November 12, 2025

Ihn-Hwi PARK, Dean of the Graduate School of International Studies at Ewha Womans University, assesses that the South Korea-U.S., South Korea-China, and U.S.-China summit meetings held during the 2025 Gyeongju APEC summit presented significant diplomatic agendas for the Korean Peninsula. The author particularly argues that North Korea is likely to view the summits with unease, as the summit outcomes appear to somewhat offset its recent diplomatic achievements. Dean Park recommends harnessing national wisdom for the post-APEC era while diplomatic conditions are favorable.

[Video Commentary] Nighttime Military Parade: North Korean Regime's Language of Loyalty and Control

Won Gon Park, Chair of EAI’s North Korea Studies Center and Professor at Ewha Womans University, analyzes the significance of the October 10 military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean Workers' Party. He points out that, through this parade, North Korea sought to demonstrate that the Workers' Party and its supreme leader firmly hold power in North Korea. Furthermore, Professor Park analyzes that this parade intended to strengthen internal unity within the regime and also to increase its negotiating leverage by unveiling a new ICBM.