Columns
Columns on the latest North Korea issues from analysts, academics and renowned experts. Views expressed by our columnists are exclusively the authors’ own.
Kim Jong Un’s nixed New Years speech shows just how stressed he really is
After an isolated year mired by economic hardship, the North Korean leader couldn’t be bothered with ceremonious remarks
Why Kim Jong Un couldn’t be bothered with more ‘on-the-spot’ guidances in 2020
It may be a North Korean tradition, but the young ruler is making his own leadership traditions this year
A North Korean textbook shows that Pyongyang and Beijing are still ‘frenemies’
By all indications, Pyongyang and Beijing really cozied up in 2020. But a recent history book suggests otherwise.
For once, we begin to agree: Korea is not divided. It’s two separate states.
Recently, a South Korean newspaper on the left and right both published op-eds arguing the same thing
With Biden in office, South Korea shouldn’t be the US and North Korea’s mediator
Seductive to some, the idea of South Korea as a go-between is deeply flawed
Kim Jong Un’s money manipulation is bad news — and there’s likely more to come
The North Korean government is rolling back old decisions at the detriment of the economy
Column: At least Moon Jae-in’s North Korea policy is consistent
Moon’s stance is crystal clear. South Korea’s conservative leaders, on the other hand, were zigzaggers.
Kim’s construction project woes reflect his poor economic planning
The Supreme Leader is now scapegoating others for failing to meet his latest hospital project's unrealistic deadlines
Dialling up the volume: what is the Kims’ game?
North Korean rhetoric is just like a guitar solo: full of sound and fury, yet ultimately dreary and self-indulgent
Leaflets, schmeaflets: Pyongyang’s bogus pretext for escalating tensions
North Korea's purported motive for recent provocations doesn't stand up to scrutiny
