Brian Padden

Panmunjom Truce Village Prepares to Host Inter-Korean Summit

Leaders of North and South Korea will meet for first time on South Korean side of the border, at site where the Korean War armistice was signed in 1953

Panmunjom Truce Village Prepares to Host Inter-Korean Summit

US Election Calendar Could Factor into N. Korea Talks

International nuclear inspectors entering North Korea by October could help Republicans in the 2018 elections and Trump in 2020

US Strike on Syria Sends Mixed Messages to North Korea

Saturday’s missile strike on Syrian chemical weapons facilities could increase pressure on Pyongyang to denuclearize or reinforce the need for nuclear deterrence

US-South Korea Military Exercises Minimize Public Show of Force

With North Korea denuclearization summits looming, media coverage of the drills has so far been limited

US-South Korea Military Exercises Minimize Public Show of Force

Nuclear Deal Could Increase Risk for North Korean Defectors

Chinese crackdown on these defectors could get worse as the North improves diplomatic relations and engages in nuclear talks

Impeached South Korean President Sentenced to 24 Years in Prison

Former President Park Guen-hye was found guilty of abuse of power and bribery at her criminal trial related to the scandal that forced her from office.

Aid Group Sends Food in a Bottle to North Korea

In South Korea activists are using the ocean current to send aid to impoverished regions of North Korean

Japan Increasingly Isolated As N. Korea Diplomacy Progresses

Prime Minster Shinzo Abe was surprised by Trump’s decision to meet with North Korean leader, and by Chinese President Xi Jinping’s meeting with Kim Jong Un

Downscaled US-South Korea Military Drills Could Be Part of Nuclear Deal

Downscaled US-South Korea Military Drills Could Be Part of Nuclear Deal

Making permanent the reduced scale of the joint military exercises that commenced this week, could be a point of contention in nuclear talks with North Korea

North Korean Defectors Worry Nuclear Deal Will Overlook Atrocities

High-level North and South Korea officials held talks at a border village Thursday and agreed on April 27 as the date for an inter-Korean summit. The discussions are the latest in a series of diplomatic initiatives by Pyongyang to resolve an international dispute over the North's nuclear program. But North Korean defectors are voicing concern that the repression and longstanding human rights violations committed by the leadership in Pyongyang will be forgotten during the North's diplomatic "char

North Korean Defectors Worry Nuclear Deal Will Overlook Atrocities

Some engagement proponents say focusing now on North Korean human rights violations might undermine the chances of getting a nuclear deal

China Says Kim Jong Un Confirms Denuclearization Commitment

Beijing and Pyongyang confirm North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited China from Sunday to Wednesday

State Media: North Korean Leader Visits China

Analysts say visit may be part of a broader shift by the North to pivot from a confrontational stance to diplomatic outreach

Asian Allies Refrain From Comment on Upheaval in Trump’s Security Team

Tokyo and Seoul emphasize close coordination on with Washington new security adviser who has argued for military action against North Korea

Trump’s Unorthodox North Korea Diplomacy Begins at Top

Perhaps best possible diplomatic outcome would be agreed upon definition of what denuclearization means

Trump’s Unorthodox North Korea Diplomacy Begins at the Top

South Koreans Optimistic Over Prospect of Nuclear Talks