Beijing’s Economic War on Pyongyang
Beijing conducting economic “war” on Pyongyang might be a little strong, but I think everyone would agree it’s at least a fierce and growing skirmish.
Beijing conducting economic “war” on Pyongyang might be a little strong, but I think everyone would agree it’s at least a fierce and growing skirmish.
Clearly the participation of the North in the PyeongChang Games has benefits for both North and South since both have made a major effort to bring it about.
Although the North Korea Human Rights Act provisions expired in 2017, Congressional interest has continued and the Act should soon be renewed.
While few observers doubt the significance of the Olympics agreement, many disagree about what it will mean for the future of inter-Korean relations.
As we look ahead to what might occur in 2018 we should also consider how key events from 2017 will continue to shape the year ahead.
In 2017, attention turned to the Korean Peninsula as South Korea removed Park Geun-hye from office and North Korea advanced its weapons programs.
It is more likely North Korea will seek to raise tensions in the rub up to the 2018 Winter Olympics than to embrace dialogue or more extreme measures.
The continuing stability of the North Korean won against the U.S. dollar in informal trading markets speaks to the success in handling overall inflation
The United Nations Security Council will take up the issue of North Korean human rights abuses at a Council session on December 15 of this year.
The Hwasong-15 test demonstrates the continuing trend of North Korea’s rapidly advancing, and deeply troubling, missile technology.