Youngsun Jeon, a HK Research Professor at Konkuk University, examines the reality and agenda of North Korea’s rural development. By analyzing A New Spring in the Paekhak Plain (2025), North Korea’s first ever contemporary television drama, Jeon identifies North Korea’s internal struggle against corruption and the people’s loss of faith in party policies. The drama candidly reveals the predicament of North Korea’s countryside and agriculture. However, it also presents North Korea’s commitment to boosting grain production through the eradication of “bluffing” and the implementati...

Commentary

• Youngsun JEON
• August 27, 2025

Ho Ryung Lee, a Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, analyzes Kim Yo Jong's statements to examine North Korea’s strategic shifts concerning South Korea. Kim Yo Jong’s statements since 2020 reflect North Korea’s expansion of its strategic space and value. The current strategic environment, coupled with Seoul and Washington’s emphasis on dialogue and stability, presents an optimal timeframe for North Korea to exert pressure. Dr. Lee suggests that Seoul’s proactive trust-building should correspond with these changes in strategic circumstances because trust...

Commentary

• Ho Ryung LEE
• August 26, 2025

Seunghee Ha, a Research Professor at the Institute of North Korean Studies at Dongguk University, analyzes the implications of the Lee Jae Myung administration’s deregulation of contact between South and North Korean residents. The abolition of the de facto permit system is likely to revitalize civilian exchanges, contributing to trust and coexistence between the two Koreas. However, since the current Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation law is still subject to ambiguity and arbitrary interpretations, Professor Ha recommends that the government specify the legal standards and procedures for...

Commentary

• Seunghee HA
• August 20, 2025