North Korea's Kim Jong Un travels in a train with a helicopter and antiaircraft guns

What missiles does North Korea have?

In recent years, North Korea has tested a variety of ballistic and cruise missiles as well as both submarine-launched missiles and hypersonic missiles, which can fly at low altitude (to escape radar detection) and at several times the speed of sound. Dive into this visualization by the BBC to break down what missiles North Korea currently has.

An in-depth profile of North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un

Kim Jong Un seems to have known from an early age that he was destined to lead North Korea. Read this visual-rich essay by a former CIA analyst for a comprehensive profile of North Korea’s leadership. The Kim family dynasty cultivated strong...

Inside the architecture of Pyongyang's Kim dynasty

Since the bombings during the Korean War wiped out much of Pyongyang in the 1950s, three leaders of the Kim dynasty of North Korea have remade the ancient capital from the bottom-up, designing workers monuments, vast streets, and collectivized living spaces. Take a look inside the reclusive city with this architectural analysis accompanied by photographs.

An overview of North Korea’s military capabilities

With one of the world’s largest conventional military forces, North Korea is often perceived as a security threat. This multimedia backgrounder by CFR breaks down North Korea’s military capabilities. North Korea has the world’s...

A backgrounder on North Korea’s power structure

North Korea has been ruled by three generations of the Kim family since 1948, one of the world’s longest-running dynastic dictatorships, where absolute authority flows from the Supreme Leader. Read the Council on Foreign Relations' backgrounder to understand the country’s structure of power.

A look inside North Korea through photographs

What does life look like inside North Korea? Get a behind-the-scenes peek through 38 photos in the Atlantic.

40 maps that explain North Korea

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is one of the most misunderstood countries in the world. Use these maps and charts, compiled by Vox, for context and clarity on North Korea. North Korea has a large military and an advanced nuclear...

North Korea, in nine infographics

In recent decades, North Korea has spent nearly a third of its annual Gross Domestic Product on military spending, although data is not always forthcoming. This spending has funded major nuclear and missile projects as a means to deter attacks from...

The North Korean nuclear threat, explained

What would happen if North Korea gets a working ICBM Watch this six-minute video by Vox for an explanation of the North Korean nuclear threat. The Soviet Union first gave nuclear technology to North Korea in the 1950s, when they helped their ally...

North Korea country profile

North Korea has often been described as one of the world’s most secretive societies. Learn the basics about the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea with this breakdown from the BBC. North Korea emerged in 1948, following the end of the Second World War. Today, it remains one of the few countries still (nominally) under communist rule. Key facts unpack the realities of everyday life inside North Korea.

Is North Korea fighting a food crisis?

North Korea is facing a food crisis placing it on the brink of famine. Read (or watch) Al Jazeera’s detailed take on the food crisis unfolding in North Korea. Since the 1950s, the country has relied on a collective agriculture system. But...

South Korea is separated from North Korea by a demilitarized zone

There’s a lot of symbolism going on in the South Korean flag: a red-and-blue yin-yang represents the harmony created by opposing forces, and the white background represents peace and purity. The four black trigrams symbolize the four elements. The CIA World Factbook has more info on this country of 52 million, including where it ranks globally on obesity rates, energy consumption, and more.

A 'nuclear football' briefcase always accompanies the president

The "nuclear football," carried by a military aide to the president at all times, contains communication equipment that allows the president to order a nuclear strike from anywhere in the world. The president carries "the biscuit," a plastic card containing the launch codes, which are changed daily.

See how the presidential motorcade protects the president on the move

This video breaks down how the motorcade—anchored by the armored limousine known as "the Beast"—operates as a mobile security network. An animated simulation shows how agents and vehicles respond to potential attacks to keep the president safe in transit.

Ingenuity and advanced engineering have allowed trains to overcome extreme landscapes

The Jungfrau Railway utilizes electric trains powered by hydroelectric energy to ascend the Swiss Alps, while Poland's Elbląg Canal hauls ships along cable-powered tracks driven by waterwheels. Germany's Wuppertal monorail navigates bends as it glides over a river valley, and New Mexico's Holloman High-Speed Test Track can achieve speeds of Mach 8.6 for rocket sleds.

