10 Issues to Watch for on the Korean Peninsula in 2025

January 22, 2025 • Sang Kim

The year 2024 ended with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law, his impeachment by the National Assembly, and the ensuing political turmoil and uncertainty. While 2025 will be largely defined by South Korean efforts to regain normalcy and stability in its domestic and global affairs, as well as the inauguration of the Donald Trump administration, other key issues will define and impact the Korean Peninsula this year.

Pyongyang’s Dangerous Axis with Moscow

October 21, 2024 • Daniel Sneider

The evidence of a deepening military axis between North Korea and Russia has been mounting in recent days, causing alarm from Kyiv to Seoul.

The Need for a Calibrated Response to the North Korea-Russia Summit

July 5, 2024 • Saeme Kim

South Korea should adopt a calibrated response based on how cooperation between North Korea-Russia develops under the new treaty.

The Mutual Defense Treaty With North Korea May Backfire on Russia

June 24, 2024 • Scott Snyder

Putin’s decision to sign a comprehensive mutual defense pact with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may ultimately be an own-goal.

A Tale of Three Triangles: The Complicated Geopolitics of Northeast Asia

June 20, 2024 • Daniel Sneider

The highly orchestrated imagery of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin standing next to his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong Un, on the reviewing stand in Pyongyang’s…

Two Years into the Ukraine War: The Impact on Korea

April 18, 2024 • Maximilian Hess

The impact of Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine on the Korean Peninsula has been profound.

2023 in Review: The War in Ukraine and North Korea

December 27, 2023 • Clint Work

North Korea’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine completed its turn away from efforts to normalize relations with the United States.

More Evidence of Russia’s Stronger Relationship with North Korea

December 1, 2023 • Terrence Matsuo

Washington and Seoul must carefully watch how this partnership evolves, and prepare for an even less inhibited North Korea.

The Kim-Putin Summit’s Impact on the Korean Peninsula

October 4, 2023 • Terrence Matsuo

The US and South Korea have raised concerns over the growing confluence of Russia and North Korea in the wake of the Kim-Putin summit.

Putin Seeks North Korean Arms for Russia’s War Against Ukraine, Threatens UN Sanctions against Pyongyang’s Nuclear Weapons

September 27, 2023 • Robert King

For the first time in over four years, Kim Jong-un traveled outside North Korea for an in-person meeting with Vladimir Putin.