East Asia

Simon Cockerell of Koryo Tours on what it’s really like to visit North Korea.

“The history of North Korea suggests that its leadership acts with greatest vehemence when it is internally weak, as a way to justify its economic failures by blaming a foreign conspiracy…”

Has China abandoned its “no first use” policy when it comes to nuclear weapons? No, says MIT’s M.Taylor Fravel.

Japan, South Korea and China are slowly working towards a free trade agreement. Will old disagreements kill a possible deal?

China’s security forces have failed in their attempts to win over the nation’s ethnic minorities.

Officials below the power circle of the Kim family may not play an overt role in N. Korea, but are vital to understanding the regime and its future.

With a host of domestic challenges like a stagnant economy and its own homegrown nuclear problems, Japan has taken a cautious yet steady approach when it comes to North Korea.

"Because North Korea has such a rich history of extreme rhetoric, they must be more and more extreme in each crisis..."

The BOJ’s bold monetary easing takes Japan into uncharted waters, but won’t be enough on its own.

Few wars happen by accident. Given the situation on the Korean Peninsula, a war seems unlikely, as none of the combatants stand to benefit.

The Andropov model seems to be an attractive option to China’s leaders. It won’t be long before they realize that it is a road to nowhere.

Despite historical tensions and present challenges, Tokyo and Seoul have good reasons to enhance ties.