With Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un reaffirming ties while sidestepping nuclear tensions, the U.S. faces a growing challenge in responding to an increasingly confident, nuclear-armed North Korea.
Copyright 2026 NPR
Anthony Kuhn is NPR's correspondent based in Seoul, South Korea, reporting on the Korean Peninsula, Japan, and the great diversity of Asia's countries and cultures. Before moving to Seoul in 2018, he traveled to the region to cover major stories including the North Korean nuclear crisis and the Fukushima earthquake and nuclear disaster.
Steve Inskeep is a host of NPR's Morning Edition, as well as NPR's morning news podcast Up First.