April is often a contentious month for inter-Korean relations. With joint and combined military exercises, along with anniversaries and holidays, there are plenty of opportunities for provocations and hateful rhetoric. April 2014 was no different.
In the aftermath of last spring’s shutdown of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, the Park administration has sought international investment to serve as a bulwark against future actions by North Korea that would endanger Kaesong’s operations.
Kim Jong Un’s New Year’s speech provides the world a starting point for analyzing North Korea in 2014. Unfortunately, it does not appear that dealing with North Korea will get easier.
As we look back at the events that helped to shape 2013, we are also looking back the predictions The Peninsula made in our annual “10 Things to Watch for on the Korean Peninsula in 2013” blog.
Whether Kim Jong-un is in charge or is in trouble after the purge of Jang Song Taek, both possibilities present problems for the U.S. and its allies, demonstrating once again why North Korea is seen as the land of no good options.
The impact of the reported removal of Jang Song Taek could be vital for the future of North Korea. Does the removal of a key leader with power, experience, economic knowledge, and family connections suggest that there is trouble within the North Korean leadership? Or does it indicate that Kim Jong-un feels secure enough to get rid of his powerful uncle and can rule the way he really desires?
At first glance, Mongolia may seem an unlikely mediator for dealing with North Korea, but as a trusted party by all of the countries involved it could play an important role.
Is Tehran that similar to Pyongyang? Our post responds to PM Netanyahu’s claim that a nuclear armed Iran means “another 50 North Koreas”
To paraphrase the Rolling Stones, the song is not surprising and has been played more than once: the DPRK is a well-known exporter of weapons….
By Nicholas Hamisevicz New satellite photos of a North Korean missile site have just been released. The analyses of the photos from the initial reports…