Won Gon Park, Chair of EAI’s Center for North Korea Studies and Professor at Ewha Womans University, analyzes the foreign policy direction of the second Trump administration through the lens of Elbridge Colby’s strategic vision. Park argues that Colby’s approach prioritizes countering China while expecting greater contributions from allies in...

Jihwan Hwang, Professor at the University of Seoul, examines the impact of President Trump's "America First" foreign policy on U.S.-DPRK relations, highlighting the risks of “unstrategic impatience.” While Trump has expressed interest in direct engagement with Kim Jong Un, his transactional approach and shifting priorities raise concerns about ...

Dong Ryul Lee, Chair of EAI’s China Research Center and Professor at Dongduk Women’s University, examines the evolving North Korea-China relationship under the second Trump administration. He argues that while Pyongyang seeks stronger ties with Beijing amid deepening cooperation with Moscow, China remains cautious, balancing its strategic inter...

Sang Ki Kim, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, assesses that inter-Korean relations have reached their lowest point in 2025, largely due to DPRK’s “Two Hostile States” doctrine. Kim attributes the shift in DPRK’s ROK policy to several factors, including the perceived power imbalance between Seoul and Pyongya...

Won Gon Park, Chair of the EAI North Korea Studies Center, forecasts Pyongyang’s foreign relations in 2025, highlighting U.S.-China tensions, the Russia-Ukraine war, and potential U.S.-DPRK talks. He believes the U.S.-China rivalry won’t lead to the bloc system DPRK expects, while viewing Pyongyang’s military ties with Russia as a miscalculat...

Nilay Tavli (PhD student, Hanyang University) and Kyung-young Chung (Professor, Hanyang University) examine the evolving nature of North Korea's unconventional warfare tactics, focusing on the regime's recent use of balloon provocations and the resultant psychological threats to South Korea. They recommend Seoul enhance its defense capabilities and...

Chaesung Chun, Chair of EAI’s National Security Research Center and Professor at Seoul National University, examines the prospects and challenges of a potential second U.S.-North Korea summit under President Trump. He notes that Trump may seek a summit to bolster his domestic political standing, potentially pursuing a “small deal” centered on...

Yang Gyu Kim, Principal Researcher at EAI and Lecturer at Seoul National University, challenges the assumptions that nuclear weapons are essential for South Korea’s security and that even a small nuclear arsenal could effectively counter North Korea’s advancing nuclear threat. Drawing on historical lessons from the U.S.-Soviet nuclear arms race...

Young-Sun Ha, Chairman of the East Asia Institute and Emeritus Professor at Seoul National University, critically analyzes North Korea's nuclear development, its military support for Russia, and the deteriorating ties with China as key miscalculations of 2024 that intensify the Kim regime's crisis. He argues that these errors, compounded by economi...

Cheng-Chwee Kuik, a professor at the National University of Malaysia, notes that while a second Trump administration’s foreign policy is likely to adopt a transactional approach and distance itself from multilateralism, its impact on allies and partner states in Asia could differ substantially. He identifies ASEAN countries' commitment to neutral...