May 02, 2024

About the author

Jacco Zwetsloot

Jacco Zwetsloot has been the host of the NK News Podcast since episode 1 in February 2018. He has interviewed a wide range of guests about their knowledge of and experience in North Korea, from celebrity defectors to high-ranking U.S. government officials. His goal is to help as wide a cross-section of North Korea-related stories as possible be told, in order to build up a fuller picture. Jacco has a Master of Arts from Leiden University, for which he wrote a thesis on North Korean graphic novels.

More articles by 'Jacco Zwetsloot'

Africa to North Korea: Growing up under Kim Il Sung’s fatherly care – Ep. 259
Podcast

Africa to North Korea: Growing up under Kim Il Sung’s fatherly care – Ep. 259

Monique Macias shares her experience growing up in Pyongyang under the guardianship of North Korea’s founding leader

Africa to North Korea: Growing up under Kim Il Sung’s fatherly care – Ep. 259
Jacco Zwetsloot
Jacco Zwetsloot | NK News October 25, 2022
Rollerblading through Kim Il Sung Square – Ep. 258
Podcast

Rollerblading through Kim Il Sung Square – Ep. 258

Charles Thirlwall discusses the explosion of international business interest in North Korea at the turn of the century

Rollerblading through Kim Il Sung Square – Ep. 258
Jacco Zwetsloot
Jacco Zwetsloot | NK News October 18, 2022
Are North Korea’s missile tests building up to something big? – Ep. 257
Podcast

Are North Korea’s missile tests building up to something big? – Ep. 257

The NK News team discusses DPRK state media’s weapons reveals, a missile over Japan, US-ROK responses and more

Are North Korea’s missile tests building up to something big? – Ep. 257
Jacco Zwetsloot
Jacco Zwetsloot | NK News October 11, 2022
A peace-first, pro-diplomacy approach to North Korea – Ep. 256
Podcast

A peace-first, pro-diplomacy approach to North Korea – Ep. 256

Christine Ahn and Colleen Moore discuss how women across the world are working to formally end the Korean War

A peace-first, pro-diplomacy approach to North Korea – Ep. 256
Jacco Zwetsloot
Jacco Zwetsloot | NK News October 4, 2022
What the CIA knows (and doesn’t know) about North Korea – Ep. 255
Podcast

What the CIA knows (and doesn’t know) about North Korea – Ep. 255

Soo Kim explains how analysts interpret information coming out of Pyongyang and find signals in the noise

What the CIA knows (and doesn’t know) about North Korea – Ep. 255
Jacco Zwetsloot
Jacco Zwetsloot | NK News September 27, 2022
Unplugging from the North Korean matrix – Ep. 254
Podcast

Unplugging from the North Korean matrix – Ep. 254

Seohyun Lee discusses her life in an elite DPRK family and how her view of the country radically changed while abroad

Unplugging from the North Korean matrix – Ep. 254
Jacco Zwetsloot
Jacco Zwetsloot | NK News September 20, 2022
How nuclear weapons help North Korea punch above its weight – Ep. 253
Podcast

How nuclear weapons help North Korea punch above its weight – Ep. 253

Sung-Yoon Lee discusses grim realities of the Kim Jong Un regime and why denuclearization summit talks are pointless

How nuclear weapons help North Korea punch above its weight – Ep. 253
Jacco Zwetsloot
Jacco Zwetsloot | NK News September 13, 2022
North Korea declares COVID victory and lashes out at US-ROK drills – Ep. 252
Podcast

North Korea declares COVID victory and lashes out at US-ROK drills – Ep. 252

The NK News team discusses the biggest events in August, from DPRK’s COVID ‘victory’ to an attack on a defector-activist

North Korea declares COVID victory and lashes out at US-ROK drills – Ep. 252
Jacco Zwetsloot
Jacco Zwetsloot | NK News September 6, 2022
Why it’s in America’s interest to withdraw troops from Korea – Ep. 251
Podcast

Why it’s in America’s interest to withdraw troops from Korea – Ep. 251

Doug Bandow discusses the limits of US power on the peninsula and why Seoul can effectively defend against North Korea

Why it’s in America’s interest to withdraw troops from Korea – Ep. 251
Jacco Zwetsloot
Jacco Zwetsloot | NK News August 30, 2022
How the first North Korean to face charges in US triggered a diplomatic standoff

How the first North Korean to face charges in US triggered a diplomatic standoff

O Nam Chol was accused of sexual assault in 1982, forcing DPRK and US to negotiate for first time in decades

How the first North Korean to face charges in US triggered a diplomatic standoff
Jacco Zwetsloot
Jacco Zwetsloot August 22, 2022
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