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Asia-Pacific

North Korea: how tense is it right now?

11.0% of the news located in North Korea this week is about armed violence (war and terrorism): #17 of the 74 countries we track. Compared with its own history since 2017, that is around its usual level (66 out of 100).

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Armed-conflict intensity11.0%of its news, last 7 days
Rank#17of 74 countries
Vs its own history66around its usual level
Share of the world’s war news0.44%weighed by severity
North Korea · share of its news about armed violence, last 12 months
6.5%13.0%19.5%NovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOct
In the news nowAll headlines
31 OctDIPLOMACYU.S., South Korea, Japan vow ‘complete’ North Korea’s denuclearisationThe Hindu31 OctWORLDWhy North Korea's 'elite' hackers are the prime suspect in major Binance hackBBC News
North Korea · weekly average since 2017 (highest: 15 March 2023)
6.9%13.8%20.7%201820192020202120222023202420252026Inter-Korean summit, 27 April 2018Singapore summit, 12 June 2018
The tensest weeks for North Korea since 2017share of its news about armed violence, 7 days
Week endingIntensityNearby event
15 March 202327.9%—
3 November 202227.7%—
9 January 202427.1%—
20 December 202426.9%—
30 September 202025.3%—
Year by year
YearAverage intensityHighest weekTypical rank
202610.7%24.0%#17
202510.8%23.8%#18
202412.4%27.1%#15
202311.4%27.9%#16
202214.3%27.7%#9
20217.6%18.7%#27
20209.4%25.3%#19
20196.7%15.7%#31
20184.5%10.6%#57
201711.4%18.3%#12

Major events involving North Korea

Full history
Inter-Korean summit 2018Singapore summit 2018

Compare North Korea

North Korea vs South KoreaNorth Korea vs any countryEmbed North Korea’s gauge

Elsewhere in Asia-Pacific

All countries
Myanmar 16.2%Afghanistan 13.1%Bangladesh 6.5%Pakistan 6.5%South Korea 6.0%Japan 5.2%Indonesia 4.8%Thailand 4.4%India 4.1%China 3.9%Vietnam 3.2%Philippines 2.8%Cambodia 2.8%Taiwan 2.6%

Frequently asked questions

How tense is North Korea right now?

11.0% of the news located in North Korea over the last 7 days was about armed violence (war and terrorism), which ranks it #17 of the 74 countries Riftrate tracks.

Is North Korea more tense than usual?

Compared with its own history since 2017, North Korea is around its usual level: it has been calmer on 66% of days.

When was North Korea most tense since 2017?

The highest reading was 27.9%, in the 7 days to 15 March 2023.

Which countries in Asia-Pacific are the most tense right now?

Myanmar (16.2%), Afghanistan (13.1%), North Korea (11.0%).

Where does this data come from?

From the GDELT Project, which codes events reported in the world’s news in more than 100 languages and locates them. Riftrate measures the share of each country’s news about armed violence, excluding ordinary crime and policing. It measures the news, not casualties.

How it is measured: GDELT locates every event reported in the news. We take all the coverage of events located in the country over 7 days and measure the part about armed violence: war and terrorism, excluding ordinary crime and policing. It does not depend on the size of the country or on how many newspapers cover it. It measures the news, not the number of victims. Methodology