The number of North Korean refugees fleeing their homeland and reaching South Korea for resettlement has increased during the first nine months of 2023, though the numbers are still far below the number of refugees that reached South Korea in the previous decade. At the same time, disturbing reports indicate that China is forcibly returning…
October 31, 2023
Ahead of the Chuseok holiday last month, Unification Minister Kwon Young-se said South Korea was interested in negotiations with North Korea about holding another round of inter-Korean family reunions. The urgency of the issue has only increased since the last time they were held, back in 2018. In his remarks at a government press conference,…
October 21, 2022
During the second inter-Korean summit in 2007, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il discussed, among other issues, building military trust and establishing special peace and cooperation zones in the West Sea. In the years leading up to the summit, South and North Korean military officials spent considerable time discussing these…
October 20, 2022
What Happened On September 22, a 47-year-old fisheries official was shot dead by North Korean troops along the Yellow Sea coast. The Korean Coast Guard later reported that the victim was likely looking to defect to North Korea. The administration was criticized for its “soft” response as 68.6% believe that the government is mishandling the case. Implications: A South Korean government…