North Korea has unveiled the Hwasong-20, its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile to date — a solid-fuel, road-mobile system capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. Analysts warn the new weapon could mark a turning point in Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions, while Washington faces mounting pressure to reinforce deterrence, strengthen alliances, and keep diplomacy alive.

Nearly twelve years after South Korean missionary Kim Jung-wook was arrested for his Christian faith inside North Korea, his fate remains shrouded in silence. Detained in October 2013 for allegedly bringing religious materials across the border, Kim was later forced to “confess” to espionage and sentenced to life with hard labor. Since then, his family has received no word of his condition or whereabouts. Human rights organizations and the United Nations have condemned his imprisonment as a grave violation of international law, calling it a stark symbol of North Korea’s systematic assault on religious freedom and basic human dignity.