The Korean peninsula is as divided as ever
But rumours of war are overblown
Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s dictator, ended 2023 with war on his mind. Speaking to assembled party grandees on December 30th, he declared that the North and the South were now “two belligerents in the midst of war”. In early January he claimed to have no intention of starting a real conflict, but would have “no hesitation in annihilating” South Korea if it did.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “War talk”
From the January 20th 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Asia
Can Donald Trump maintain Joe Biden’s network of Asian alliances?
Discipline and creativity will help, but so will China’s actions
What North Korea gains by sending troops to fight for Russia
Resources, technology, experience and a blood-soaked IOU
Is Arkadag the world’s greatest football team?
What could possibly explain the success of a club founded by Turkmenistan’s dictator
After the president’s arrest, what next for South Korea?
Some 3,000 police breached his compound. The country is dangerously divided
India’s Faustian pact with Russia is strengthening
The gamble behind $17bn of fresh deals with the Kremlin on oil and arms
AUKUS enters its fifth year. How is the pact faring?
It has weathered two big political changes. What about Donald Trump’s return?