North Korea’s succession drama has officially kicked off, with ailing leader Kim Jong Il, 68, appointing his 26- or 27-year old third son, Kim Jong Un, to the rank of General. Bizarrely, also promoted to General was Kim Jong Il’s 64-year old sister Kim Kyong Hui. Neither of them have any military experience, so the… [Read more]

One of the most oft-repeated axioms of Asian geopolitics is that there won’t be a new war on the Korean Peninsula because neither North and South Korea nor their principal backers (China and the US) want it to happen. The South and the US will not attack the North because that would lead to a… [Read more]

One thing which I believe is becoming increasingly likely is a third nuclear test by North Korea. Last May, when North Korea tested its second nuke, I suggested that the entire nuclear dispute had taken on the feeling of one too many a season of ‘24’ – i.e. it had lost the ability to shock… [Read more]

Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of North Korea’s Taepodong 2 rocket launch on Sunday was what a non-event it was. True, the Korean missile travelled further than any previous one – 3,200 km – but it failed to carry out Pyongyang’s stated goal of putting a satellite into orbit (although the North’s media says it… [Read more]

Today marks the 14th anniversary of the death of North Korea’s late ‘Great Leader’, Kim Il Sung, who ruled for almost 50 years. What is most remarkable is that his son and chosen successor, Kim Jong Il, still leads the country, and for that matter, the country still exists. When Kim Sr died, most people… [Read more]