Kim Jong-il
No ‘fire and fury’ yet, but a game of nuclear brinkmanship with North Korea looms
Analysis: Kim Jong-un’s pressure on Joe Biden has so far elicited only fresh sanctions. Pyongyang has now signalled it may resume nuclear and ICBM tests
Justin McCurry in Tokyo and agencies
20, Jan, 2022 @5:20 AM
The Observer view on a decade of North Korea under Kim Jong-un | Observer editorial
After his father’s death, he was propelled to the top of the totalitarian dynasty. How has he been allowed to last so long?
Observer editorial
19, Dec, 2021 @6:30 AM
From ‘tempestuous’ child to little rocket man: 10 years of Kim Jong-un
Some observers said he would survive a few months as the head of a nuclear-armed state but, a decade later, the North Korean leader has proved them wrong
Justin McCurry
17, Dec, 2021 @12:29 AM
From Roys to royals, succession battles are raging the world over
For edge-of-the-seat drama, the TV dynasty can’t match the power struggles of leading families in Japan, Saudi Arabia … and Britain
Simon Tisdall
31, Oct, 2021 @6:30 AM
‘My mother begged me not to go’: the Japanese women who married Koreans – and never saw their family again
Mitsuko left Japan in 1960 for a new life in North Korea. Once there, she realised she – and hundreds of others like her – could never go back
Justin McCurry
13, Feb, 2021 @11:00 AM
Fake Adidas and Hello Kitty: a taste of consumerism for North Korea’s elite
Kim Jong-Un is quietly allowing a tightly controlled fortunate few in Pyongyang access to designer knock-offs, smartphones and even a version of Amazon
Emma Graham-Harrison in Pyongyang
24, Nov, 2018 @1:00 PM
Kim Jong-un: The story of the boy dictator who bested the US president
The young ruler took a radically different path to his father, one that earned him the opportunity to outsmart Donald Trump
Benjamin Haas in Singapore
15, Jun, 2018 @11:00 PM
Choi Eun-hee, actor once abducted by North Korea, dies
Celebrated South Korean actor spent several years being forced to make movies for Kim Jong-il
Martin Belam and agencies
17, Apr, 2018 @11:11 AM
Two minutes to midnight: did the US miss its chance to stop North Korea’s nuclear programme?
The long read: An unprecedented US mission to Pyongyang in 1999 promised to defuse Kim’s nuclear threat. But it all came to nothing – and then the hawks took powe
Julian Borger
30, Mar, 2018 @5:00 AM
War games: a timeline of North Korea’s nuclear weapons development
The prospect of talks between US president Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un has emerged after years of nuclear tests, threats and diplomacy. Here is how it got to this stage
Pádraig Collins
09, Mar, 2018 @4:31 AM
'Cockroaches' and 'old hags': hounding of the North Korean diaspora in Japan
Japan has 600,000 Korean residents, many descended from forced wartime labourers. While 150,000 claim loyalty to Pyongyang, all face hostility because of the regime’s behaviour
Justin McCurry in Osaka
02, Sep, 2017 @2:02 AM
The Accusation by Bandi – review: unflinching tales from North Korea
These compelling stories of cruel absurdity are believed to have been smuggled out from the secretive totalitarian state
Isabel Hilton
26, Mar, 2017 @6:30 AM
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