US President-elect Donald Trump will face a stronger North Korea in his second term, with expanded nuclear capabilities and closer ties to Russia.
Welcome to VOA Asia Weekly.
I'm Chris Casquejo in Washington.
That story is just ahead, but first, making headlines:
The World Bank has pledged $12 million for emergency response efforts in Vanuatu. A 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Pacific Island nation December 21st. The central hospital confirmed the quake killed 14 people and injured more than 210.
Survivors of the deadly December 26th, 2004 tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia are teaching future generations how to prepare while sharing the history of the tragedy. Students regularly participate in disaster simulations, mimicking an earthquake and a potential tsunami. They take cover under tables while waiting for instructions on how to safely exit their school. More than 230,000 people in a dozen countries died.
Thousands of Ho Chi Minh City residents are lining up for a test ride on the city’s first metro rail line. Rides will be free for the first 30 days, with the official opening scheduled for Sunday. The city government plans to build six more metro lines, following a 13 percent increase in foreign visitors in the first 10 months of 2024.
Japan's Nippon Steel said on Thursday that it revised the closing date for its purchase of U.S. Steel from the third or fourth quarter of 2024 to the first quarter of 2025. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States told the White House on Monday that it was unable to reach a consensus on national security risks involved in Nippon Steel's bid for U.S. Steel.
Lawmakers with South Korea’s opposition party submitted an impeachment motion to parliament against South Korea's Prime Minister and acting President Han Duck-soo on Thursday after Han said he would not appoint three justices to fill the Constitutional Court bench that is reviewing President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment. The court should have nine justices, but political infighting has held up the appointment of the three new members.
In his first term as U.S. president, Donald Trump tightened economic sanctions against North Korea to try to force Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons program. VOA’s Young Gyo Kim looks at what Trump should expect from North Korea in his second term. Scott Stearns narrates.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un used a military exhibition for his first remarks on the United States since Donald Trump became president-elect, saying past negotiations confirmed what he called Washington’s “unchangeable” hostility toward Pyongyang. Kim vowed to expand North Korea’s nuclear capabilities “without limit” as the only way to counter external threats. Kim today is a decidedly different opponent for Trump than when they last met in 2019.
“Kim Jong Un believes he has a stronger hand. And I believe part of that stronger hand is his new-found relationship with the Russians.”
U.S. military officials say there are now more than 10,000 North Korean troops in Russia helping with its invasion of Ukraine.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov was in Pyongyang last month, advancing a strategic partnership treaty.
Together, Russia and North Korea threaten greater instability, says former U.S. national intelligence officer for North Korea Sydney Seiler.
“This is becoming a military alliance with both a near-term and longer-term danger, [a] dangerous risk to.”
With North Korea gaining Russian air defense systems, upgraded munitions manufacturing, cash, and food and fuel aid, Seiler says Kim has less need for Washington than during Trump’s first term.
In his first term, Trump worked with South Korean leaders to try to roll back North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
In his second term, Trump will be dealing with a North Korea that has firmly closed the door on denuclearization, says Revere.
Just days before last month’s U.S. election, North Korea tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile that could potentially reach most of the U.S. mainland.
For Young Gyo Kim, Scott Stearns, VOA News
Visit voanews.com for the most up-to-date stories.
I’m Chris Casquejo.
Finally, a big comeback for Squid Game’s 2nd season.
Indonesian Squid Game fans participated in a real-life adaptation of the show’s iconic "Red Light, Green Light." The goal was to cross the safety line from the starting point to the other end. Fans raced toward the finish line while a life-sized robotic doll counted down, saying "Red Light, Green Light."
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