North Korea
A Biden presidency and the US–South Korea alliance
US presidential candidate Joe Biden, leading in most polls more than two months before the November election, is cautiously expected to win office. On foreign policy, his plan has…
US–South Korea: Working group blues
South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in’s appointment of new national security advisers has attracted attention, given their pro-détente stance in spite of North Korea’s latest…
Moon’s North Korea vision up in smoke? Not so fast …
North Korea’s demolition of the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong on 16 June sent a powerful visual message to the world that North-South relations were degrading. But…
The kind of test the world doesn’t need
In May, the Washington Post reported discussions within the Trump administration about the possibility of conducting the first US nuclear detonation test since 1992, ostensibly as…
Kim Jong-un zigs, Kim Yo-jong zags, and how North Korea negotiates
Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un, released a notable statement on Friday about the state of North Korea–United States nuclear negotiations. Kim’s…
Can inter-Korean peace be salvaged from the latest wreckage?
North Korea’s demolition of the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong last week is a huge setback to Pyongyang’s relations with Seoul. Unfortunately the situation can get even…
North Korea may have benefited from the pandemic after all
Recent news reports about North Korea reopening its schools and easing its restrictions on border trade with China after more than four months of coronavirus-related closure…
Where did Kim Jong-un go?
The three-week disappearance by North Korea’s chairman Kim Jong-un prompted plenty of questions. Could a succession crisis unfold? Might it go even further, with the risk that…
Vietnam, North Korea, politics and Covid-19: The numbers tell a story
As Covid-19 continues its relentless spread to almost every country, Vietnam and North Korea stand out in Asia for reporting low numbers of infections and zero deaths, despite…
Democrats on trade, and North Korea: “No hot dish for the dictator”
This is the third of a three-part series of articles examining the Democrats’ and America’s place in the world in the lead-up to the US presidential election. The first…