At the end of August the U.S. and South Korea conducted their joint military exercise Ulchi Freedom Guardian (August 19-30), a drill Pyongyang views as a rehearsal for war. North Korea was notably restrained during the entire episode. Before the drills began, some North Korea watchers were concerned Pyongyang might use them to return to confrontational behavior, despite an August 14 deal with Seoul to normalize operations at the joint Kaesong Industrial Complex.

How will the core group of America, Pakistan and Afghanistan work alongside the bilateral effort that Pakistan and Afghanistan have supposedly been working on?...It is about time to start implementing the reconciliation process... but the path forward is not as clear as public diplomacy might suggest.

A convoy of trucks crossed the border with North Korea on Friday, carrying the first South Korean rice donations for North Korea in nearly three years, as officials from both Koreas huddled to discuss the reunion of families separated by the Korean War six decades ago.