Although tensions with North Korea seem to have eased during the past few days, there is urgency to the question, “What will happen next?”

According to news reports, the State Department will soon publish a new regulation to ban Americans from visiting North Korea for tourism.

With summer already well underway, KEI staff members wanted to share a few books that are on our personal reading lists before autumn is on our doorstep!

It usually takes some time to figure out the details of what a North Korean missile test has accomplished – what type of missile it was, how it performed, its capabilities – but from the initial information regarding North Korea’s July 4th missile test, it appears that they have successfully tested an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).

A question frequently asked is whether the next South Korean administration will tilt towards China and away from the United States, based on Seoul’s purportedly shifting perception of the relative importance of the two countries. In reality, it is not helpful to judge whether the United States or China are more important to the Republic of Korea. There is no simple reply to the general question and, honestly, there is no reason to answer it.

If Kim Jong-un is, as some would have it, “irrational,” what does that mean?