The U.S. effort to impose financial hardship on the Pyongyang regime gains a critical ally as the Bank of China freezes millions of dollars in North Korean accounts.

The UN Security Council has barred member states from supplying North Korea with missile parts in response to recent tests. The country with the most leverage in North Korea—China—has mostly buffered Pyongyang from strong action but could be losing patience with its neighbor.

North Korea's recent missile tests and Iran's ongoing quest for nuclear weaponry illustrate the need for an effective strategy to prevent other rogue states from acquiring nuclear technology. A relatively new program to interdict suspect shipments on the high seas is gaining favor around the world.

The international community is divided over how to respond to North Korea's missile tests, with the United States and Japan favoring sanctions, and China, Russia, and South Korea pushing for further diplomatic efforts.

The North Korean test-firing of a mix of short- and medium-range missiles drew the anger of Japan, the United States, and other leading nations. One missile, a long-range Taepodong 2 that exploded in mid-air, caused particular concern in Washington as experts say it is designed to reach the West Coast of the United States.

North Korea has made threatening moves toward testing a long-range ballistic missile, prompting warnings from the United States and Japan. Some experts say it may be more productive to focus on economic engagement with Pyongyang than disarmament.

As North Korea's economy continues its free fall, President Kim Jung-Il is trying something new: capitalism. But despite gradual trade and market reforms, Kim's commitment to the new path is uncertain, and his regime's involvement in international crime and money-laundering is growing.

The Bush administration says it may take a new tack in nonproliferation negotiations with North Korea, offering a formal peace treaty as an inducement to further talks. As with many U.S.-North Korean issues, however, the details of the approach reportedly under discussion remain shrouded in nuance and laden with mutual distrust.

Talks aimed at defusing North Korea's nuclear arsenal disintegrated into name-calling after the last round ended in September. While negotiations halted, proliferation has not. So what will it take to move the process forward?

Where’s Kim Jong-Il? The whereabouts of the reclusive North Korean leader prompted intense speculation this week, and reports placed him from Shanghai to Manchuria to Siberia. He turned up finally in Beijing.

"The complex evolution of the Obama administration's policy toward North Korea during its first term and the characteristics of President Obama's world view together provide a framework for considering what the administration is likely to do in a second term," says Scott A. Snyder.

Scott A. Snyder and See-won Byun observe that while the twenty-year anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea may provide a pretext for more active diplomacy to meet a growing list of potential disputes in the relationship, high-level contacts between China and North Korea have stalled, dampening China's hopes for regional engagement.

Leslie H. Gelb says military confrontations loom for President Obama in Iran, Syria, and North Korea, and he can't head them off with the usual duet of threats and talks.

Leslie H. Gelb argues that the world is distracted, and North Korea, South Korea, and the United States are stumbling, once again, toward a nuclear confrontation.

Scott A. Snyder and See-won Byun say that uncertainties regarding a new North Korean leadership will create the context in which China, South Korea, and the United States must grapple with their future options for preserving stability in Northeast Asia.

Scott A. Snyder and See-won Byun review the recent history of China-Korea relations.

Scott Snyder and See-won Byun analyze the divergent responses throughout Asia to the sinking of the ROKS Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island.

Leslie H. Gelb says North Korea's attack on a South Korean island likely won't escalate into a full-blown battle, but war is closer than in decades.

Scott A. Snyder says that unless evidence of leadership instability in North Korea is concrete, diplomacy with the North must continue.

Scott A. Snyder discusses the transition to North Korea's next generation of leadership.