Columns
Columns on the latest North Korea issues from analysts, academics and renowned experts. Views expressed by our columnists are exclusively the authors’ own.
From Moscow to Pyongyang: North Korea pivots back toward the Soviet side
The DPRK repaired ties with USSR after cozying up to Beijing, and Moscow provided aid despite distaste for regime
From Moscow to Pyongyang: How North Korea broke with Soviets and embraced China
The DPRK used the Korean War to start playing its allies off each other, a strategy it still employs to this day
From Moscow to Pyongyang: The birth of North Korea under Soviet control
A new NK News series explores the history of bilateral ties and what it says about DPRK’s partnership with Russia today
How North Korean neighborhood watch groups do dirty work of keeping cities clean
Groups notorious for spying on citizens also mobilize residents for tasks ranging from collecting trash to cutting grass
The myth of free housing in North Korea
While cases do exist, desirable real estate in Pyongyang and elsewhere is wildly out of reach for most
How a long-dead independence hero became embroiled in inter-Korean tensions
Hong Beom-do, celebrated for fighting Japanese Empire, is now at center of South Korean debate over his communist ties
Summit subterfuge? Why Putin may be bluffing about tech transfers to North Korea
Russian leader met Kim Jong Un with one eye on South Korea, likely hoping to compel Seoul not to send weapons to Ukraine
North Korea is creaking open. But foreigners shouldn’t start packing their bags.
Return of DPRK citizens is likely beginning of gradual relaxation of border controls that may take months, or even years
Big Brother lives: How North Korean organizations keep watch on citizens
Mandatory membership in one of five groups creates a network of surveillance and indoctrination that no one can evade
Iron Curtain 2.0: How North Korea has embraced Soviet-style border security
Kim Jong Un appears determined to stop cross-border movement, and history suggests the DPRK is capable of doing so
