Columns
Columns on the latest North Korea issues from analysts, academics and renowned experts. Views expressed by our columnists are exclusively the authors’ own.
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
A North Korean invasion is no longer unthinkable. But it’s still unlikely.
Robert Carlin and Siegfried Hecker’s warning of war has Washington fretting as the DPRK prepares long-term for conflict
Experts agree: Japan’s ties with North Korea are going nowhere fast
DPRK watchers in Tokyo say abductee issue and US pressure remain hurdles to engagement as Chongryon continues to decline
From Moscow to Pyongyang: How Russia’s anger toward West drove it to North Korea
Russia began to reengage the DPRK around turn of millennium, but decades of effort have only recently born fruit
