Kim Jong Un praises nuclear program, promotes sister to center of power

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un said his nuclear weapons were a “powerful deterrent” that guaranteed its sovereignty, state media reported on Sunday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said “only one thing will work” in dealing with the isolated country. Trump did not make clear to what he was referring, but his comments seemed […]

Mattis says Trump still backs diplomacy with NK, suggests keeping Iran nuclear agreement

Despite his remarks on Twitter over the weekend, President Trump is still backing the pursuit of a diplomatic end to heightening tensions with Kim Jong un’s regime in North Korea, according to Secretary of Defense James Mattis. “President Trump’s guidance to both Secretary Tillerson and me has been very clear that we would pursue the diplomatic […]

Trump decries diplomacy with North Korea; Does that mean war’s the only option left?

Although President Trump has repeatedly stated that going to war with North Korea is not his preferred option, his statements on Sunday would seem to indicate that it’s the only outcome he’s now open to pursuing. Donald Trump once again took to the social media platform Twitter to convey his foreign policy stance, claiming that American […]

On China’s border with North Korea, a reduced trade lifeline is still a lifeline

The trucks still rumble across the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, and a nearby pipeline still pumps crude oil to keep the regime alive in Pyongyang. But here in the Chinese city of Dandong, at the center of this country’s trade with North Korea, pain and frustration are mounting. Sanctions approved by the United Nations Security Council […]

Chinese government orders all North Korean firms to close in China

The Chinese government has ordered all North Korean companies based in the country to close as a result of UN sanctions over Pyongyang’s latest nuclear missile tests. China’s commerce ministry said on Thursday that North Korean firms or joint ventures in China will be shut within 120 days of the UN decision, which was announced […]

What actually happened to Otto Warmbier?

Tensions with North Korea have continued to escalate in recent months, primarily due to Kim Jong un’s regime continuing to develop and test nuclear weapon and ballistic missile technology in the face of repeated UN resolutions and sanctions.  However, the effect of one American student’s death after being released from North Korean custody can’t be understated, […]

Mattis builds defense partnership with another of China’s opponents: India

American Secretary of Defense James Mattis met with India’s Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, wherein both nations emphasized the importance of building a stronger military partnership in the years ahead. “This is a historic opportunity for our two democracies, a time of strategic convergence,” Mattis said. “As India takes its rightful place at the […]

President Trump: War with North Korea not the ‘preferred option’

President Donald Trump, who has been accused of escalating tensions with Kim Jong un’s North Korean regime with his aggressive rhetoric in recent weeks, eased back on his threats of annihilation on Tuesday, after North Korean diplomats accused him of declaring war over social media. The President explained that, while the United States possesses the ability […]

U.S. bombers fly further north than ever as N.K. bolsters aerial defenses

For the first time since tensions began to rise between the United States and North Korea, Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers from Guam and Air Force F-15C Eagle fighter escorts from Okinawa, Japan flew alongside the Korean peninsula north of the demilitarized zone over the weekend.  Although the aircraft remained in international airspace, this marks […]