The race for long-range missiles between Japan and North Korea
Eastern Asia is witnessing a military buildup not seen since the aftermath of WWII. North Korea is becoming an ever greater rogue regime, with increasing...
What fate awaits North Korean soldiers returning from the war with Ukraine?
When North Korea broke its silence and acknowledged back on April 28 that its troops were fighting for Russia in the war with Ukraine, media...
The myth of the “genuinely and primarily nationalist” communist leaders Kim Il-sung and Mao Zedong
Korea's March 1, 1919, protest movement, like China's May 4, 1919 movement, gave voice and impetus to a growing sense of nationalism, in the modern...
The problem of anxiety inherent in capitalism
Why must capitalism lead to prosperity? Why must socialism lead to poverty? These were questions I had long before leaving North Korea. I suspect many...
Who are the rural hospitals really being built for?
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently inspected a rural hospital construction site and praised the project as “a great revolution in the backward health sector.” ...
What happens when cinema loses its freedom
Films have a great influence on our lives, whether we realize it or not. I can show this through my own life. If it weren’t...
What’s behind mandatory military service for women?
Growing up, my mother always said, “Don’t wait for a man who went to the army.” She was patient for ten years before my father...
Soaring exchange rate drives up food prices
A recent surge in the U.S. dollar exchange rate against the North Korean won appears to have led to a rise in food prices. According...
Ordinary North Koreans express optimism over Lee’s inauguration in the South
Following a straight news report by the Korean Central News Agency on the inauguration of President Lee Jae-Myung, informing the populace about the change at...
“Rope selling” and “rope supporting” — Lenin’s lessons for South Korean and American politicians, Left and Right
Among the many absurd claims of North Korea's propaganda in promoting the cult of the hereditary Kim dynasty is that Kim Jong-il, as a very young boy,...
Serious accident during destroyer launch… Kim Jong Un: “An unacceptable crime”
Kim Jong Un witnessed a major accident May 21 during the botched launch of a newly built 5,000-ton-class destroyer. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)...
State Security Ministry is now monitoring and restricting military counterintelligence agents—What’s going on?
The State Security Ministry (SSM) is reportedly monitoring and restraining even the activities of military counterintelligence agents from the Defense Security Bureau (Security Command) in...
North prepares for additional troop deployment to Russia… Aims to mass-produce combat-hardened fighters
North Korea is reportedly preparing an additional troop deployment to the Russian front in the war with Ukraine. The goal appears to be to mass-produce...