On the 21st of April, a decision made by North Korea’s controversial leader, Kim Jong-un definitely caught the world off guard. It was a momentous occasion as Pyongyang made the decision of suspending their ballistic missile tests as well as to shut down the Punggye-ri nuclear test site. There are camps suggesting that the decision to denuclearise is a caving-in to international pressure, with increasing economic sanctions on Pyongyang a big concern for Jong-un.

Kim Jong Un called for “a new history of peace and prosperity” after becoming the first North Korean leader to enter South Korea to hold talks over his nuclear weapons programme.At 9:30 a.m. local time, a smiling Kim - dressed in a black Mao suit - was greeted by South Korean President Moon Jae-in at Panmunjom village before stepping across a concrete slab marking the border.

This past weekend, Kim Jong-un made the surprising announcement that he would suspend nuclear missile tests with immediate effect. He also declared that he will shut down the site where the previous nuclear tests were conducted. The announcement was made through the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) national news agency, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

United States (US) President Donald Trump’s planned historic meeting with North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Un has raised more questions than answers. By the look of things, it seems like we are finally reaching rapprochement between both sides – a feud which stretches back to the Cold War era. However, the conditions under which these talks are taking place does raise an ire of suspicion.

Geopolitical developments in the Korean Peninsula have taken a turn for the better with North Korea agreeing to come to the meeting table with South Korea in April to deescalate prevailing nuclear tensions. The meeting will mark the third time the leaders of the two Koreas are meeting – the previous two in 2000 and 2007 – but will be the first to take place in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

The scene was mesmerising as South Korean and North Korean athletes marched together under a single flag during the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea on 9 February. The athletes were introduced simply as the ‘Korea’ contingent. The march past was followed by a presentation built along the theme of ‘Peace in Motion’ and followed by a candlelight formation in the symbolic shape of a dove and the singing of John Lennon’s 1971 hit, ‘Imagine’.

The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) recently signed a renewal of memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Korea Exchange (KRX) that will be in effect until 2023.

South Korea is preparing to shut down cryptocurrency exchanges in the country, its justice minister warned Thursday, sending prices of bitcoin and other virtual units into a tailspin.A series of measures have failed to curb overheated virtual currency speculation in the country and Justice Minister Park Sang-Ki said it would be "devastating if the bubble bursts"."The ministry is preparing legislation that basically bans any transactions based on a virtual currency through the t

A high-level South Korean delegation left Tuesday for rare talks with North Korea after months of tensions over the North’s nuclear weapons programme, with Seoul's chief delegate vowing to work towards improving long-strained ties.The talks come after the North's leader Kim Jong-Un indicated in his New Year's speech that Pyongyang was willing to send a delegation to the Winter Olympics in the South.Seoul responded with an offer of a high-level dialogue, and last week the hotlin

What can we expect from 2018?The ASEAN Post began the year with an in-depth review of what to expect from the region throughout 2018. The review covered aspects including capital markets, energy, environment, real estate, general elections and the Belt Road Initiative (BRI).Last year, ASEAN was touted to admit its 11th member – Timor-Leste but failed to do so. The topic of ascension to ASEAN is easy enough to understand.