I came back from Washington just a few days ago, having spent two very long and busy weeks there.

Actually, for a North Korea watcher this is not a good time to visit the den of “U.S. imperialism” (to borrow a colorful North Korean phrase). The self-styled “capital of the free world” is in the middle of political crisis caused by a government shutdown. If a person is interested in foreign policy at all, North Korea is still very low on their agenda – which is dominated by Egypt, Syria and other countries in the Middle East.

North Korea is