North Korea reportedly test-fired its new long-range cruise missiles and rail-mobile ballistic missiles four times in September, which successfully hit their respective targets. As the North continues to enhance its nuclear missile capabilities, military threats and arms races among neighboring powers are intensifying. The North claims that prospec...

North Korean businesses run by state-supplied energy have not been properly operated due to a sharp decrease in energy supply. Long-standing energy shortages have paralyzed the state energy supply and demand system, causing further disruptions in statewide functions. In this commentary, Kyung-sool Kim, Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Korea E...

While the EU had initially focused on engagement with North Korea in the 1990s, the North Korea nuclear crisis served as a turning point, pushing the EU to change its strategy to ‘critical engagement.’ In this commentary, Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Professor of International Relations at King's College London and the KF-VUB Korea Chair at the Brussel...

While the EU had initially engaged with North Korea through a conciliatory approach, its stance against the authoritarian state has been more critical, manifest in its policy of ‘critical engagement.’ In this commentary, Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Professor of International Relations at King's College London and the KF-VUB Korea Chair at the Brussels...

Following the arrival of anti-DPRK leaflets in North Korea in 2020, North Korea cut all inter-Korean hotlines. The communication hotline between North and South Korea have been reestablished following a one year hiatus on July 27, raising doubts about what North Korea’s intentions behind this move are. While some claim that this update indicated ...

Propaganda, among other tools, is a widely used means by the North Korean government to bolster the basis of its regime. The use of distorted news through inaccurate publications is one way in which propagandistic information is circulated within not only North Korea, but also in foreign countries online. In this commentary, Dr. Sandip Mishra, Asso...

Economic development in North Korea remains stalled in the present day; amid factors conducive to further contraction such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy continues to struggle. In this commentary, Junghwan Lee, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Seoul National University, emphasizes the importance of inte...

Once unyielding, Japan’s stance towards North Korea has shifted towards one that is more open for dialogue. However, issues such as North Korea’s abduction of Japanese citizens remain unsolved until today. Dr. Kitae Lee, Director of Peace Research at the Korea Institute for National Unification, states that the most important factor for the imp...

Sports have long been a means of amicable cooperation between the two Koreas. Although North Korea withdrew from participating in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, it had been stated in the 2018 Pyongyang Joint Declaration that two Koreas will strive to cooperate in sports competitions such as the Olympic Games and cooperate in bidding to co-host the 2032 S...

The second July Global NK commentary, Global NK offers another analysis on the North Korea-China relations. According to Dr. Lee Sang-sook, North Korea and China use the Treaty of Friendship to deter South Korea and the U.S. from unilaterally solving problems on the Korean Peninsula. Although tension and conflicts will always exist in North Korea-C...