Kim Jong Il

International attention is usually focused on North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. But Pyongyang’s growing chemical and biological weapons capabilities are worrying Seoul.

To the casual eye, things seem like they’re looking up in Pyongyang. But inequality has been growing.

Outside aid has failed to help a starving North Korean populace. If aid agencies are serious about helping they should make sure Kim Jong-il’s regime accounts for what it receives.

News last month that an alleged North Korean spy tried to kill an anti-Pyongyang activist is a reminder that Kim Jong-il’s spies are active. But some say the attacks aren’t what they used to be.

Reports suggest Kim Jong-il might be planning another nuclear test. Should the US and South Korea be talking?

Chinese policymakers are often assumed to be the archetypal practitioners of realpolitik. But their coddling of dictators is counter-productive.

With a series of elections and other events in Asia-Pacific next year, there’s plenty of room for tensions to boil over.

Deterring North Korea is a tough job, but someone has to do it. A better earth penetrating nuclear weapon might help.

Kim Jong-Il’s regime doesn’t make it easy to help his country’s starving population. But in the long run, offering aid is the lesser of two evils.

South Koreans haven’t turned against unification with North Korea. They’re just indifferent over the issue.

Reports suggest North Korea has received thousands of military vehicles from China as Kim Jong-il visits Russia.

The Jeju Island base isn’t about containing China. It’s about protecting South Korea and others from an increasingly erratic North Korea.