North Korea – Japan Talks: Caution on Overhyping Agreements
By Nicholas Hamisevicz Last week North Korea and Japan held their first government-to-government talks in four years. These discussions seemed to be a part of…
Jang Song-taek Returns From China
By Nicholas Hamisevicz Jang Song-taek, Vice-Chairman of North Korea’s National Defense Commission and uncle to Kim Jong-un, returned from China after several days of meetings…
Refreshing Our Understandings of North Korea before Approaching its New Leader Kim Jong-un
Why a misunderstanding of North Korea could lead to a miscalculation by U.S. and Korean policy makers.
North Korea’s Economic Diplomacy with Southeast Asia
As North Korea steps up its diplomacy in Southeast Asia, could it also be a new opportunity for economic engagement?
Navigating Contradictions in Asia
Perhaps the ultimate dichotomy in Asia is seen on the Korean Peninsula. Despite a shared history, North and South Korea are politically, economically, militarily, and to a growing extent culturally, very different countries.
The Internal Debate within China on the DPRK
When examining how China manages its relationship with North Korea one must understand the various factions within the elites and competing interests within the Chinese…
Driving Change in the DPRK
How NGOs fill an important gap in policy towards North Korea.
Ri Yong Ho Out: North Korean Leadership in Sickness or in Health?
By Nicholas Hamisevicz The surprise news to start the week is that Vice Marshall Ri Yong Ho, chief of the general staff of North Korea’s…
Reunification is Not a Solution for Korea’s Demographic Challenges
In a recent piece in the Asia Sentinel, which was re-posted in The Irrawaddy, Philip Bowring correctly noted that South Korea is facing a population crisis…
The Challenges of Forming Deeper Ties with India for Both Koreas
By Nicholas Hamisevicz The past few weeks have not been a good for India’s relations with the Korean peninsula as it recently went through a…