Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from a report originally published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Read the full report here.The status quo trajectory of U.S. policy toward North Korea is unsustainable. Rigid adherence to a… Read more
On President Donald Trump’s first day in office, he referred to North Korea as a “nuclear power.” Just a few months before, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un said he would “exponentially” increase his country’s nuclear weapons arsenal, which he followed… Read more
This essay is part of a series, Pursuing Peaceful Coexistence with North Korea, that explores how the United States and South Korea can peacefully coexist with a nuclear North Korea.For any peaceful coexistence between the United States and North Korea… Read more
About the PaperNear- and medium-term prospects for the peaceful reunification of North and South Korea are poor, and steadily worsening. Nevertheless, this discussion paper argues that South Korea needs to prepare for a possible peaceful reunification of… Read more
Until late October, the big questions about China’s role in the Ukraine conflict centered around whether Beijing would choose to expand its support for Russia to include lethal aid, or if it might engage in more active peacemaking to end the conflict… Read more
After signing a mutual defense pledge in June, North Korea and Russia relations appear to be deepening. U.S. officials confirmed last week that North Korean troops, including elite special forces, were in Russia for training and potentially combat… Read more
Sanctions have been a key part of US and international policy toward North Korea since the Korean War. In more recent decades, sanctions have been used to deter North Korea from pursuing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles programs. This report… Read more
North Korea serves as a mutually beneficial partner for many African governments. Although these ties are often viewed solely through the lens of economic and security interests, this report shows Pyongyang's deep historical connections and ideological… Read more
More than one in five North Koreans have cell phones, and increasingly rely on them to conduct financial transactions. Many of these transactions involve trading cell phone airtime, or “phone money,” for goods and services, and even for offering bribes… Read more
To help U.S. policymakers better manage the myriad risks they face on the Korean Peninsula, this report assesses whether and how to pursue national security diplomacy with North Korea. This concept of engagement responds to the National Defense… Read more
A joint statement by the United States and North Korea in June 2018 declared that the two countries were committed to building “a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.” Such a peace regime will ultimately require the engagement and… Read more
Through the successive regimes of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and Kim Jong Un, North Korea has maintained near-total control over the information that reaches its citizens. Now, as more and more North Koreans use networked devices such as smartphones, the… Read more