January
Does the ‘madman theory’ of leadership actually work?
US President Donald Trump is not the first world leader to believe that irrational behaviour in foreign affairs negotiations is a good way to get what you want.
What the North Koreans took into battle against Ukraine
Notes and weapons recovered from the battlefield are helping Kyiv to better understand the thousands of troops from East Asia fighting on Russia’s side.
December 2024
Why a destabilised South Korea is dangerous
North Korea’s Kim Jong-un is not backing down from his nuclear ambitions. A stable South Korea is crucial for peace in the region.
South Korean MPs to impeach president over martial law chaos
The opposition is pushing for a vote to remove Yoon Suk Yeol after his failed attempt to impose martial law triggered a major political crisis in the country.
October 2024
North Korean intercontinental missile launch condemned by US, Japan
The isolationist regime said it tested an ICBM on Thursday, upgrading what it called the “world’s most powerful strategic weapon”.
September 2024
Why it’s dangerous to ignore Kim Jong-un
As he watches the Americans spew vitriol at one another in the coming months, North Korea’s leader could decide that the US is distracted, and set his peninsula on fire.
August 2024
On the front line of North Korea’s nuclear threat
The possibility of another Trump presidency has global leaders nervous about Kim Jong-un’s erratic behaviour. Would a second mandate tame or embolden “little rocket man”.
June 2024
Putin and Kim sign mutual defence pact
The pact could be a dramatic shift in the strategic balance in Northeast Asia by placing Russia’s heft behind North Korea.
March 2024
South Korea sends scandal-hit ambassador to Australia
The arrival of South Korea’s former defence minister in Canberra this week has made headlines in Seoul, where the opposition accused him of fleeing the country.
This is what it’s like to live in North Korea’s firing line
Kim Jong-un, now on a war footing, has been emboldened by its closer relations with Russia and China. That’s a problem for South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island.
December 2023
What a Trump second term might look like
Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign has painted a vivid picture of his second term plans: prosecuting his political rivals, finishing his border wall, massive deportations, a trade war with China.
October 2023
Australia seeks to bolster South Korea, Japan defence ties
Richard Marles has met North Asian counterparts in Japan and South Korea amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
September 2023
More than weapons riding on Kim’s train ride to Vladivostok
For Pyongyang, tighter partnerships with Russia and China help break its diplomatic isolation to become part of a united front against the United States.
June 2023
North Korea’s deadly little sister
In the Hermit Kingdom every person except her dictator brother bows down to Kim Yo-jong.
May 2023
Australia, Korea to take defence ties to ‘next level’
Defence Minister Richard Marles is confident the Albanese government’s move to wind back some South Korean defence contracts will not upset Seoul.
April 2023
How North Korea’s hackers bankroll its quest for the bomb
Cybercrime is a windfall for Kim Jong Un’s nuclear weapon ambitions.
March 2023
Kim oversees simulated nuclear counterattack against US, South Korea
North Korea’s drills involved a short-range missile launch but – unusually – the missile flew from a buried silo.
North Korea launches cruise missiles from subs in new threat
Kim Jong-un’s submarine missile program potentially extends North Korea’s nuclear arsenal range, posing a bigger threat to the US and its allies.
February 2023
Sanctions likely to fail without diplomatic carrots
Sanctions alone against authoritarian regimes will not succeed, as they increasingly withdraw from the global economy and become self-sufficient.
January 2023
Too great to deter? North Korea’s evolving nuclear threat
North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un’s growing arsenal is setting the scene for a risky game of military one-upmanship with the US and its east Asian allies.