KEI Contributor

Rachel Minyoung Lee is the Regional Issues Manager and Senior Analyst for Open Nuclear Network (ONN), a programme of One Earth Future. Rachel oversees the creation and development of ONN’s strategic network and works closely with the analytical team to identify strategies and products that can best meet the needs of partners and consumers.

Rachel was a North Korea open source collection expert and analyst with the US government from 2000 to 2019. She researched and wrote on the full range of North Korean issues, from leadership, domestic politics and economy, and foreign policy to social and cultural developments, during some of the most momentous years in North Korea that included the transition of power from Kim Jong Il to Kim Jong Un. As Analysis Team Lead, Rachel managed the entire collection-to-analysis cycle, leading a team of analysts in the collection, curating and baselining of data and the analysis of North and South Korean issues with implications for Pyongyang’s regime stability and regional security. She formulated and oversaw the execution of short- to long-term collection and analysis strategies, and devised and delivered various training programs on collection, data tool utilization, and writing.

Rachel is also a Nonresident Fellow with the Stimson Center's 38 North Program, where she conducts research on North Korean propaganda.

Rachel grew up in San Jose, California. She earned her B.A. in English literature and her M.A. in international law, both at Korea University in Seoul.

Rachel is based in Vienna, Austria.