Korea, North

For the first Korean Kontext podcast of 2017, five members of the KEI staff sat down with host Jenna Gibson for a chat about the volitility of 2016 and what…

The last several rounds of UN sanctions against the DPRK have been called the "strongest ever," and the new sanctions passed on November 30 are no different. There are some…

More than 100 million Americans cast their ballots on November 8, and we have a new president-elect. The Trump victory came as a surprise to most, with polls and pundits…

In this episode, which originally aired in 2011, we hear from author Mike Kim, who speaks with Korean Kontext about his experiences living and working with North Korean refugees on…

By Troy Stangarone Much more is known about North Korea’s efforts to spy on South Korea than on the South’s efforts to spy on the North. One rare peak at those efforts is the recent movie The Spy Gone North, but there may be a more interesting case of South Korean efforts to spy on…

By Yonho Kim  The historic June 12 Singapore Summit opened an unconventional window of opportunity for negotiated solutions to the North Korea nuclear problem, changing the narrative from a potential war to peace and trust building on the Korean Peninsula. In brokering the summit, South Korea played a critical role of “ice breaker” to initiate…

By Robert R. King Earlier this week, on August 15, an advance team of 18 officials from the South Korean Red Cross organization and the South Korean Ministry of Unification left Seoul for the resort at Mount Kumgang in North Korea.  At this location in just a few days, almost two hundred family members from…

By Suyeon Ham The South Korea government announced on July 14 that it will raise the minimum wage next year by 10.9% to 8350 won ($7.40), following a 16.9% increase this year. President Moon Jae-in’s drive to increase the minimum wage is splitting his supporter base, while at the same time casting doubt on his…

Please join KEI for a discussion on North Korea’s potential incorporation of AI into its cyber arsenal.