About the author
More articles by 'Andrei Lankov'
The world’s poor unification record doesn’t bode well for the two Koreas
History shows every unified state formed through negotiations has failed, in large part due to elite discontent
Why military strikes on North Korea’s nuke program would have made things worse
An editorial defending the Iran war by criticizing conflict-avoidance with the DPRK fails to account for the real costs
Trump’s war with Iran has left prospects for North Korea talks on life support
Killing of Iranian leader is unsettling for Pyongyang, but its measured response suggests it hasn’t fully closed door
In a turbulent world, Kim Jong Un’s regime looks more secure than ever
Great power competition and US retreat from exporting democracy have quashed hope for radical change in North Korea
US-North Korea talks could be coming in 2026. But not the deal Trump wants.
While arms control would benefit both, Trump will struggle to get more from a confident Kim Jong Un than he did in Hanoi
‘I hate communism’: Why South Korea soured on a boy martyr killed by the North
Once a hero of anti-DPRK propaganda, Lee Seung-bok became an inconvenience when the ROK’s political tides changed
The true story of Lee Seung-bok, the boy slaughtered by North Korean commandos
A failed attempt to foment revolution exemplified the intensity of Cold War struggle, and made a 9-year-old into a hero
Why South Korea’s Left is embracing a two-state solution to North Korea
Chung Dong-young’s claim that Koreas are separate countries concedes a reality long papered over by political fictions
A North Korean general’s forgotten memoir illuminates the regime’s brutality
Firsthand account of Kim Il Sung’s purges shows how the DPRK turned to concentration camps as a tool of political terror
Kim Jong Un’s much-hyped show of unity with Xi and Putin masks deep divides
Ties between North Korea, China and Russia are defined by distrust, providing a shaky foundation for a trilateral axis














