N Korea tells troops to take action if South threatens their safety | East Asia Tonight Oct 21, 2026

North Korea says new firepower units have taken firing positions along border. Also on East Asia Tonight: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirms first Quad summit after two-year hiatus; and China defends coast guard patrols near Taiwan-controlled atoll in South China Sea. 00:00 Headlines 01:45 Inter-Korean border tensions 03:16 Rubio says Quad summit to take place next month 04:23 China defends patrols near Taiwan-controlled atoll 05:59 Taiwan flags rise in Chinese disinformation ahead of local elections 09:00 Japan's September exports rise 10:19 South Korea’s Oct 1-20 exports surge 11:22 Shares of South Korean AI services firm Elice surge 30% after debut slump 13:14 CATL’s Q3 results 14:08 Anthropic’s H1 results 15:08 Chat on AI concerns 27:05 Insights from Tomohiko Taniguchi on Japanese PM marking one year in office 42:40 Tencent maintaining competitive edge in China's AI race 46:52 South Korea's celebrity shark returns to sea after third rescue attempt 47:40 Japan wins gold in men's team final at Artistic Gymnastics World Championships