A hand-painted propaganda poser in Pyongyang, Dec. 2017 | Image: NK News
During a recent trip to a hot and humid Washington, D.C., I could not miss an opportunity to talk to my local contacts — those academics, diplomats, analysts and journalists focusing on the peculiar society in North Korea. This gave a good snapshot on the latest thoughts inside the Beltway about North Korea and related issues.
The single most important takeaway is that interest in North Korea is at a record low. In the days of Donald Trump’s presidency, North Korea briefly rose to the top of the White House agenda, but these days are gone.
During a recent trip to a hot and humid Washington, D.C., I could not miss an opportunity to talk to my local contacts — those academics, diplomats, analysts and journalists focusing on the peculiar society in North Korea. This gave a good snapshot on the latest thoughts inside the Beltway about North Korea and related issues.
The single most important takeaway is that interest in North Korea is at a record low. In the days of Donald Trump’s presidency, North Korea briefly rose to the top of the White House agenda, but these days are gone.
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Andrei Lankov is a Director at NK News and writes exclusively for the site as one of the world's leading authorities on North Korea. A graduate of Leningrad State University, he attended Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung University from 1984-5 - an experience you can read about here. In addition to his writing, he is also a Professor at Kookmin University.