Kim Jong Un unveils a new 8,700-ton nuclear-powered submarine, escalating tensions in the Pacific. Learn how this stealth technology changes the global security balance.

The top US commander on the Korean peninsula said regular exercises between the allies are “absolutely” necessary to maintain peace and impose pressure on North Korea after officials in Seoul floated adjusting the drills to facilitate dialogue with the nuclear-armed neighbor.

Looking ahead to 2026, Jeong said it would be difficult to expect major breakthroughs such as a U.S.-North Korea summit. He said Washington's stated goal of denuclearization and North Korea's negotiating conditions make a sudden turn toward dialogue unlikely, while the United States may continue relying on sanctions to pressure Pyongyang.

In the summer of 2017, the United States learned a humbling lesson. For years, American intelligence agencies had assessed that North Korea would need several more years—until 2020 or even 2022—before it could field a missile capable of striking the ...