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Jon Herskovitz
For Jon Herskovitz's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a major operational training base at an undisclosed location in North Korea on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 7, 2024
Kim Jong Un observes training to storm border posts in war drills
The training comes as the U.S. and South Korea kicked off their Freedom Shield joint military exercise.
South Korean doctors and other demonstrators march during a protest in Seoul on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Feb 27, 2024
South Korea probing if woman’s death linked to doctor walkout
More than 9,000 of the country’s roughly 13,000 trainee doctors, who play a key role in emergency care, have walked off their jobs in labor action.
Kim Jong Un gives a speech in Pyongyang on Feb. 8. The North Korean leader has reportedly sent new batches of his workers overseas since relaxing pandemic border controls and launched a fresh crackdown on his people.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 14, 2024
North Korea sending new batches of workers abroad: U.S. envoy
North Korea has sent workers to Russia and China for years, where they earn hard currency needed by Pyongyang.
A news broadcast showing at a railway station in Seoul on Tuesday shows footage of a previous North Korean missile launch.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 2, 2024
North Korea fires missiles as Kim seeks ‘war preparation’ boost
Kim is likely using the tests to show he many ways to launch a strike, adding to the planning contingencies for the U.S. and its allies in the region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in Moscow on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 17, 2024
Putin meets North Korea’s top envoy as arms flow builds
Putin held talks with Choe Son Hui on Tuesday during a visit to Moscow, the Tass news agency reported
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
WORLD / Politics
Jan 11, 2024
North Korea set to send new class of missiles to Russia, Seoul says
By sending more weapons of greater sophistication, Kim is likely receiving substantial aid that keeps his sanctions-hit economy afloat as well as technology from Russia.
An image from Dec. 9 appears to show the Russian container ship Angara, sanctioned by the U.S., unloading cargo at Najin port while containers from North Korea await loading at an adjacent pier.
WORLD
Dec 27, 2023
Ghost ships at reawakened North Korea port put Ukraine in peril
The vessels are suspected to be delivering arms to Russia that eventually make their way to the frontlines of Vladimir Putin's invasion.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un views the launch of a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile, during what North Korea has described as a drill, at an unknown location on Dec.18.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 26, 2023
At peak of his powers, Kim Jong Un set to lead 2024 policy address
Arms transfers to Russia in recent months have likely boost Kim's sanctions-hit economy, while his weapons program has also made significant gains.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un waves as he takes poses for photos during the Fifth National Mothers' Convention in Pyongyang.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 13, 2023
Kim Jong Un admits rare weakness as North Korea population falls
The rare admission indicates Kim is just as worried about a demographic crunch as he is about the U.S. forces that he says want to end his regime.
A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet on display at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, Paris, in June.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 11, 2023
U.S. F-16 crashes into sea off South Korea after in-flight problem
The plane crashed into the sea after it experienced "an in-flight emergency over the Yellow Sea.” The pilot ejected the jet and is in good condition.
A television screen showing news footage of a North Korean missile test, in Seoul, on Sept. 13.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 20, 2023
South Korea warns North's Kim to halt imminent satellite launch
Seoul told Pyongyang "to immediately stop” preparations for another launch after two previous efforts failed.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 20, 2023
Kishida’s support rate hits new lows in three major polls
Polls by three major newspapers — the Yomiuri, Asahi and Mainichi — showed Kishida’s support rate at 24%, 25% and 21%, respectively.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, along with his daughter, walks away from an intercontinental ballistic missile in this undated photo released on Nov. 19, 2022
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 17, 2023
Kim Jong Un’s daughter marks a year as country’s propaganda star
The preservation of the family rule is inextricably tied to the country’s weapons program
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un welcomes Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a meeting in Pyongyang on Oct. 19.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 2, 2023
North Korea sent Russia 1 million rounds of artillery, Seoul says
There have been about 10 shipments of weapons from North Korea to Russia since August, according to South Korea's National Intelligence Service.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov takes part in a welcoming ceremony upon his arrival in Pyongyang on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 19, 2023
Russian foreign minister pledges support for North Korea
The trip by Sergey Lavrov is part of a series of high-profile meetings between the neighbors that started in July.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets Russian President Vladimir Putin on  Sept. 13.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 28, 2023
Mystery Russian plane in Pyongyang stokes concerns of arms deals
Data from FlightRadar24 indicates the plane returned to Russia on Thursday after having been on the ground in North Korea for about two days.
Lee Jae-myung (center), leader of South Korea's opposition Democratic Party, arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 27, 2023
South Korean court rejects arrest warrant for opposition leader
Last week, several members of Lee Jae-myung’s own party broke ranks and voted to allow an arrest warrant for the sitting lawmaker to proceed.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 21, 2023
South Korean leader warns Russia and North Korea on arms deals
Both Washington and Seoul say that Moscow has used North Korean weapons against Ukraine for a long time.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 11, 2023
North Korean weapons cache gives Kim a role in the Kremlin’s invasion
Kim Jong Un is expected to cross into Russia this week for his first trip outside the peninsula in four years for talks with Vladimir Putin.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends what state media report was a launching ceremony for a new tactical nuclear attack submarine in North Korea, in this picture released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 8, 2023
North Korea holds ceremony for new ‘tactical nuclear’ submarine
The country’s state media released photos Friday of a ceremony for the vessel, which appeared to have 10 missile tubes, attended by leader Kim Jong Un.

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