North Korea

Just last month Hawaiʻi resident and peace activist Christine Ahn was banned from entering South Korea. It was the second time her activism put her on a do-not-travel list. The Conversation talked to her about the current political climate in South Korea.

A little more than a week after the U.S. presidential election, world leaders are still trying to figure out what a second Trump administration means for them. In South Korea, expectations are mixed. HPR's Bill Dorman has more in today's Asia Minute.

Intelligence officers at Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaiʻi are watching an unusual development this week. It has to do with North Korea, balloons and trash. HPR's Bill Dorman has more in today's Asia Minute.

Saturday marks the sixth anniversary of the 2018 false missile alert in Hawaiʻi. At the time, many believed the missile was coming from North Korea. The Conversation talked with Jean Lee, a former correspondent for The Associated Press, about her time in North Korea.

North Korea fired a pair of short-range ballistic missiles late Monday and early today local time. It was the countryʻs second missile launch in less than a week. The news comes as the United States has taken a new approach: publicly announcing the presence of its submarines in the region. HPRʻs Bill Dorman has more in todayʻs Asia Minute.

Anger and controversy are still lingering over that balloon that China sent over the United States and that a U.S. military pilot shot down over the weekend. In the past, much simpler balloons have also caused diplomatic rifts in Asia — especially along one critical border. HPR's Bill Dorman has more in today's Asia Minute.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the United States will increase its deployment of advanced weapons such as fighter jets and bombers to the Korean Peninsula as it strengthens joint training and operational planning with South Korea in response to a growing North Korean nuclear threat.

The Conversation sat down with Christine Ahn to talk about peace between North and South Korea. Ahn seeks the involvement of women at the negotiation table, making the peace process more democratic, and ending to the 70-year rift between North and South Korea.

It’s been a busy week for political news — mainly centering on Tuesday’s elections. But there’s one story of international politics that’s not necessarily front page news in the United States — although it is a hot topic in South Korea. HPR’s Bill Dorman has it in this Asia Minute.

The Department of Defense has declared China as the “most consequential strategic competitor” of the United States in the Indo-Pacific. That’s part of a new report that also includes a message about the security of Guam. HPR’s Derrick Malama has more in the Pacific News Minute.