President Lee faces a North Korea that has abandoned reunification, built a massive nuclear arsenal, and aligned with Russia, leaving only modest hope for risk reduction, not reconciliation.

In this file photo, North Korea's Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong arrives for the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Pyeongchang Stadium, Feb. 9, 2018.

North Korean state media shows Kim Jong Un mourning over a soldier's coffin reportedly killed fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine, marking the anniversary of their Moscow partnership.

Kim Jong Un speaks during a launching ceremony of a new naval destroyer at a western port in Nampo, North Korea, on April 25, 2025. AP. South Korean military analysts, however, told lawmakers in ...

Kim Jong-un watches in horror as North Korean warship capsizes and sinks. The Supreme Leader declared the mishap a 'criminal act caused by absolute carelessness' that 'could not be tolerated'.

Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, who was in attendance and "watching the whole course of the accident" when the mishap occurred, reacted harshly to the embarrassment and said it “severely damaged the ...

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un was left red-faced and furious after a navy destroyer was badly damaged during a botched launch as he looked on. The hermit dictator slammed the incident as a ...

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un attends the launch ceremony of a newly-built destroyer alongside his daughter Ju Ae on April 25, 2025. KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images.