What Happened On February 12, a member of the National Assembly noted that 23.5 percent of all North Korean defectors who received medical attention were treated for mental health issues in 2019. Although the South Korean public-at-large is likely underreporting their mental health needs, the defector community showed significantly higher rates than the societal average (4.6 percent) in…
February 24, 2021
What Happened On February 9, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification discussed potentially reopening the inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex. Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un agreed to reopen the complex in 2018. However, North Korea has not shown any willingness to cooperate on inter-Korean issues at the moment, including the Kaesong Industrial Complex. Implications: Despite South Korea’s offer of economic…
February 16, 2021
What Happened On January 20, Moon Jae-in announced he would replace Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha with special advisor Chung Eui-yong. There has been some speculation from the opposition People Power Party that Kang’s dismissal is in response to negative comments towards the incumbent foreign minister from Pyongyang. The Blue House stated that Chung was nominated to facilitate a closer relationship with…
February 2, 2021
A three-hour military parade and a fireworks display in Pyongyang on January 14 punctuated the end of the 8th Congress of the Workers Party of Korea. The 8th Congress, which lasted eight days, was the first such high party gathering since 2016 and only the second since the 6th Congress was held in 1980. Such…