In the pantheon of executions, one would not expect to see a niche devoted to disagreements over forestry policy, which makes the news that Vice Premier Choe Yong-gon was executed for a disagreement over reforesting North Korea and poor job performance such a perplexing development.
Commentators on both sides of the political spectrum have used North Korea and Iran interchangeably to buttress their position on the negotiations to corral Iran’s nuclear weapons ambition.
Short conversations about North Korea generally end with similar conclusions, while longer conversations reveal fault lines among experts.
Two separate but related events this week highlight that there is something new going on regarding North Korea, specifically regarding the North Korean human rights situation.
For Korea watchers, the Global Peace Index provides specific statistical informal for each of the 162 countries it surveys, including North Korea and South Korea.
The Magna Carta continues to have relevance after 800 years, as an embodiment of the principle of rule of law, and as an inspiration to supporters of constitutionalism and defenders of human rights.
When discussing what to do about North Korea, it is often suggested that China should do more to pressure North Korea to suspend its nuclear weapons program, stop military provocations, create a more constructive relationship with South Korea, and improve the lives of North Koreans.
Although Washington has not signaled any intended shift in foreign policy, the rapidly changing East Asian security environment and the failure of current strategies necessitate a recalibration of the current U.S. position on North Korea
Reasonable people might wonder if the North Korean may have a valid point when they complain that U.S.-ROK joint military exercises are unnecessarily provocative.
What does the new Korea-China FTA mean for inter-Korean economic engagement?