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 Taehwa Hong The mainstream view of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program holds that it is the regime’s ticket to survival; Pyongyang’s nuclear stockpiles serve as a deterrence against American military intervention. Having seen Muammar Qaddafi and Saddam Hussein fall after giving up their nuclear programs, the Kim regime is unlikely to forgo its’ strongest…

By Casey Robinson Under diplomatic and economic pressure, North Korea has ceased weapons tests and has expressed a willingness to denuclearize. In meetings with South Korea, North Korean officials stated that North Korea has no need for nuclear weapons if its security is guaranteed. However, due to lingering distrust and resentment, the denuclearization of North…

By Juni Kim While North Korea has aggressively pursued its nuclear and missile programs for years, the reclusive nation under the Kim Dynasty’s third generation leader Kim Jong-un has been particularly committed to demonstrating its weapons advances. 2017 alone saw North Korea conduct three intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests that showcased their range to reach…

By Troy Stangarone Since President Donald Trump accepted Kim Jong-un’s invitation to meet, North Korea has gone conspicuously silent. While North Korea has suggested that a potential thaw in relations is thanks to its own efforts rather than sanctions and a Chinese news report stated that Kim Jong-un told Chinese President Xi Jinping that he…

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