 2026

Let the woman rule: How Takaichi became Japan’s symbol of change

Voters rallied behind Japan’s first female prime minister, seeing Takaichi not just as a Liberal Democratic Party leader but as a figure to challenge the old order and bring unprecedented change to politics and policy. Academic Shin Kawashima takes a look at the factors that led to the election outcome.

Shin Kawashima

27 Feb 2026

Does socialist North Korea have any friends left?

As Pyongyang leans ever closer to Moscow, its relations with China and other socialist states remain strained. With sanctions, nuclear tensions and diverging interests, North Korea’s circle of friends is narrowing fast. Japanese academic Atsuhito Isozaki gives his analysis.

Atsuhito Isozaki

03 Feb 2026

Vietnam’s quiet rise: The new diplomatic bridge to North Korea

Maintaining close ties with China and Russia has always been the cornerstone of North Korea’s diplomacy. However, relying solely on these two powers is not enough to lift the country out of international isolation. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan takes a look at the role ASEAN member states Vietnam and Laos can play.

Yu Zeyuan

10 Oct 2025

Pyongyang first, Trump next: China’s North Korea card in the trade war shuffle

Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s visit to North Korea ahead of President Xi Jinping’s potential meeting with US President Donald Trump in South Korea mirrors what happened six years ago — is this a coincidence or a strategic move? Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Sim Tze Wei tells us more.

Sim Tze Wei

09 Oct 2025