Martin Weiser received his MA from Korea University in 2014 with a thesis explaining North Korea’s changing human rights policy. He has continued researching North Korea’s political history as an independent researcher since then. His writings have appeared on SinoNK and in 2018 an article on the country’s legal system appeared in the European Journal of Korean Studies.
Promotion of over 40 people likely to support military line and rejection of unification, as 3 demoted officials return
State media coverage of mausoleum visit reveals unannounced promotion, while top military leader mysteriously absent
State media again reported near 100% turnout but acknowledged votes against chosen candidates for first time in decades
Single-candidate polls are the norm, but past examples of competitive elections provide precedent for making changes
Surprise deletion of phrase introduced in 2019 is sign leader has eliminated perceived military threats to his rule
New law does little to make elections free, but allowing two candidates marks small step toward greater citizen input
Ri Son Gwon’s demotion points to disagreements over policy toward Seoul, while purged officials return to top positions
Analysis of over 5,400 YouTube videos sheds light on direction of inter-Korean policy under Kim Yung-ho
Top military man Pak Jong Chon and premier Kim Tok Hun both appeared out until suddenly showing up alongside the leader
Recent plenum referenced election reform, which could ditch single-candidate polls without sacrificing state control
Specialist news and analysis,
research tools, and unique data sets
Internet Explorer is not compatible with this website. We instead recommend using Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari.
Microsoft ceased supporting IE 10 and older in 2016.
In addition, Microsoft cyber-security chief Chris Jackson has been urging users to stop using the browser since February 2019.
Specialist DPRK news and analysis, bespoke research tools, and unique data sets
Learn MoreEnter your details below
Don't have an account? SIGN UP
Specialist DPRK news and analysis, bespoke research tools, and unique data sets
Learn MorePlease enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.
Don't have an account? SIGN UP