The unspoken burden of being a woman in North Korea
A few days ago, I was interviewed about the lives of women in North Korea. At first, I thought I would simply speak about what...
North Korea amends constitution to finalize rejection of unification
Sign up here. North Korea has revised its constitution to remove references to reunification with South Korea, Seoul’s Unification Ministry said on May 5. The...
Kim Jong-un inspects new long-range artillery for deployment against Seoul
Sign up here. Kim Jong-un visited a key munitions plant producing a new 155mm self-propelled howitzer on May 6 in what analysts see as a...
Can South Koreans change how they see North Koreans?
Sign up here. When North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s FC arrives in Suwon on May 17, how will South Koreans view them? This is far from the...
May Day and the unheard cry beneath the propaganda
Sign up here. What began in 1886 with Chicago laborers demanding an eight-hour workday in response to brutal working conditions has since evolved into International...
Illegal transfer of funds to North Korea and forcible repatriation of defectors: Will justice ever be served at the highest levels?
Sign up here. In 2024, when President Lee Jae-myung was leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), he was indicted over allegations...
Teenager sent home from military service after becoming pregnant
Sign up here. A teenage soldier who was 14 months into her mandatory military service has been discharged and sent home after becoming pregnant. The 18-year-old...
Women footballers return to the South but an invisible DMZ remains
Sign up here. As May warms the land, one piece of news has lingered in my mind. On May 20, women from a North Korean...
North Korea–Russia alliance is being built on war, hard currency, and sanctions evasion
Sign up here. Relations between North Korea and Russia have evolved far beyond simple diplomatic cooperation in recent years. What was once a relationship centered...
North Korea amends constitution to finalize rejection of unification
Sign up here. North Korea has revised its constitution to remove references to reunification with South Korea, Seoul’s Unification Ministry said on May 5.The amendment,...
North Korea to send a club team to play in “hostile state” of South Korea… Could a women’s football match open a small crack in the glacier of inter-Korean relations?
Sign up here. Despite long-frozen inter-Korean relations, North Korea’s women’s football team, the Naegohyang Women’s Football Club, will arrive in South Korea on May 17...
The void of civilization
Sign up here. Today, I would like to begin my story by quoting a line from a North Korean song: “We, with 5,000 years of...
The problem of the means of production
Sign up here. These words are often thrown around, but what is the real difference between socialism and capitalism? At its core, it is a...
What are they afraid of? Why are some of America’s leading experts on Korea scared of criticizing the South Korean government?
Sign up here. Something rather unusual - and frankly welcome - occurred in late April 2026: the rare shattering of a Washington, D.C., taboo. A group...
North Korea links rising delinquency to foreign culture
North Korea has reportedly launched a sweeping ideological education campaign aimed at eradicating various illegal activities that have recently emerged among young people. Analysts say...
“Set your eyes upon the world” the regime said, so why does watching a TV drama carry a 10-year sentence?
Sign up here. What is life? For me, it is a journey of discovery, of understanding what I am good at and enjoy, and then engaging...
Blood alliance or mistrust? The uncomfortable update to China–North Korea relations
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang on April 10, in what analysts describe as a significant moment for the two...
North Korea’s new cybercriminals
For decades, North Korea sent workers abroad to build buildings, cut timber and slave in factories. Their wages in dollars flowed back to Pyongyang. Then...