Seunghee Ha, a research professor at the Institute of North Korean Studies at Dongguk University, analyzes the DPRK regime's three "evil laws" that aim to suppress foreign cultural influence, especially from South Korea, through strict penalties targeting media consumption, language use, and behaviors tied to South Korean culture. Ha emphasizes tha...

Hyeong Jung Park, a visiting research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, examines North Korea's policy toward South Korea under Kim Jong Un, linking it to the legacies of Kim Jong Il’s regime. While Kim Jong Il advanced nuclear and missile capabilities, it was not until Kim Jong Un's rise of power that North Korea began adopt...

Ho Ryung Lee, Director of the Center for Security and Strategy at KIDA, explains that North Korea’s recent military actions are aimed at delineating the inter-Korean border, rather than introducing territorial amendments or removing “unification” from the constitution. Lee assesses that such decision is an effort to reinforce the border while...

Kyung-young Chung, professor at Hanyang University, argues that the division of the Korean Peninsula is the root cause of regional instability and calls for a renewed approach to unification. The author highlights moral, humanitarian, and economic reasons for unification, noting the potential for Korea to become a global economic powerhouse. A unif...

Ihn-hwi Park, a professor at Ewha Womans University, analyzes President Yoon Suk Yeol’s “August 15 Unification Doctrine,” which outlines South Korea’s updated approach to unification. Although not entirely new, the Doctrine reorganizes core principles into three strategies: strengthening South Korea’s values and capacity, fostering a desi...

Professor Leif-Eric Easley and Sunwoo Kim from Ewha Womans University examine how North Korea's norm-violating actions -- including missile tests, cyberattacks, and sanctions evasion -- have catalyzed U.S.-ROK-Japan trilateralism. Trilateral cooperation is expanding on cyber and intelligence, economic security, and human rights. These policies have...

Hae Jung Lee, a research fellow at the Hyundai Research Institute, notes that North Korea's economic development has been lagging throughout the first half of 2024, despite its efforts toward regional and local development. While she does not foresee substantial improvements in the country's economic situation for the remainder of the year, Lee sug...

Yongwoo Na, Director of the North Korea Research Division at KINU, underscores the escalating severity of natural disasters that North Korea experiences annually and notes that Pyongyang’s disaster response capabilities remain critically inadequate. Na highlights that the growing frequency of disasters, driven by the climate crisis, poses a signi...

Jihwan Hwang, a professor at the University of Seoul, highlights the implications of Germany's experience on the Korean Peninsula's unification issue, given North Korea's shift in its unification policy and the worsening public opinion in South Korea regarding the necessity of unification. To garner strong support and desire from both South and Nor...

Dong Ryul Lee, Chair of the EAI China Research Center, asserts that although China generally follows a restrained approach aimed at maintaining regional stability in Northeast Asia, it adopts a more proactive stance when it perceives an imminent crisis in the DPRK regime or a significant decline in its influence on the Korean Peninsula affairs, par...