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.

Twitter

North Korea’s army training ‘revolution,’ military drills and Ukraine-DPRK trade

NK News’ Bryan Betts talks special forces, tank and air force exercises, Kim Jong Un’s tribute to his mentor and more

Bryan Betts | Jacco Zwetsloot | NK NewsMay 20, 2025

North Korea News Podcast

How North Korean literature celebrates the ‘hidden heroes’ of everyday life

Immanuel Kim and Benoit Berthelier discuss their anthology of DPRK short stories and distinguishing propaganda from art

Jacco Zwetsloot | NK NewsMay 15, 2025

North Korea News Podcast

Putin meets North Korean commanders, and Kim Jong Un’s Victory Day speech

NK News’ Jooheon Kim discusses how DPRK leader justified troop dispatch to fight Ukraine and South Korea’s election

Jacco Zwetsloot | Jooheon Kim | NK NewsMay 13, 2025

North Korea News Podcast

Bart van Genugten: How Western tourists put North Koreans’ lives at risk

YouTuber recounts his participation in the recent Pyongyang marathon and the ethics of creating content in the DPRK

Jacco Zwetsloot | NK NewsMay 8, 2025

North Korea News Podcast

North Korea test missiles from new warship, and ROK presidential race heats up

NK News’ Alannah Hill discusses the DPRK’s newest naval weapons, plus a border city’s plans to export beer to Russia

Alannah Hill | Jacco Zwetsloot | NK NewsMay 6, 2025

North Korea News Podcast

Eleonor Fernandez: What accountability looks like for North Korean abuses

Human rights officer discusses the challenge of holding offenders responsible and investigating violations in the DPRK

Jacco Zwetsloot | NK NewsMay 1, 2025

North Korea News Podcast

North Korea confirms Russia troop deployment, and the DPRK’s new warship

NK News’ Jeongmin Kim discusses why Pyongyang came clean on troops fighting Ukraine and Lee Jae-myung’s presidential bid

Jacco Zwetsloot | Jeongmin Kim | NK NewsApril 29, 2025

North Korea News Podcast

Bruce Bennett: Why the US needs a new strategy to deter North Korean nuclear use

RAND researcher discusses Pyongyang’s weapons posture, evolving US-ROK alliance and insights from wargaming conflict

Jacco Zwetsloot | NK NewsApril 24, 2025

North Korea News Podcast

North Korea’s new skyscraper street, rejecting drone claims and defector numbers

NK News’ Joon Ha Park discusses Kim Jong Un at a ribbon cutting and the UN aviation body’s decision on DPRK complaint

Jacco Zwetsloot | Joon Ha Park | NK NewsApril 22, 2025

North Korea News Podcast

Cathi Choi: How inter-Korean conflict harms women’s rights

Co-director of Women Cross DMZ discusses who benefits from division of peninsula and the role of women in peace process

Jacco Zwetsloot | NK NewsApril 18, 2025

1 2 3 4 … 45 Next

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jacco Zwetsloot

More articles by 'Jacco Zwetsloot'

North Korea’s army training ‘revolution,’ military drills and Ukraine-DPRK trade

How North Korean literature celebrates the ‘hidden heroes’ of everyday life

Putin meets North Korean commanders, and Kim Jong Un’s Victory Day speech

Bart van Genugten: How Western tourists put North Koreans’ lives at risk

North Korea test missiles from new warship, and ROK presidential race heats up

Eleonor Fernandez: What accountability looks like for North Korean abuses

North Korea confirms Russia troop deployment, and the DPRK’s new warship

Bruce Bennett: Why the US needs a new strategy to deter North Korean nuclear use

North Korea’s new skyscraper street, rejecting drone claims and defector numbers

Cathi Choi: How inter-Korean conflict harms women’s rights

LATEST ANALYSIS