The Korean paradox: Why giving up on reunification could make it happen
For decades, reunification has been the central, sacred objective of both Koreas. It has shaped constitutions, justified policies, and defined national identity. And yet, for...
Why North Koreans are unable to understand South Korea
Born and raised in North Korean society, for many years my world was confined within its borders. I lived, breathed, and believed in the narratives...
Whither North Korea? The differing fates of the “axis of evil” countries
The current U.S. war with Iran, and questions it has raised about the significance for North Korea, highlights a key difference between the two states’...
Tyranny Tracker: identifying authoritarianism, illuminating freedom
The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) has launched Tyranny Tracker — a qualitative democracy index that classifies countries and territories as democratic, hybrid authoritarian, or fully...
Never-ending repression: The continuous purges and ideological campaigns of North Korea and other communist regimes
The historiography of communist states often portrays them as featuring cyclical patterns of repression and liberalization, of murderous crackdowns followed by calm and normalcy. However,...
The threat of America’s isolationist faction and Korea’s autonomy faction to the U.S.-ROK alliance
For better or worse, whatever transpires in U.S.-ROK relations in 2026 and the remainder of the Trump administration will depend not only on decisions made...
Can ordinary joy awaken the people of North Korea?
Today I went to the playground with my children. It’s already been three years since I came to South Korea, but everyday moments like this...
Will Kim Ju-ae be anointed as the successor this year?
When Kim Jong-un visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on New Year’s Day with his wife and daughter to pay his respects to his...
Kim Jong-un: What kind of leader is he really?
Until now, in writing about Kim Jong-un, I have focused on his humanity or lack of it. For example, I’ve noted what we all know,...
Faking freedom of religion: “You can pray freely, but just so God alone can hear”
Defector and former South Korean lawmaker Ji Seong-ho has related an amusing story about an ROK delegation’s visit to North Korea. During the trip, the...
The two-faced tactics and time-tested tricks of tyrants
The three dictatorships of the last century which diabolically mastered the black arts of political trickery and diplomatic two-faced tactics - Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia,...
Kim highlights power plant construction…Ignores people’s suffering
Kim Jong-un last week opened a new power plant, praising the patriotic “self-reliance” of the people, seemingly oblivious to the actual burdens placed on them...
Noblesse Oblige and Sunshine 4.0 — FDR and Stalin, Lee Jae-myung and Kim Jong-un
The French term "noblesse oblige," which literally translates as "nobility obligates," is defined in various English language dictionaries as the notion that certain people having...
Why are mothers the first to go hungry?
Who is the first to go hungry in a North Korean household? It is always the mother. Women are both victims of the regime and...
The new generation, a quiet awakening amid control
North Korea’s young generation is changing. Though still under strict surveillance, questions about the regime and a yearning for a different world are quietly growing...
Some myths regarding “demonization” of the North Korean regime, comedic mockery of Its dictator, and “dehumanization” of the people
Suzanne Labin was a French intellectual, originally of socialist views, who came to be a critic of totalitarian communist regimes. She authored a book entitled...
Can a female leader emerge in patriarchal North Korea?
Kim Jong-un has been repeatedly exposing his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, to public events, fueling discourse around leadership succession. Her appearances go beyond simply showcasing the...
What will bring change to North Korea?
Once thought of as the most rigid of societies where change was not possible under the heavy grip of dictatorship and indoctrination, North Korea has...