Kashmir
References to the two parts of Kashmir should preferably be in the form of Indian-administered Kashmir and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. An acceptable alternative is Indian-controlled or Pakistan-controlled. Indian Kashmir or Pakistan Kashmir is less good and is resented in Kashmir. Do not on any account use the words "held" or "occupied".
The de facto border is known as the Line of Control - may be abbreviated at second reference to LoC.
Adjective Kashmiri (but the wool is, of course, cashmere).
Kathmandu
(capital of Nepal) ie with an "h" after the "t".
KC
(King's Counsel) ie both caps, unpunctuated, no gaps.
kick-off/kick off
As a noun, needs a hyphen (eg: The kick-off was delayed). The verb is two separate words (eg: The match will kick off an hour late).
Kim Jong Un
(leader of North Korea) ie initial caps and no hyphen
Kings/kings
We use Roman numerals with names (eg: Henry VIII, Charles III). The King and the Queen alone among royal individuals in retaining the initial cap in all circumstances (eg: The King and Prince of Wales arrived this morning. The King and the prince will be there until the weekend). Foreign royals are capitalised only when the name is used (eg: At first reference it's King Philippe of Belgium, in later references the king). References to the office rather than its incumbent should be in lower case (eg: When I am king, you shall be queen)
King’s College, Cambridge
ie apostrophe before the "s".
King’s Cross, London
Again, the apostrophe before the "s".
King’s Speech
ie both words capped up for the Westminster occasion (as opposed to the King’s speech at the opening of the Windsor branch of Tesco).
Knesset
(the Israeli parliament; sits in Jerusalem) ie initial cap.
knot
In the context of shipping, this is a unit of speed equivalent to 1.85km per hour. It is nonsensical to write about "knots per hour".
Korean names
For names from South Korea cap up the first two elements but use lower case for the third, which is also hyphenated. At second reference, the surname comes first. So Ban Ki-moon (former UN Secretary General) becomes Mr Ban. This style applies to all South Korean names except that of the president Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee - all capitals and no hyphens.
For names from North Korea, use initial caps and no hyphen. At second reference the surname comes first. So Kim Jong Un becomes Kim. Some North Koreans, like escapees, may choose to spell their names differently.
Kosovo
is a territory whose status is in dispute. It unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008, but its secession is rejected by Serbia. More than 100 nations have recognised Kosovo as independent, but the UN and many other nations are withholding recognition. We should therefore not refer to it either as an independent country or as a province of Serbia, but explain its disputed status.
Its people are Kosovans. The adjective is Kosovan (not "Kosovar").
Refer to Albanians from Kosovo as Kosovo Albanians.
kufr
(Islamic concept of unbelief, of being outside Islam.) An unbeliever is a kafir. The plural is kuffar, but kafirs is acceptable in a direct quote.
Ku Klux Klan
ie initial caps, no hyphens. May be abbreviated to KKK at second reference.
Kyiv
is our preference for the capital of Ukraine and not Kiev or other variations.