North Korea
Forget Washington, Pyongyang’s most important target has always been Beijing
It’s easily forgotten now, but just over five years ago North Korea and China were not getting along. Beijing was adamant about implementing United Nations sanctions as a…
Build a wall: Kim Jong‑un’s social revolution
Since coming to power in late 2011, North Korea’s Kim Jong-un has celebrated more successful missile launches and nuclear tests than both his predecessors combined. Less noticed…
It’s time for South Korea to refocus on multilateral diplomacy
A “Global Pivotal State Contributing to Freedom, Peace, and Prosperity”. This is how the South Korean National Security Strategy published last week describes the country –…
North Korea/South Korea: Who’s threatening who?
Kim Yo-jong, sister to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, delivered a warning last week about Pyongyang’s plans for its nuclear program. “The second mission,” she said of the regime…
My decade watching the Korean peninsula: the delicacy of peace
North Korea cut off the military hot lines with South Korea, blamed Seoul’s hardline policy for the chill in relations, and threatened retaliation over military drills with the…
North Korea keeps building more powerful weapons, with no end in sight
North Korean weapons tests are nothing new. Pyongyang has been conducting missile tests for years, even holding large annual parades to show off its arsenal. However, things are…
North Korea: The state versus the people
In a crackdown on private enterprises, the North Korean state officially banned the sale of rice and corn in the market in early 2023 and restricted sales of these staples to…
Japan and South Korea: a logical but uneasy alignment
This month, Japan and South Korea struck a deal on the compensation of Korean labour imposed by the Japanese empire during Tokyo’s 1910–45 rule over the Korean Peninsula. The…
North Korea remains a hermit even as food runs short
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is urging stronger efforts to improve the country’s escalating food crisis, while showing no interest in accepting external aid. Instead, the…
Why North Korea is denying its involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine
In a case of history repeating itself, the Korean War is set to be revived. Not on the Korean Peninsula but in Eastern Europe. Both North Korea and South Korea are currently…