Kim Jong-un new leadership style is just a cosmetic change
During a visit to a modern defense industry factory on July 2, Kim Jong-un behaved in a way that was a departure from the usual...
Are the upgraded Russia-North Korea ties just skin-deep?
Russia and North Korea last week upgraded their relationship from “friendly” to a strategic partnership with a mutual defense commitment that has prompted concerns about...
Excessive security annoys Putin aides and disturbs citizens in Pyongyang
Several senior Russian officials were undiplomatically expelled from a meeting room by North Korean security during last week’s visit to Pyongyang by Vladimir Putin, underscoring...
New system to reward people for reporting on their neighbors
North Korea is taking a leaf out of the capitalist book to incentivize citizens to turn in people engaged in illegal economic activity. While betraying...
Is the next leader being prepared?
In the eighteen months since Kim Jong-un’s daughter, Ju-ae, first appeared in public, her deification as the next leader seems to be underway. One indication...
It’s better to be a hammer or sickle than a brush
The ruling Workers' Party emblem of North Korea is different from other communist parties in that it includes a brush alongside the hammer and sickle...
Balloons full of poop launched over South Korea needed Kim Jong-un’s direct approval
With North Korea launching balloons full of excrement into South Korea in recent days, the regime seems to be pretending it doesn’t have the power...
“I am a teacher, not a tax collector”
“I am a teacher, not a tax collector,” the teacher explained after announcing he was quitting. “I can no longer do this even if I...
Kim Jong-un portrait appears on classroom walls in rebuilt party school
When Kim Jong-un participated in the opening ceremony of the new Central School of the Workers' Party of Korea, the event was conducted on a...
Was there almost a second Korean War in 1980?
South Korea this week marks the 44th anniversary of protests in Gwangju, where over 200 civilians were killed by martial law forces suppressing what was...
South Korea through the eyes of North Koreans
If you were to ask North Koreans how they view South Korea, their response might vary according to their job, the part of the country...
Animation films and the shaping of violent children
When defectors from North Korea see kids’ animation movies in South Korea for the first time, they’re usually in for a shock. They’re nothing like...
North Korea’s film industry has trouble staying afloat
The once thriving movie industry in North Korea seems to be stagnating. When a new war blockbuster, 72 Hours, was screened this month in theaters...