Go behind the scenes of Air Force One

ABC News takes viewers inside Air Force One, revealing how the president's plane operates as a secure command center in the sky. Explore the logistics and coordination that go into every presidential flight.

Listening to K-pop in North Korea is punishable by execution

As far as we know, North Koreans are instead listening to music that serves as public service announcements or some catchy electronic music for dancing.

Known as bullet trains in English, the Shinkansen uses electric motors, aerodynamic design, and infrastructure that prioritizes straightaways to travel at speeds equivalent to commercial planes' takeoff velocity.

See South Korea's nighttime light usage, which far surpasses that of North Korea.

You can tell a lot about a place by looking at satellite imagery of the earth at night. Economists use such images to study poverty and inequality, especially about secretive countries where it can be difficult to get information any other way. An image from NASA's Earth Observatory shows the difference in electrification between North and South Korea (and the lights illuminating the DMZ are visible from space).

A summary of human rights violations in North Korea

North Korea severely restricts the rights of its citizens. Read Amnesty International’s summary of the current state of human rights in North Korea. Malnutrition was widespread in North Korea in 2022—more than 40% of the population required...

Nuclear-powered missiles replace chemical combustion with energy from nuclear fission

In these systems, energy is added to an airstream, which passes through a nozzle to generate thrust. Because the amount of energy released per unit mass of nuclear fuel is millions of times larger than that of chemical propellants, nuclear missiles can travel faster and farther with less fuel.

There is a nature preserve in Korea's DMZ

In almost every way, the Demilitarized Zone is a depressing place, a testament to humans' inability to make peace. There is one surprising upside: Keeping people away has allowed nature to thrive. Recently released images offer a 360-degree view of some of the hundreds of endangered species making a comeback in the DMZ, including white-naped cranes, mountain goats, musk deer, and golden eagles.

A timeline of Russia-North Korea relations

North Korea and Russia have often had aligned interests, yet their relationship has experienced many highs and lows. Al Jazeera’s explainer outlines the key events defining Russia-North Korea relations. Russia and North Korea were allies during...

Imagining the reunification of the Koreas

The idea of reunifying North and South Korea has been a geopolitical dream for years, though one that feels perpetually out of reach. That hasn’t kept some from imagining it, though. Reddit user Aofen created a set of maps that postulate what effect a hypothetical reunification would have on population numbers, birth rates, median income, political affiliation, and more.

Truman's decision to enter the Korean War without congressional authorization marked a major shift in presidential war powers

Rather than seeking a declaration of war, Truman sent troops to Korea under his own authority, citing the UN Charter and his role as commander in chief. The decision set a precedent that subsequent presidents have relied on ever since.

Explore a visual history of Air Force One.

In 1984, Operation Smash Hit intentionally crashed a 239-ton train into a nuclear waste canister at 100 miles per hour to prove the canister's safety, which remained completely intact and lost just 0.29 of its 100 pounds of pressure.

The X-37B is America's secretive long-duration space plane

The second iteration of the Space Race is already heating up between the US and China, with both countries working to develop technologies for space superiority. Among those, the X-37B has stoked fears in Beijing that the vehicle could one day deliver powerful weapons from space.

Why train derailments happen, 101

In 2021 alone, there were over 1,000 reported derailments in the US—and no amount of maneuvering will reduce those numbers to zero. This 101 explains the causes of train derailments and how safety protocols look to limit them each year.

The incredibly advanced engineering of the B-2 Bomber

B-2 Bombers are the world's most expensive plane, coming in at a cost of $2B per aircraft. There are roughly 20 in the world, all in use by the United States Air Force. They are known for their single-wing profile, allowing for stealth and the ability to transport some of the world's largest bombs.

An interactive visualization tracking 25 years of US-North Korea nuclear negotiations

From 1990 to 2017, the United States and North Korea engaged in a complex series of bilateral and multilateral negotiations. This interactive page, compiled by CSIS Beyond Parallel, displays a record of provocations and negotiations between the two...

Because the Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, North and South Korea are technically still at war.

A primer on the president's nuclear football

During the Cold War, the United States and the USSR were forced to prepare for a nuclear strike at a moment's notice, leading to a new innovation: the so-called "football" (known as the chemodanchik in Russia), a bag containing nuclear strike plans, authentication codes, and likely a communication device, which attended the country's leader wherever they went. This easy-to-read piece breaks down the history and lore around the high-stakes quirk in nuclear governance.

