Andrew Salmon
Articles by Andrew Salmon
No ‘NEATO’ likely, but Biden hopes to use summit to bind East Asian allies
Don't look for a "NEATO" -- a NATO-like military alliance for Northeast Asia -- to emerge from the much-touted Camp David summit President Biden is holding Friday with the leaders of South Korea and Japan, but the three leaders will still face pressure to formalize the foundations for trilateral strategic and economic cooperation. Published August 17, 2023
Forced deportation, brutal punishment await North Korea’s defectors in China
Senior South Korean officials are warning that a human rights calamity is brewing in China, where thousands of North Korean defectors may be forcibly returned to their home country to face dire punishments. Published August 16, 2023
Defector’s fate unsettled after North Korea confirms detention
His status has been confirmed but his future remains a huge question mark one day after North Korea's state media revealed that defecting U.S. Army Pvt. Travis King was alive and being detained. Published August 16, 2023
Japan struggles to match rhetoric, policy on defending Taiwan
On perhaps the burning foreign policy question of the day -- What would Japan do in the event of a Chinese military move against Taiwan? -- the rhetoric and the reality remain far apart in Tokyo. Published August 11, 2023
In shift, North Korea’s Kim calls for ‘offensive’ military posture
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has shaken up his senior military command and announced the need to step up "the war preparations of the [North Korean armed forces] in an offensive way." Published August 10, 2023
N. Korea’s warm welcome wins support of isolated regime; Russian public pressured to accept new ally
Moscow is shifting its focus toward developing nations, including nuclear-armed North Korea, as the U.S. and much of the rest of the developed world shun Russia because of the carnage in Ukraine. Published August 7, 2023
South Korea scrambles as global Scout gathering swelters in ‘heat trap’
Scouts are known for their hardiness, but the tens of thousands of attendees at the 25th World Jamboree in South Korea are having their vigor challenged to the max by a combination of faltering facilities, swarming bugs, a climatic "heat trap" and searing temperatures currently plaguing the peninsula. Published August 4, 2023
Russia sends SOS with ‘Victory Day’ visit, casts aside reputation to get support for war in Ukraine
A rare trip by Russia's defense minister to North Korea last week is not a sign of a flourishing alliance but the latest indication of the Kremlin's mounting desperation over the course of its war in Ukraine, U.S. officials say. Published August 2, 2023
Jokey ‘Barbenheimer’ references offend a conflicted Japan
As U.S. audiences flock to summer blockbusters "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer," memes that conflate the two movies have caused angst in Japan, the only nation on earth to suffer atomic bombings. Published August 1, 2023
Divided peninsula, divided commemorations for Korean War’s 70th anniversary
The 70th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War was commemorated on both sides of the Demilitarized Zone on Thursday, but the deep divisions on the peninsula were evident in the very different ways North and South Korea marked the milestone. Published July 27, 2023
Seventy years on, North Korea tells its own story of a war and its aftermath
North Korea ended the 1950-1953 Korean conflict bombed to smithereens, its land scattered with countless dead, and its key war aim -- the unification of the peninsula under its leader, Kim Il-sung -- thwarted by the U.S. military and its allies. Published July 26, 2023
U.N. command, North Korea have first contact on defecting American GI Travis King
A senior officer with the UN Command said Monday officials have made their first contact with North Korea over the status of a deserting American soldier who dashed across the border into the North last week. Published July 24, 2023
Russia, China shun like-minded North Korea from anti-U.S. war games
While Chinese and Russian warships conduct joint drills in what looks like a counter to tightening cooperation between the United States and its Indo-Pacific allies, North Korea's forces remain back at the base. Published July 21, 2023
GIs who defected to North Korea offer dicey precedent for latest U.S. soldier who went AWOL
History is not exactly reassuring for Travis King, the American GI who bolted across the heavily guarded border into North Korea on Tuesday. Published July 19, 2023
U.S. soldier who crossed border into North Korea was reportedly facing discipline action in America
An American soldier reportedly facing disciplinary action on Tuesday fled into North Korea and is now in the custody of the Pyongyang regime, U.S. military officials said Tuesday. Published July 18, 2023
China and Russia feel blowback as NATO embraces Asia-Pacific allies
Watching Asia-Pacific leaders mingle with their European counterparts at the annual NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, U.S. strategists might well have lit up celebratory cigars. Published July 13, 2023
North Korea’s new missile tests exposes Kim’s limited options
North Korea test-fired a long-range ballistic missile on Wednesday, its first since the launch of a reconnaissance satellite that failed to reach orbit and splashed into the Yellow Sea on May 31. Published July 12, 2023
China fumes as Japan gets big backing for Fukushima nuke wastewater plan
The opposition ranges from the Chinese government to South Korean Buddhism, but Japan cleared a major hurdle to its planned release of wastewater from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant this week after South Korea dropped its long-held opposition to the plan. Published July 7, 2023
Seoul gains wealth, loses architectural heritage; preservationists fight for traditional homes
South Korea boasts thousands of years of history, but save for a few signature, heavily restored sites like medieval palaces, tourists in Seoul have to dig deep to discover the capital's architectural heritage. Published June 25, 2023
U.S. sees opportunity as Beijing’s bluster drives neighbors into new alliances
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese President Xi Jinping declared themselves satisfied Monday after two days of fence-mending talks in Beijing, but other conversations in China's neighborhood are giving Mr. Xi greater cause for concern. Published June 19, 2023
