DPRK / North Korea
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Northeast Asia
U.S. calls for penalties against vessels violating U.N. resolutions on North Korea
Reuters The United States is calling for United Nations sanctions against vessels circumventing U.N. resolutions to combat North Korea’s illegal nuclear and missile programs. The United Kingdom-based Open Source Centre reported in May 2025 that it tracked non-Korean-flagged vessels transporting North Korean coal and iron ore to ports in China, in violation of U.N. resolutions. Speaking at the U.N. Security…
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Illicit Activity
North Korea’s shadow economy fueled by illicit activities
U.S. Army 8th Theater Sustainment Command, National Security Law Team The international community imposed crippling sanctions on North Korea in 2006 after it conducted its first nuclear arms test. The sanctions, which remain in place, target traditional exports such as minerals and textiles. Combined with North Korea’s limited economy and lack of trading partners, the sanctions leave dictator Kim Jong…
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Global Commons
Seoul mobilizes national cyber defenses amid surge in AI-driven attacks
Felix Kim South Korea has launched a multisector initiative to combat cyberattacks as concerns grow over North Korean-linked hackers exploiting artificial intelligence (AI). Seoul is implementing strategies outlined in its National Cybersecurity Strategy and National Cybersecurity Basic Plan, both introduced in 2024, to protect its critical infrastructure, financial systems and national defense from escalating digital threats. “The rise of AI-powered…
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Illicit Activity
China’s fishing fleet used North Korean forced labor, potentially violating U.N. sanctions, report says
FORUM Staff A fleet of Chinese-flagged, long-distance fishing vessels relied for years on forced labor from North Korea to crew its ships in the Indian Ocean, potentially violating international economic sanctions against the Pyongyang regime, according to a new report. The London-based Environmental Justice Foundation interviewed 19 crew members from Indonesia and the Philippines who worked with the North Koreans.…
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Northeast Asia
USS Carl Vinson visit demonstrates ironclad commitment to South Korea
Reuters The USS Carl Vinson arrived in Busan, South Korea, for a scheduled port visit in early March, becoming the first United States Navy aircraft carrier to dock at a South Korean port in 2025. The arrival of the aircraft carrier and its strike group demonstrates the solid South Korea-U.S. alliance and boosts the interoperability of the longtime allies’ combined…
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Features
Integrated Deterrence
Lt. Gen. (Ret.) In-Bum Chun/Republic of Korea Army Multidomain operations are defined as the combined arms employment of joint and Army capabilities to create and exploit relative advantages that achieve objectives, defeat enemy forces and consolidate gains on behalf of joint force commanders, according to the United States Army’s 2022 Field Manual Operations. This approach involves integrating and synchronizing operations…
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Features
Free, Open, Prosperous
Indo-Pacific populations have woven democratic norms — including transparent, accountable and inclusive governance under the rule of law — into the region’s cultural fabric. Japan established its first representative government in the late 19th century, nearly a century before its modern constitution, supplanting the intervening military rule, proclaimed that “sovereign power resides with the people.” South Korean civil society, including…
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Features
Collective Deterrence
Sentry Staff Tensions between strategic competitors, North Korea’s persistent nuclear weapons expansion and Russia’s attempts to shift Europe’s balance of power with its war against Ukraine have contributed to a coalescing among the United States and its Allies and Partners to modernize strategies that more effectively combat 21st century security threats. Geopolitical changes, particularly in the Indo-Pacific and Europe, threaten…
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Across The Region
Cooperation Fortifies Japan, South Korea, U.S. Ties
Japan, South Korea and the United States are strengthening security ties in response to regional threats. The nations pledged to expand the multidomain exercise Freedom Edge to promote defense interoperability and protect regional and global peace in the face of North Korea’s nuclear provocations. In its first iteration in June 2024, the trilateral exercise mobilized personnel, ships and aircraft for…
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Conflicts - Tensions
‘Expendable’ North Korean troops ordered on futile missions in Russia’s illegal war
FORUM Staff North Korea’s ill-prepared troops, deployed to support Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine, are suffering significant casualties, including about 1,000 deaths and injuries during one week in late December 2024. The mass casualty estimates, provided by the United States National Security Advisor’s office and the U.S. Department of Defense, appear to confirm analysts’ predictions that North Korean troops would…
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