Columns
Columns on the latest North Korea issues from analysts, academics and renowned experts. Views expressed by our columnists are exclusively the authors’ own.
Lifting ban on North Korean media can only help the South Korean government
No other group inflicts as much damage on the DPRK's image as its own propagandists
How North Korea’s bizarre propaganda could outlive the Kim dynasty
Example of post-Soviet states suggests DPRK’s mythology may not disappear even after unification or regime collapse
How North Korea’s warped history puts Pyongyang at the center of everything
Children in DPRK learn that treasonous southerners collaborating with a foreign power led to division a millennia ago
At Panmunjom, North Korea looks more paranoid and isolated than ever before
Relics of inter-Korean rapprochement at Joint Security Area also provide stark reminder of failure of peace efforts
How North Korean police corruption became essential to the growth of markets
Businesspeople pay bribes to police in order to create the space necessary for them to buy, sell and trade their wares
How North Korea turned a civil war conflict into anti-US propaganda
North Korea revived a major anti-American holiday last month, spotlighting a gruesome episode from the Korean War
How North Korea could control the South without ever conquering it
The much larger ROK is too unwieldy to absorb, but DPRK could still exact monetary tribute and exert political power
How the private market brought pork to the table in North Korea
When state planning failed to deliver a steady supply of meat, Kim Il Sung handed the reins to private pig farmers
The extraordinarily normal life of a North Korean woman from a rural town
Move from countryside to career to housewife typifies apolitical path of majority that rarely questions DPRK society
Why North Korea’s COVID-19 outbreak won’t be a death sentence for Kim regime
Malnutrition and poor healthcare may cause more deaths than statistics show, but mainly among elderly and poor
