What If? | NK News
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October 08, 2026Oct 08, 2026

What If?

An NK News series featuring scenarios about North Korea’s future. Articles in this series draw on verified facts and rigorous analysis to explore hypothetical events in the years and decades ahead.

What if the UN shuts down the Panel of Experts overseeing North Korea sanctions?

What if the UN shuts down the Panel of Experts overseeing North Korea sanctions?

China’s skepticism of sanctions could lead it to end support, eliminating a key source of information on DPRK activities

What if the UN shuts down the Panel of Experts overseeing North Korea sanctions?
Chad O'Carroll
Chad O'Carroll May 27, 2022
What if North Korea’s vessels become significantly harder to track?

What if North Korea’s vessels become significantly harder to track?

China’s data privacy laws and friction with the West may soon make ship tracking information hard to come by in Asia

What if North Korea’s vessels become significantly harder to track?
Ethan Jewell
Ethan Jewell April 29, 2022
What if the US recognized North Korea as a nuclear power?

What if the US recognized North Korea as a nuclear power?

The move would open a door for better US-DPRK relations but set a damning precedent for global nonproliferation

What if the US recognized North Korea as a nuclear power?
James Fretwell
James Fretwell March 29, 2022