About the author
More articles by 'Andrei Lankov'
How Russia’s manpower dilemma is driving North Korean troop deployment
Moscow needs soldiers for war of attrition but fears backlash to draft, giving Pyongyang an opportunity to capitalize
Why Yoon’s new plan to unify with North Korea is more politics than policy
Regime change and unification by absorption are unrealistic, suggesting main goal is to appeal to president’s base
Seoul and Moscow’s war of words over North Korea is all bark and no bite
Two sides have traded threats around Ukraine war since signing of Putin-Kim defense pact, but both prefer the status quo
How rigidly socialist North Korea embraced capitalism, on its own eclectic terms
The DPRK turned to foreign trade companies to earn cash when state agencies failed, sometimes through outlandish schemes
Don’t believe the hype: Russia-North Korea defense pact won’t upend status quo
Moscow is an unreliable treaty ally that shirks security promises, and two sides have few ways to expand economic ties
The political conditions North Korea needs to successfully subjugate the South
An invasion may look unlikely for now, but geopolitical changes around peninsula could one day inspire Pyongyang to act
Why it’s long past time for a US compromise on North Korea’s nukes
Demanding denuclearization is a fool’s errand, but arms control through ‘interim steps’ can make the peninsula safer
The communist front that North Korea targeted in its unification policy overhaul
Fatherland United Democratic Front started as scheme to legitimize communist rule before shifting focus to South Korea
Fears of Trump return shake a Washington that has all but forgotten North Korea
Apathy about DPRK will likely persist if Biden is reelected, but Beltway insiders expect dramatic changes if Trump wins
By forsaking unification, North Korea also abandoned the South’s radical left
Policy change has stunned pro-DPRK groups in South Korea, which have long viewed regime as champion of national unity
