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PYONGYANG, North Korea - A group of women visit a beach resort in Wonsan, North Korea, in September 2013. The women said they are coworkers at a clothes factory in the capital Pyongyang and their trip to Wonsan is a reward for an increase in output.

Kyodo via Reuters Connect

Your next dream vacay: Wonsan, North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Unvisited the site of the country’s long-delayed Wonsan-Kalma resort zone for foreign tourists on Tuesday and discussed opening it by May 2025, state media reported on Thursday. There’s just one problem: Who wants to vacation in North Korea?

Well, historically, a pretty decent number of people, believe it or not. In 2019, about 300,000 foreign tourists took highly controlled vacations to the Hermit Kingdom. About 90% came from China, but a few thousand Westerners forked over exorbitant fees for visas and guided tours, ethical concerns notwithstanding. Wonsan-Kalma, with its well-groomed-if-somewhat-frigid beaches, luxury accommodations, and nearby ski facilities, was originally meant to service that market.

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Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un arrive for a gala concert in Pyongyang, North Korea June 19, 2024.

Gavriil Grigorov/Reuters

Putin and Kim sign mutual defense deal

Russian President Vladimir Putinarrived in Pyongyang early Wednesday for his first official visit to North Korea in 24 years. He met with Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un and signed a deal to provide “mutual assistance in the event of aggression against one of the parties to this agreement.”

Putin called it a “breakthrough” document, but “aggression” is a vague term that leaves plenty of room for interpretation.

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Putin's rare North Korea visit will deepen ties
Putin's rare North Korea visit will deepen ties | Ian Bremmer | World In: 60

Putin's rare North Korea visit will deepen ties

Ian Bremmer shares his insights on global politics this week on World In :60.

Will Putin's rare visit to North Korea strengthen anti-West alignment?

It's deepening the relationship. There's no question. He hasn't been in North Korea in decades. And I mean they call it the Hermit Kingdom. It's completely totalitarian. It's incredibly poor. But they have a massive military and they've been providing an awful lot thousands and thousands of train containers, of weaponry, of ammunition, of artillery. And those containers haven't gone back empty from Russia. And there's been a lot of sense of technology that's been transferred. The interesting thing will be whether or not, this leads to more provocative North Korean behavior vis-à-vis the South and Japan, because they think they can get away with it because they have coverage from Russia. And will they start coordinating diplomatically, in response to the NATO threat, in response to, you know, the way that the war in Ukraine is going? Be interesting to watch. It's not what China wants to see, but that is certainly a piece of what happens when a couple of states considered pariahs and rogues by the West, are developing a real alliance.

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FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 21, 2023.

Sputnik/Grigory Sysoyev/Kremlin via REUTERS

Putin visits his pal in Beijing

Russian President Vladimir Putin will be in Beijing on Thursday for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a rare overseas trip to publicly underline strong relations. It’s Putin’s first journey since he was inaugurated for his fifth term as president and parallels Xi’s visit to Russia last year after he ascended to his unprecedented third term.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a factory in Songchon County, North Korea, February 28, 2024.

KCNA via REUTERS

IAEA chief backs Japan-North Korea talks

International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said Tuesday that the UN body supports Japan’s efforts to hold a summit with North Korea to boost engagement, even if nuclear weapons aren’t on the agenda.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said he is prepared to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as he tries to bring back Japanese nationals abducted to North Korea between 1977 and 1983. Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong, who holds considerable sway, indicated that Pyongyang would be open to talks with Japan last month.

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FILE PHOTO: Donald Trump dancing during the campaign rally for the Republican primary for the 2024 American presidential election. Manchester (NH), USA, January 20, 2024.

David Himbert / Hans Lucas via Reuters Connect

For China, Russia, and Israel, patience is a virtue in 2024

In January, Taiwan elected pro-independence candidate William Lai and, despite warnings, China’s response has been restrained, possibly influenced by Beijing’s belief that the leading US presidential candidate may treat Taiwan like a “discarded chess piece.”

That’s what Chinese Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Chen Binhua said would happen if Donald Trump won the US election in November after the former president refused to say whether he would defend Taiwan. His comments shook US ally Japan strongly enough that senior Kishida administration officials are reportedly contacting Trump’s camp to warn against cutting any kind of deal with China.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the 10th Session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, at the Mansudae Assembly Hall, in Pyongyang, North Korea, January 15, 2024.

KCNA via REUTERS

What’s Kim Jong Un playing at?

On Tuesday, North Korean state media reported that Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un had proposed changing the country’s constitution to remove all references to reunification with South Korea and to frame Seoul as the country’s “primary foe.” It echoes the rejection of reunification Kim made in his New Year’s speech and comes a week after North Korean forces fired artillery shells across their disputed maritime border with South Korea.

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Former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis participate in the fourth Republican debate of the 2024 US presidential campaign in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S.

REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Hard Numbers: Republicans tune out debate, US moon lander faces trouble, Indian court revisits 2002 violence, Kim Jong Un skips the big 4-0, German soccer legend dies, Argentina’s big bill

51: The GOP’s fifth presidential debate is being held Wednesday night on CNN, but a key demographic isn’t tuning in. According to a new Suffolk University/USA TODAY poll, 51% of Republicans don’t plan to watch, reflecting just how strong a lead former President Donald Trump – who’s expected to skip the event (again!) – has in the race toward the nomination. Apart from Trump, only Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley have qualified to take part.

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