Ihn-hwi Park, Professor at Ewha Womans University, explains that DPRK's "Two Koreas" rhetoric and its shift in unification policy aim to counter ROK's influence, strengthen its logical justification for nuclear use, and enhance its diplomatic autonomy by leveraging hostile relations. Considering the regional and global importance of the Korean Peni...

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...

Lieutenant General In-bum Chun (ROK, Ret.) examines North Korea’s coastal defense capabilities in the West Sea and analyzes how its ongoing military modernization and territorial claims exacerbate security tensions on the Korean Peninsula. He points out that countering North Korean coastal threats necessitates careful political decision-making, a...

Byung-yeon Kim, a professor at Seoul National University, asserts that North Korea's decision to abandon the unification agenda is a defensive strategy based on pragmatic assessments of inter-Korean relations, geopolitical dynamics, and its domestic economic crisis. Kim highlights that Kim Jong Un sees limited benefits from South Korea, prefers Chi...

Leif-Eric Easley, Professor at Ewha Womans University, argues that the Kim regime is maintaining power and control by leveraging its relationships with China and Russia while demonizing South Korea. However, this is an interim strategy before the U.S. presidential election in November 2024 because the DPRK-Russia-China "axis of transactionalism" is...

Seho Jang, a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Strategy, highlights that Putin's potential upcoming visit to North Korea could significantly impact the evolving dynamics of Russia-North Korea relations. Given the complex international environment, including UN sanctions, Jang suggests that a gradual evolution in bilateral relat...

Dong Ryul Lee, Chair of EAI China Research Center and a professor at Dongduk Women’s University, notes that while the partnership between China, DPRK, and Russia seems to have grown closer recently, it is more pertinent to focus on shifts within their bilateral relationships under the trilateral framework. Lee points out that China is in a dilemm...

Jihwan Hwang, a professor at University of Seoul, believes it is premature to conclude that Kim Jong Un's increasingly hostile remarks against South Korea and Pyongyang's shift towards a more aggressive nuclear stance signify that North Korea has decided to go to war. While deterrence remains North Korea's primary goal, Hwang cautions that escalati...

Eunmi Choi, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, emphasizes the Japanese public's focus on the abduction issue and suggests this could be a desirable chance for Prime Minister Kishida to significantly boost his low approval ratings. Crediting Japan's diplomatic accomplishment in securing President Biden's support for Japan-DP...

Sheen Seong-ho, Professor at Seoul National University, analyzes the future of the South Korea-U.S. alliance amid a likely “rematch” between President Biden and Trump in the November 2024 U.S. presidential election. Sheen emphasizes that, regardless of the election’s outcome, the U.S. will not prioritize denuclearization of the DPRK in its po...