On Friday, North Korea conducted its strongest-ever nuclear test, raising tensions in the region. The U.S. has responded with a display of military power meant to warn the North and soothe the South.
China opposes North Korea's nuclear tests and has signed up for international sanctions. But China still conducts extensive trade and worries about a major crisis that would send refugees its way.
Laos is in the interesting position of remaining aligned with the increasingly-shut out North Korea and forging closer ties with South Korea and the U.S.
North Korean karaoke videos in the background, decent food and a free copy of the works of Kim Il Sung: a dispatch from inside one of Pyongyang's currency-making outposts.
Defections appear to be on the rise, but it's difficult to tell what that means about relations between North and South — or the stability of Kim Jong Un's regime.
Pyongyang responded to the start of the 12-day Ulchi Freedom Guardian drills by threatening to turn the South into a "heap of ashes through a Korean-style pre-emptive nuclear strike."
Thae Yong Ho, the No. 2 diplomat at North Korea's embassy in London, recently arrived in South Korea, according to officials in Seoul. He is said to be among the highest-ranking officials to defect.