Human Rights

The Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI), with the generous support of the Korea Foundation, organized six “Vision Group” roundtable conversations with leading American scholars and commentators to discuss the…

KEI’s 2020 Report on American Attitudes Toward the Korean Peninsula focuses on U.S. views on relations with South Korea, U.S. awareness of South Korean brands and cultural products, and views…

The states of Southeast Asia are on the front lines of competition not only in regard to the balance of military and political power, as analyzed in Section I, but…

Although coercion is a key element in the governing strategy of the North Korean party-state, the authorities in Pyongyang do not hold political power at the barrel of a gun…

By Mark Tokola North Korea figured prominently in President Trump’s January 30, 2018, State of the Union message – remarkably so.  The President’s speech generally focused on domestic issues such as the economy, immigration, infrastructure, and health.  The part of the speech devoted to foreign policy mentioned China, Russia, Afghanistan and Iran, but was mostly…

By Robert King The adoption of the North Korea Human Rights Act of 2004 was a milestone that reflected United States interest and concern for the human rights situation in North Korea. The legislation authorized funds for increasing radio broadcasts and promoting freedom of information in the North, called for active American efforts in the…

By Robert King The United Nations Security Council will take up the issue of North Korean human rights abuses at a Council session on December 15 of this year.  This will be the fourth year in a row that the UN’s highest body has devoted a session to human rights atrocities in the Democratic People’s…

By Robert King On September 1st, the ban on travel to North Korea for holders of U.S. passports went into effect.  Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced a month earlier that the ban would be imposed, but the initial statement indicated that there would be exemptions for humanitarian activities and journalists.  Those exemptions, however, are…