Who are the leader’s “good people”?
Throughout history, rulers have often complained about their subjects. That’s hardly surprising. Rulers fear the masses. They seem to them like a ticking time bomb,...
How should we interpret China’s occasional release of detained North Korean refugees?
While China formally stands by its obligation to North Korea to repatriate escapees, many defectors arrive in South Korea after having been detained by Chinese...
North Korea does it “our way”
Every country has its own traditions, history, and way of doing things. In North Korea, they call this “our way.” The emotions people feel about...
Defectors accuse South Korean politician opposing unification of being a spy
Like a surgeon who recommends a heart transplant, when a politician says South Korea should change its core national objective, people need to trust him...
One party vs. multiple parties
The most cited difference between countries that are socialist or capitalist is the extent to which individual citizens are able to own the means of...
North Korea tries to attract foreign investment
The North Korean regime appears to be making an effort to induce foreign business but, given international sanctions over its rogue nuclear weapons program and...
New policy to bombard North Koreans with information could spark new wave of defections
Could South Korea’s new unification policy unleash a flood of defections and undermine the regime of Kim Jong-un? While some defectors are critical of the...
Does ousted finance minister face execution?
When Kim Jong-un replaced his finance minister at the end of last month, flagging “obstacles to economic development,” the rumor mill went into top gear....
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...
Kim Jong-un the Apple maniac
Like many people, I was captivated by Steve Jobs when he famously said during his 2005 Stanford University commencement speech, “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” I...
Will wheat solve the food problem?
Kim Jong-un is trying to shift food production over from corn over to rice, wheat, and barley, and the party’s daily rodong sinmun is reporting,...
Buying time to earn money
Suppression comes in many forms. There is suppression of association, suppression of travel, and suppression of speech. But of these, the most pervasive form of...
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...