Korea, North

When Kim Jong-il died in 2011, the world held its breath as North Korea entered uncharted waters. No other communist dictatorship in the last century – for that matter no…

The North Korean economy is changing – we know this because of widely reported growth of private markets since the famine of 1990s. But black markets and illicit activities are…

North Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations Kim Song demanded that the United States release a North Korean vessel that is currently held by authorities in American Samoa, warning that…

It’s been nearly one year since the Singapore Summit between President Trump and Kim Jong-un and the two countries are at an impasse. North Korea signals no intention of giving…

The government of North Korea continues to report that it has no cases of COVID-19.  In its most recent submission to the World Health Organization on April 1, Pyongyang reported that it had tested a total of 23,121 people for the coronavirus as of April 1.  It said that all results were negative. For a…

By Stephan Haggard A review of Guns, Guerillas and the Great Leader by Benjamin Young (Stanford University Press, 2021) A recent trend in the diplomatic history of the postwar period is to de-center the focus on the major powers and pay more attention to how developing countries forged relations with one another. Reflective of this…

Thomas Bach, current Chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), published a lengthy opinion piece about the Olympic Games last October.  In a strong defense of the games as “an event that unites the world,” he unequivocally proclaimed that “the Olympic Games are not about politics.” While keeping politics out of the Olympic Games may…

What Happened On March 24th, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted its 19th resolution condemning North Korea’s human rights abuses. South Korea is not a co-sponsor of the resolution, though it will allow the resolution to be passed through consensus. This is the third year in a row that South Korea has not co-sponsored the resolution based on…

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