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....
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...
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...
The horizon I had to cross, the life I had to endure
The nights in my hometown were not a time for dreaming. Life then was a matter of endurance and the night the only time to...
Kim Jong-un’s emphasis on women is core part of regime survival strategy
For Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, women are “incomparably beautiful beings” who are indispensable to the revolution and to nation-building. This was how he described them...
Exchange rates surge, then drop slightly… Yuan reaches 7,700 won
Exchange rates for the U.S. dollar and Chinese yuan in North Korea are showing unstable fluctuations. Recent reports indicate that in border regions between North...
North Korea extends strategic nuclearization to its navy
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the Nampo Shipyard and the new destroyer Choe Hyon on March 3 and 4, according to KCNA. Kim inspected...
Fate of two POWs held in Ukraine hands in the balance
These two North Korean POWs in Ukrainian custody face a danger that is not theoretical. It is an escalating reality. Russia has already attempted to...