May 06, 2024

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrei Lankov

Andrei Lankov

Andrei Lankov is a Director at NK News and writes exclusively for the site as one of the world's leading authorities on North Korea. A graduate of Leningrad State University, he attended Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung University from 1984-5 - an experience you can read about here. In addition to his writing, he is also a Professor at Kookmin University.

Columns

How women run the small business world inside North Korea

Capitalist markets inside the country have propelled many women to be the primary breadwinners of their families

Andrei LankovAndrei LankovApril 29, 2022
Columns

Denuclearization should not be a prerequisite for engagement with North Korea

The incoming government in Seoul may see clearly how the DPRK operates, but stated policies are useless – even dangerous

Andrei LankovAndrei LankovApril 27, 2022
Columns

Why North Korea’s markets will survive state crackdowns on private commerce

Marketplaces have persisted in DPRK despite extreme suspicion from the state, which tolerates them as a necessary evil

Andrei LankovAndrei LankovApril 20, 2022
Columns

How North Korea tried and failed to boost consumption of the other white meat

The regime heralded a future of ‘silk clothes’ and ‘meat soup’ through mass pig farms, a vision that never came to pass

Andrei LankovAndrei LankovApril 12, 2022
Columns

The war in Ukraine changes everything — including the future of North Korea

Russia's invasion is the latest event to increase chance Kim Jong Un regime survives and becomes more aggressive

Andrei LankovAndrei LankovApril 4, 2022
Columns

Why North Korea introduced its own version of alternative civilian service

The DPRK’s shock detachments realize a dream of early communist leaders and provide a path to social advancement

Andrei LankovAndrei LankovMarch 25, 2022
Columns

Despite mixed legacy, Moon Jae-in played key role to avert war with North Korea

Failures of the last few years shouldn’t overshadow the outgoing president’s deft diplomacy in the days of fire and fury

Andrei LankovAndrei LankovMarch 18, 2022
Columns

How a North Korean businessman’s high-rise dreams came crashing down

A defector’s memoir illuminates how private entrepreneurs, relying on bribery, drove a construction boom in Pyongyang

Andrei LankovAndrei LankovFebruary 25, 2022
Analysis

What’s in it for the working man? Why North Koreans show up for low-wage jobs

State-assigned jobs rarely pay a livable salary, but there are other benefits for reporting to one’s workplace

Andrei LankovAndrei LankovFebruary 16, 2022
Columns

A North Korean assassination gone wrong and its continuing ripple effects

The attempt to take out former ROK leader Park Chung-hee killed his wife instead and drove his daughter into politics

Andrei LankovAndrei LankovFebruary 2, 2022
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