Won Gon Park, the Chair of EAI North Korea Studies Center, explains that while there has been growing discussion about a potential "sudden change" in North Korea, fueled by an increase in elite defections and stricter party discipline, they do not signal an imminent regime collapse. Highlighting the limited scale and intensity of unrest among the e...

Won Gon Park, the Chair of EAI North Korea Studies Center, contends that North Korea is using a divide-and-conquer strategy between South Korea and the U.S. by revealing its uranium enrichment facilities, increasing direct threat to South Korea while avoiding test launches of missiles that could strike the U.S. mainland. He suggests that by exposin...

Won Gon Park, Chair of the EAI North Korea Studies Center, asserts that while Kim Jong Un has recently showcased North Korea's growing military capabilities by deploying 250 tactical ballistic missile launchers, this move lacks substantial military significance due to the regime's limitations in missile production capacity and nuclear command and c...

Won Gon Park, Chair of the EAI North Korea Studies Center, notes that while there is evidence to suggest an increased likelihood of Kim Ju Ae being a strong candidate for succession, it remains challenging to confirm her as the successor given that North Korea has yet to officially announce her name. Furthermore, Park argues that if the North Korea...

Chaesung Chun, Chair of EAI National Security Research Center and professor at Seoul National University, discusses what the future of “AI intelligent states” will look like based on the analysis of past technological development trends. He discusses the impact that AI could have on military and security, as well as gaps in AI development that ...

Ken Gause, Analyst and Senior Advisor of the North Korea Program, Institute for Defense Analyses, points out that North Korea has prioritized digital transformation for economic development but lacks the capacity to fully integrate the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Highlighting North Korea's limited advanced manufacturing capabilities, unstab...

Gary Samore, Professor at Brandeis University, highlights that the ongoing efforts to institutionalize U.S. extended deterrence on the Korean Peninsula are progressing towards “NATO-style nuclear sharing.” He further warns that if Trump returns to the White House and accepts DPRK as a de facto nuclear state, South Korea is likely to puruse nucl...

Won Gon Park, Chair of the EAI North Korea Studies Center, assesses that North Korea's trash balloon campaigns are a direct response to South Korean leaflets that challenge the legitimacy of Kim Jong Un's claim to the "Paektu Bloodline." Additionally, Park points out that North Korea's decision to launch 10 short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) si...

Won Gon Park, the Chair of the EAI North Korea Studies Center, predicts Kim Jong Un's potential invasion strategies for South Korea based on the site visits he made during the ROK-US Ulji Freedom Shield exercises in March. Park explores the likelihood of North Korea launching a nuclear attack, noting the envisioned scenario of an armed conflict sta...

Won Gon Park (Chair of North Korea Studies Center, EAI) analyzes the significance of North Korea's constitutionalization of the nuclear force-building policy in September 2023. Park explains that North Korea's persistent drive to elevate its nuclear status reaffirms that its ultimate goal is to communize the entire Korean Peninsula. At the same tim...