It’s Christmas Eve morning in America, but on the other side of the world, in South Korea, the sun has already set on Christmas Eve, and "Santa Grandfather" — as he’s called in Korea — will be arriving soon with his deliveries.

A national holiday in South Korea, Christmas is traditionally a festive time for both children and grown-ups. But faced with the reality of growing North Korean aggression, we can’t help but wonder: is it Christmas as usual this year in South Korea? And how are Korean Americans coping?

North Korea seems to have surpassed Iran, in its efforts to develop the advanced technology that produces nuclear material and weapons. According to David Sanger, chief White House correspondent for our partner The New York Times, senior American officials were recently stunned to see that North Korea is far more advanced in its nuclear ambitions than anticipated. The officials visited a new plant at Yongbyon, where North Korea's main nuclear complex sits.

One of the eye-opening revelations coming out of the latest Wikileaks document release is what some countries think of one another. Do Chinese officials think of North Korea as a "spoiled child"? Well, that's the characterization in one of the leaked cables. What else does China think of it's neighbor? 

Secret diplomatic cables obtained by whistle-blower organization WikiLeaks shed new light on the global nuclear standoff with Iran. The documents reveal for the first time that the U.S. believes Iran has obtained nineteen powerful, Russian-designed missiles from North Korea. Their range is long enough to strike Western Europe. Will this change the way the country is seen and dealt with by its neighbors?  

Events over the weekend may turn out to be game-changers for America's relationship with North Korea. The U.S. and South Korea engaged in quickly-assembled military exercises to show their ability to respond to aggression from Pyonyang. Meanwhile, cables from the latest WikiLeaks release describe a disturbing chumminess between North Korea and Iran.  

North Korea's artillery attack on a South Korean island yesterday morning remains somewhat of a mystery, but many have guesses as to rationales for the attack. North Korea says the South started it by firing recklessly into North Korean territory, which the South denies. Some say North Korea did it to gain international attention because of their severe food shortages. And others, like Charles Armstrong, director of the Center for Korean Research at Columbia University, believe they want to send a simple message: that they should be taken very seriously.

After the death of two South Korean marines in a North Korean artillery attack on Tuesday, the United States has called on countries in the region to join with the U.S. in a unified diplomatic front. Since that call, China has condemned the attack and Hong Lei, the spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry called for "peace and stability on the Korean peninsula."

China has long been a strategic ally for North Korea, providing much needed food and humanitarian resources, but even the Chinese were taken by surprise by the attacks this week. And they seemed to be in the dark just a few days earlier when reports surfaced about North Korea's new uranium enrichment plant.

As China calls for calm, tensions and questions continue about North Korea's attack on South Korea yesterday. 

We've been hearing from listeners about whether America should get more involved with the recent skirmish between North and South Korea. You had a lot to say, whether you were commenting from Australia, South Korea, or from within the States. 

North Korea's artillery attack on a South Korean military base and fishing island yesterday certainly got the world's attention; the U.S. is sending war ships to the Yellow Sea for exercises with the South Korean military, and China is calling for calm. But what was the real goal of the North Korean attack — or was there a national goal at all?    

Both countries claim that the other started it; but the lengthy exchange of artillery fire between the two countries has left two South Korean soldiers dead, 15 wounded. South Korea says the trouble started when the North fired shells at a small fishing island in the Yellow Sea. Some 1600 residents of the island — reportedly mostly fishermen — are fleeing or entering bomb shelters. South Korea has declared a state of emergency and the U.S. has declared its support. What really started the fight?  

North Korea has reportedly fired 200 rounds of artillery shells at a military base on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong in the Yellow Sea. South Korea apparently returned fire, (North Korea says they fired first), scrambled fighter jets and declared an emergency in the country. Two South Korean soldiers are dead, 15 injured, and the some 1,600 residents of the island are either fleeing or heading into local bomb shelters. Some analysts have suggested the reported North Korean attack is an attempt at gaining a strategic foothold in demanding more aid, while people in South Korea are wondering if it's the beginning of long-anticipated war.   

North Korea kills South Korean soldiers after firing artillery shells at an island in the Yellow Sea, and South Korea has declared an emergency. 

Just as the START treaty's approval seems to look dubious, North Korea is upping the nuclear ante by showing off its sparkling new enrichment facility. 

Reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has promoted his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, to the rank of general, just one day before a rare meeting of North Korea's ruling Workers Party. The move added to speculation that Kim Jong-un will take over for his ailing father in the future. 

Israel's partial freeze on settlement buliding in the West Bank ended last night, and Marcus Mabry, associate national editor for The New York Times, and Charlie Herman, economics editor for The Takeaway and WNYC Radio, discuss how this will affect peace talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.  They'll also take a look at what's ahead this week for Bishop Eddie Long, who has been accused of trying to sexually seduce four teenage boys; President Obama's continued conversations with middle-class Americans; how China and Japan's relationship is rapidly deteriorating, and more.

I suppose she could have told those kinds of stories. But it was what she said about a simple banana that blew me away.

We frequently aim to pull the curtain back on stories that are hidden or hard to understand…whether they’re political campaigns or scientific breakthroughs. But when it comes to the nation and story of North Korea, the curtain is more like an unscalable wall surrounded by an electric barbed wire fence; few people from the outside are truly able to access what’s so well hidden.

North Korea enters today's match against Brazil shrouded in mystery — nobody knows much about their coach, most of their players, or the way they play. The same could be said for their 1966 counterparts, who shocked the world by defeating Italy 1-0, and became the first Asian nation to go past the first round in the World Cup. Can the country pull another upset?

The BBC's John Sudsworth reports from South Korea on the latest in the growing escalation between North and South Korea. As tensions mount, the South has said they will reinstall loudspeakers to broadcast propaganda, prompting the North to declare they will fire at any loudspeakers. The North also said they will tear up a military pact between the two countries. However, South Korea has made it clear that they do not want to pursue military action.