Kim Jong Un’s rockets are getting an important boost — from China

When North Korea launched its Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite into space last February, officials heralded the event as a birthday gift for dead leader Kim Jong Il. But the day also brought an unexpected prize for the country’s adversaries: priceless intelligence in the form of rocket parts that fell into the Yellow Sea. Entire sections of booster […]

Japanese self-defense forces looking increasingly offensive

The contingent of Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces planning on conducting joint naval maneuvers with the USS Carl Vinson strike group as it transits towards the Korean Peninsula reflect a growing Japanese military chafing within its constitutional limits of pure self-defense. The four helicopter carriers Japan is sending will conduct a series of helicopter landings and […]

North Korean ground forces: We march better than you

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) have one of the largest ground forces in the world, and were once referred to as the “Million Man Army.” Although their ground forces are estimated somewhere in the region of 950,000 soldiers, the large majority are under-trained and malnourished. In standing with other past communist and oppressed […]

Sources say Japanese warships to join US strike group off North Korean coast

The United States Navy carrier strike group led by the USS Carl Vinson will not be alone in the waters off the Korean peninsula as it delivers a postured American presence in response to North Korea’s increasingly aggressive nuclear threats.  It will now be joined by ships sent from Japan’s Maritime Self Defence Force (MSDF). […]

Why China is backing North Korea—and why that support may be fading

China has long served as North Korea’s primary and most powerful ally, accounting for the vast majority of North Korea’s export market and serving as the commanding big brother who’s willing to stand toe to toe with the superpowers of the West in favor of Kim Jong-un’s reclusive state, but even China’s tolerance for Kim’s continued […]

That ‘crazy fat kid’ in North Korea is at it again

The “crazy fat kid” as Senator John McCain calls him is at it again in North Korea.  The escalation in tensions on the Korean Peninsula comes right on the heels of the annual Foal Eagle exercise.  The exercise has been held once a year since the 1960’s and in part involves US and South Korean Special […]

U.S. Navy strike group to move toward Korean peninsula: U.S. official

A U.S. Navy strike group will be moving toward the western Pacific Ocean near the Korean peninsula as a show of force, a U.S. official told Reuters on Saturday, as concerns grow about North Korea’s advancing weapons program. Earlier this month North Korea tested a liquid-fueled Scud missile which only traveled a fraction of its […]

U.S. and China end summit with 100-day plan to boost trade and cooperation

PALM BEACH, Fla. — The United States and China wrapped up a two-day presidential summit here by announcing a 100-day plan to improve strained trade ties and boost cooperation between the rival nations. But they appeared to reach no clear path forward on North Korea, and the Trump administration’s unexpected military strike in Syria — […]