The lesson to be drawn from North Korea’s foreign policy maneuverings is that they are largely reactive to outsiders’ initiative, a long-time Korea observer suggested to NK News.

Gordon Flake, Executive Director of the Mansfield Foundation, looks at both the failed overtures by the Japanese government and Dennis Rodman’s basketball diplomacy – two events that left outsiders scratching their heads – as examples.

The former case is particularly instructive, as North Korea’s decision to broadcast Abe government aide Isao Iijimia’s May arrival in Pyongyang left North Korea watchers baffled – for essentially exposing Japanese efforts to confidentially reach out to North