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...
The Korean paradox: Why giving up on reunification could make it happen
Sign up here. For decades, reunification has been the central, sacred objective of both Koreas. It has shaped constitutions, justified policies, and defined national identity. And...
Is a purge or at least a crackdown in the offing in North Korea?
Even the best of the previous century's Kremlinologists who monitored trends in the former Soviet Union, and “China Hands” who followed developments in Communist China,...
North Korea and its money-making overseas workers
With turmoil spread across the Middle East in recent weeks, international attention is drawn once again to the familiar specter of North Korea. The connection...
Kim says new main battle tank capable of “neutralizing almost all” existing anti‑tank weapons
Supreme Leader Kim Jong‑un observed a performance evaluation test of a new man battle tank, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported March 29....
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...
Life in the country without taxes
In North Korea, the word “tax” does not exist. Instead, we talk of a “usage fee.” Why the euphemism? To be frank, I don’t know....
Border security units ordered to ensure no “breaches” by defectors and smugglers
The Ministry of Social Security, the main law enforcement agency, has instructed units in the northern provinces to strengthen the already intense blockade along the...
Seoul reverses course, joins U.N. resolution on North Korean human rights
South Korea has formally decided to co-sponsor an upcoming United Nations resolution condemning North Korea’s human rights abuses. The decision represents a significant reversal of...
Does the fighting man’s morale still matter in modern warfare?
Lately, the world has begun to change in unsettling ways. After World War II, despite localized conflicts, it seemed as if global peace might last...
Rising oil prices send ordinary North Koreans into survival mode
When I escaped from North Korea and came to South Korea in May 2023, I had no way of knowing when or how deeply the...
Carbon‑fiber solid‑fuel engine test marks new phase in North Korea’s ICBM advancement
North Korean leader Kim Jong‑un observed a ground test of a high‑power solid‑fuel engine, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on March 29....
The campaign to nominate Kim Jong-un for a Nobel Peace Prize
Until the arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat was nominated for and then shockingly awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1994, to the eternal infamy of the Nobel...
Is Kim Ju-ae being groomed for a support role?
One question that keeps surfacing in the news these days is whether Kim Ju-ae will be anointed the official successor to her father, North Korean...
Is South Korea starting to give up on re-unification?
When North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced in late 2023 that re-unification was no longer going to happen, the reaction in South Korea was as...
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...
What does the attack on Iran mean for North Korea?
Missiles have been crisscrossing Middle Eastern skies in early March, as the American and Israeli war on Iran enters its second week. The immediate backdrop...