China doubled its nuclear stockpile between 2020 and 2025, with plans for further expansion.

Explore the extensive security in and around the White House

The White House is one of the most secure buildings in the world. Protected by the Secret Service, it features armed patrols, rooftop snipers, barriers, and sensors—layered defenses designed to deter intrusion.

The hypercompetitive world of becoming a K-pop star

K-pop, a global $8B industry, rose from its 1990s regional roots to worldwide fame thanks to hits like “Gangnam Style.” Trainees endure years of intense training in performance and media skills, with only 4% to 5% debuting.

The National Guard serves both state governors and presidents

Roughly 430,000 trained military personnel act as a strategic reserve for the US military, deployed domestically during natural disasters or unrest as well as overseas. It consists of the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard, overseen at the federal level by the National Guard Bureau.

Wealthy, 'chaebol' families rule South Korea's economy

A handful of huge family-run conglomerates, or chaebol, are the engines of South Korea’s economy, with Samsung alone representing 20% of the country’s GDP. This gives the chaebol (literally “wealth group”) outsized power, often leading to corruption, labor violations, and anticompetitive practices. One economist interviewed in this Vice documentary says the chaebol have replaced Korean democracy with corporatocracy.

A ‘supernote,’ or nearly-perfect counterfeit $100 bill, was recently found in South Korea

These “supernotes” have even fooled US government officials. North Korea is widely believed to be behind the creation of these counterfeit banknotes.

Simulations of atmospheric transport have shown that radioactive material released from potential strikes to US nuclear missile silos would reach everyone in the continental US.

Nearly 90% of the world's 12,187 nuclear warheads are held by Russia and the United States.

Trot: Korea's melancholic pop that came before K-pop

Following the end of the Japanese occupation, Koreans shared their complex emotions through a musical genre called trot. Blending sorrowful lyrics with upbeat music, trot was used to dance the pain away after a difficult period.

Training to be a K-pop idol is a high-pressure experience

The life of an idol is known to be arduous, but what does life look like before one even reaches fame? In this video, a reporter investigates the K-pop dance schools of South Korea and unveils a darker side of the industry. In hopes of "making it," students undergo relentless training routines and auditions to achieve their idea of perfection. While the pupils insist on their autonomy and belief in the system, there are clear pressures to conform and meet industry expectations.

Davos becomes extremely heavily secured during the WEF

During the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, the city effectively turns into a fortress, guarded by thousands of Swiss army, police, and civil security personnel, with restricted airspace, drone surveillance, snipers, checkpoints, and round-the-clock patrols protecting global leaders.

Seven of South Korea's presidents have left office before their term ended

Recently removed President Yoon Suk Yeol isn’t the first South Korean leader to face turmoil at home. As this Voice of America piece shows, at least seven of the country’s 20th-century heads of state saw their political careers (and, in some cases, their lives) come to an abrupt and sometimes violent end.

The South Korean government invests in K-pop, a strategy intended to expand the country's soft power around the world.

One graffiti artist turned a train tunnel into his gallery

Chris Pape, also known as Freedom, began exploring a tunnel under Manhattan's Riverside Park when he was a kid. As he grew more involved with graffiti, he turned its walls into a massive art project, one that reflected both the history of graffiti and the people who made the tunnel their home.

Spy balloons. UFOs. What else is up there?

The appearance and downing of a Chinese surveillance balloon brought the concept of high-altitude floating aircraft into the public consciousness. While sparking a diplomatic row, it also revealed how many objects—nefarious or benign—are...

South Korea's decades long effort to build a new capital

South Korea has spent decades trying to ease overcrowding in Seoul by developing Sejong City as a new administrative hub. Named after the king who created Hangul, Sejong was designed to decentralize government functions—but slow population growth and limited transit have complicated the plan.

There are roughly 7,000 Korean restaurants in the US

A generation ago, the average American had never heard of kimchi or bulgogi, but these days, Korean cuisine is booming in the United States. And it’s no accident. This one-minute explainer video from Morning Brew reveals what role the government played in boosting the popularity of Korean food abroad, and what it all has to do with foreign debt and soap operas.