October 03, 2023
Analysis

Don’t sugarcoat it: Why candor is the best policy with North Korea

Ambassador Thomas Schäfer’s book shows the value of speaking truth to power about the unjust system under Kim Jong Un

While the world watches whether North Korea and the United States can agree on removing nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula and normalizing relations, German Ambassador Thomas Schäfer’s new book should be on the table. 

Schäfer served as ambassador in Pyongyang from 2007 to 2010 and again from 2013 to 2018, and is one of the very few chiefs of mission to have published a book about his experiences.