Posts tagged Kim Jong-un
“Whatever it takes”? Securing the return of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea

Written by Dr James Kaizuka

“Whatever it takes” ultimately means squaring the circle of North Korea’s likely demands with what the Japanese public is willing to accept as an offering to a dictatorship which may well use any inducement against it in the future.

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Indonesia and North Korea: warm memories of the Cold War

Written by Dr Gatra Priyandita

While Indonesia today maintains a highly comprehensive relationship with South Korea, Indonesia’s relationship with North Korea is one that is not only moulded by the Cold War but one that remains stuck within it.

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Attentive friends, busy enemies, and a bright future — 2023 for North Korea

Written by Benedikt Staar

North Korean politics are strongly influenced by the regime’s friends, its enemies, and its own ambitions. As it turns out, things look promising for Pyongyang on all three fronts.

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The Korean Peninsula: Lessons from Russia's aggression against Ukraine

Written by Oskar Pietrewicz

The different reactions of South Korea and North Korea to the Russian invasion, the deepening Chinese-Russian cooperation, and US efforts to strengthen alliances, may perpetuate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

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More than signalling: North Korea’s missiles and Japan’s enhanced need for deterrence

Written by Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi and Christopher Lamont

Even though Japan’s defence planning faces dilemmas and doubts going forward, there is a renewed consensus in Tokyo that more must be done to deter and defend against a diverse range of challenges posed by China, North Korea, and Russia.

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In Conversation: Katie Stallard on ‘Dancing on Bones’

9DASHLINE recently sat down with Katie Stallard to discuss her new book ‘Dancing on Bones: History and Power in China, Russia, and North Korea’. Drawing on first-hand, on-the-ground reporting, this fascinating book examines how the leaders of China, Russia, and North Korea manipulate the past to serve the present and secure the future of authoritarian rule.

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Cyberspace and the DPRK: Evolving cyber strategy

Written by Abhishek Sharma

The DPRK’s targeting of US public and private organisations shows how far it will go to challenge the US. The (geo)political divide in technology will only make it more problematic.

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North Korea’s recent missile tests illustrate its nuclear tactics

Written by Elisabeth I-Mi Suh

North Korea is advancing its nuclear weapons and missile programs. Despite economic hardships and pandemic provisions the regime in Pyongyang has made significant strides in developing a range of different missile systems.

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Bitcoin to bombs: Illicit money and the preservation of Kim Jong-un

Written by Casey Babb

If he is going to be compelled to behave differently, or if regime change is the end goal, policymakers, practitioners, and cyber experts need to cut off North Korea’s digital “bank robbers”.

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Is South Korea’s new Indo-Pacific strategy finally forthcoming?

Written by Wongi Choe

In contrast to the previous Moon Jae-in administration of the Republic of Korea (ROK), the new Yoon Suk-yeol government is highly likely to take on a new broader regional strategy with a comprehensive Indo-Pacific framework at its core.

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Why China will not cooperate with the United States on North Korea

Written by Anny Boc

China’s public support in February for Russia’s position on opposing further NATO expansion reflects its own long harboured concern about US’ intent to establish an Asian version of NATO.

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Evolution, not revolution, will define Yoon’s foreign policy

Written by Ramon Pacheco Pardo

As for Yoon’s approach toward the Indo-Pacific, we can expect Yoon to seek to boost security cooperation with the US — above all — Australia, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Europe to contain China’s behaviour in the region.

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What Kim Jong-un’s diplomacy tells us about Sino-NK relations

Written by Darcie Draudt

Looking forward to when the pandemic winds down, China will likely test the appetite in Pyongyang for bilateral and even multilateral meetings on denuclearisation and sanctions relief, especially at the working level.

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In Brief with Ji Seong-ho, National Assembly Member

The European Union can play several critical roles with respect to North Korea. The first is to enact a ‘North Korean Human Rights Act’. Such a law only exists in the Republic of Korea, the US, and Japan.

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Indigenous deterrence capabilities and inter-Korean relations

Written by Elisabeth Suh

The upcoming presidential elections in March 2022 will set Seoul’s tone for the next five years. Which scenario is more likely to unfold in the medium-term, however, depends also on North Korea and the broader geopolitical setting.

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In Brief with Michael Reiterer, former EU Ambassador to the Republic of Korea

In Brief with Michael Reiterer

EU policy on North Korea must balance the commitment to strictly uphold the international rules-based system with the need to adopt flexible diplomacy that will convince Kim Jong-un to move in a positive direction.

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Denuclearisation means regime change in North Korea

Written by Benedikt Christoph Staar

North Korea’s neighbours are not too keen on denuclearisation either. Admittedly, neither China nor Russia benefits from a nuclear-armed North Korea because it causes regional insecurity at best and unforeseeable political and economic damage at worst.

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'Deterrence and stern diplomacy': where do we go from here?

Written by Edward Howell

Growing tensions in Sino-US relations vis-à-vis Taiwan and the treatment of Uyghur minorities in Xinjiang only underscore the Biden administration’s policy of maintaining stability over the possible unintended consequences of any attempt to reach out to Kim Jong-un.

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