March 29, 2024

About the author

Balazs Szalontai

Balazs Szalontai is a historian and professor at Korea University, Division of Public Sociology and Korean Unification.

More articles by 'Balazs Szalontai'

How North Korea navigates the labyrinth of Palestinian political divisions
NK PRO

How North Korea navigates the labyrinth of Palestinian political divisions

Pyongyang has long refused to accept Israel’s right to exist but has taken evasive stance toward Hamas-PLO rivalry

How North Korea navigates the labyrinth of Palestinian political divisions
Balazs Szalontai
Balazs Szalontai October 18, 2023
Why North Korea’s partnership with Libya was not built to last
NK PRO

Why North Korea’s partnership with Libya was not built to last

Pariah status drew disparate states together, but they pursued nuclear programs with very different goals

Why North Korea’s partnership with Libya was not built to last
Balazs Szalontai
Balazs Szalontai August 8, 2023
Why North Korea forged enduring friendship with Syria, but not neighboring Iraq
NK PRO

Why North Korea forged enduring friendship with Syria, but not neighboring Iraq

Geopolitical realities more than simple loyalty have driven Pyongyang’s ties with the ideologically similar regimes

Why North Korea forged enduring friendship with Syria, but not neighboring Iraq
Balazs Szalontai
Balazs Szalontai October 11, 2022
How the North Korean-Vietnamese friendship turned sour

How the North Korean-Vietnamese friendship turned sour

Pyongyang's self-centered behavior towards Hanoi irreparably damaged a once-close alliance

How the North Korean-Vietnamese friendship turned sour
Balazs Szalontai
Balazs Szalontai October 31, 2017
How, and why, China and North Korea have drifted apart

How, and why, China and North Korea have drifted apart

China's pursuit of other partners in East Asia has strained the old alliance

How, and why, China and North Korea have drifted apart
Balazs Szalontai
Balazs Szalontai April 19, 2017
A Korean Autonomous Territory in Mongolia?

A Korean Autonomous Territory in Mongolia?

North Korean economic nationalism has an exploitative side, which can backfire

A Korean Autonomous Territory in Mongolia?
Balazs Szalontai
Balazs Szalontai May 13, 2016
The specter of terrorism in North Korean, Iranian propaganda

The specter of terrorism in North Korean, Iranian propaganda

U.S. counter-terrorism is too much for Pyongyang’s regime, too little for Tehran’s

The specter of terrorism in North Korean, Iranian propaganda
Balazs Szalontai
Balazs Szalontai August 25, 2015
Consent, discord in North Korean, Iranian attitudes toward international terrorism

Consent, discord in North Korean, Iranian attitudes toward international terrorism

The enemy of my friend, the enemy of my enemy, or the friend of my enemy?

Consent, discord in North Korean, Iranian attitudes toward international terrorism
Balazs Szalontai
Balazs Szalontai August 17, 2015
Riding the tiger of nationalism in North Korea

Riding the tiger of nationalism in North Korea

How did the North Korean leadership muzzle the tiger that Ceausescu could not control?

Riding the tiger of nationalism in North Korea
Balazs Szalontai
Balazs Szalontai March 3, 2015
Cracks in the North Korea – Iran Axis

Cracks in the North Korea – Iran Axis

Elements of dissonance in the rhetoric of the Tehran-Pyongyang partnership

Cracks in the North Korea – Iran Axis
Balazs Szalontai
Balazs Szalontai August 5, 2014