Antoine Bondaz, Director of the Korea Program on Security and Diplomacy at the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS), examines the EU’s “critical engagement policy” with North Korea, initiated after the first nuclear crisis in 2006. Despite this policy causing a collapse in bilateral trade, the author underscores that European nations have ...

Shin-wha Lee, the Ambassador for International Cooperation on North Korean Human Rights, assesses the Yoon government’s North Korea policy as a valid approach to establish a virtuous cycle and mutual complementarity between “peace” and “freedom,” which are the core tenets of Yoon’s foreign policy. Highlighting that South Korea’s North...

Bo-hyuk Suh, a Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), highlights that despite political controversies, South Korean society largely agrees on the severity of North Korean human rights conditions and the necessity of prioritizing human rights improvement in Seoul’s broader North Korea policy. Due to the limited lik...

Woo Young Lee, a Professor at the University of North Korean Studies, points out that South Korea's efforts to improve North Korean human rights have been impeded by extreme polarization between the progressive and conservative camps. In this context, Lee argues that South Korea's official North Korean human rights reports must focus on impartial a...

Chaesung Chun, Chair of the EAI’s National Security Research Center and Professor at Seoul National University, explores the complex nature of the North Korean human rights issues and offers policy direction to improve the dire situation. Highlighting that ideological, political, and policy polarizations within South Korea hinder effective policy...

Dr. Lee Shin-wha, the ROK Ambassador for International Cooperation on North Korean Human Rights, identifies the important stakeholders in the DPRK human rights problem and explains why these human rights issues have not been receiving adequate level of attention. Highlighting that humanitarian aid is essential for the survival of the ordinary North...

Rep. Tae Yong-ho, a North Korean defector and a member of the National Assembly from People Power Party, shares his assessment on the current state of human rights in North Korea and analyzes the reason for both South and North Korea’s inability to make progress in human rights issues. Rep. Tae argues that Kim Jong Un is more irrational and ruthl...

Ambassador Robert King, the former U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues, shares his insights about the current living conditions in the DPRK and the DPRK’s attitude toward U.S. efforts to engage in negotiations. In spite of the pandemic that has further limited foreign access to information, he highlights the importance of sate...

In light of the Biden administration’s recent decision to appoint Julie Turner as the Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues, EAI invited former Ambassador Robert King to share his past experience in the same position. Ambassador King elaborates on the various responsibilities of the Special Envoy for DPRK Human Rights, ranging from c...

Kipoom Jeong, M.A. Candidate at Seoul National University, highlights the importance of developing South Korea’s stance to ameliorate the human rights condition in North Korea based on the understanding of how other states react to it. She compares the two different approaches of the United States and European nations toward North Korean human ri...