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North Korea appears to be preparing for a large-scale outdoor concert in Pyongyang to celebrate the country’s foundation day on Sept. 9, according to NK News analysis of satellite imagery. NK News CEO Chad O’Carroll joins the podcast to discuss the DPRK’s foundation holiday, as well as reports that a North Korean foreign ministry delegation is expected to attend the U.N. General Assembly and the return of foreign professors to a private university in Pyongyang. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.
Research analyst Decker Eveleth joins the podcast to discuss where exactly North Korea’s missile program stands today, and why it presents a security problem not only for Asia and the U.S. but for the entire globe. He also talks about the benefits of working with open-source intelligence, such as sharing intel publicly and providing new analysis, as well as a piece he wrote for NK Pro that delves into how North Korea’s tactical missile deployment could enable it to overwhelm and destroy adversary defenses. Decker Eveleth is an associate research analyst at the CNA Corporation, a Washington-based nonprofit research and analysis organization. He studies North Korean and Chinese nuclear force structures utilizing mixed methods, including satellite imagery. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected new “suicide drones” and urged production of small drones that ordinary troops can use against “any enemy target,” according to state media on Monday. NK News Data Correspondent Anton Sokolin joins the podcast to discuss the new drones, as well as Kim’s demand to incorporate artificial intelligence in their development. He also talks about Russia’s first language exchange with the DPRK in some four years, and conflicting reports about how recent flooding has impacted North Korea’s crops. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.
In his newly published book, “How Tyrants Fall: And How Nations Survive,” political scientist Marcel Dirsus examines the workings and malfunctions of dictators around the globe, including North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. He joins the podcast to discuss the differences between authoritarian systems, how tyrants come into and fall out of power, and the unique aspects of the DPRK’s leadership system. Dr. Marcel Dirsus is a non-resident fellow at the Institute for Security Policy at Kiel University in Germany, as well as a member of the Standing Expert Committee on Terrorism and Interior Security at the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. He mainly works on regime instability, political violence and German foreign policy. He has advised democratic governments, foundations, multinational corporations and international organizations like NATO and the OECD. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.
In a speech on Liberation Day, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol embraced a new vision of unification that seeks to “extend freedom” to the suffering masses in North Korea. NK News CEO Chad O’Carroll and Lead Correspondent Jeongmin Kim join the podcast to discuss Yoon’s speech, which deviates from decades of policy toward Pyongyang by embracing unification by absorption, as well as the start of large-scale U.S.-ROK summer military exercises to train for the possibility of conflict with North Korea. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.
The Global South has continued to grow in political importance in recent years, as the U.S., China and Russia battle for influence among countries in the Southern Hemisphere. And that contest also has implications for addressing a range of North Korea issues. This week, Rob York of the Pacific Forum joins the NK News podcast to discuss how the countries of the Global South think about the DPRK’s human rights, and what the U.S. can do to win their support for efforts to address the problem. He also talks about the evolution of Pyongyang’s illicit efforts to fund its nuclear and missile programs, the relevance of international sanctions after the collapse of the U.N. Panel of Experts and how early English-language newspapers in South Korea covered the authoritarian government of Syngman Rhee and the “puppet state” of North Korea. Rob York is the director for regional affairs at the Pacific Forum. He previously worked as a production editor for The South China Morning Post and chief editor of NK News. He earned his Ph.D. in Korean history at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.
North Korea only sent 14 athletes to compete at the Paris Olympics, its first Summer Games in eight years, but its small contingent managed to take home six medals, demonstrating the country’s ability to consistently punch above its weight in sports. NK News correspondent Shreyas Reddy discusses where the DPRK had the most success, and moments where the humanity of its athletes shone through. Then, NK News’ Ifang Bremer talks about a joint investigation with Tamedia and Der Spiegel that found that a North Korea expert who mysteriously disappeared earlier this year has been detained in Switzerland on suspicions of spying, likely for China. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.
Almost a quarter century ago, South Korean President Kim Dae-jung traveled to Pyongyang to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Il for the first-ever inter-Korean summit, a watershed moment in ties between the longtime adversaries. Months later, Kim Dae-jung received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to promote reconciliation with the DPRK and for his work for democracy and human rights in the ROK. But in the years that followed, it was revealed that Seoul had sent hundreds of millions of dollars in secret payments to North Korea, ostensibly to convince Pyongyang to agree to the summit, and a new book argues that the real total may have been as high as $3 billion. This week, veteran journalist Donald Kirk joins the podcast to discuss his book about how Kim Dae-jung arranged the secret payments and may have financed North Korea’s nuclear program in the process. He talks about the South Korean activist’s ambition to win the Nobel Peace Prize and how the payments were routed through the company Hyundai Asan. Kirk also touches on what he learned from his many reporting trips to the DPRK over the years, and shares his thoughts on the recent U.S. charges against North Korea expert Sue Mi Terry. Donald Kirk is a journalist who has reported on the Koreas for decades and the author of several books about Asian affairs. His latest book is “Kim Dae-jung and the Quest for the Nobel: How the President of South Korea Bought the Peace Prize and Financed Kim Jong-il’s Nuclear Program.” About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gave a speech at a large-scale military event on Sunday where he handed over more than 250 missile launchers to the frontline units, calling for improvements to nuclear capabilities to counter the U.S. NK News Senior Analytic Correspondent Colin Zwirko joins the podcast to discuss the message behind the DPRK missiles, as well as the hard rock rendition of the national anthem that opened the ceremony. He also talks about how satellite imagery reveals the damage from recent flooding in North Korea was even more extensive than state media let on, and what the ongoing expansion of weapons factories around the country may mean for arms sales to Russia. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.
Ed Pulford joins the podcast to discuss his new book “Past Progress: Time and Politics at the Borders of China, Russia, and Korea,” which examines the unique border area between the three countries from various angles. He shares insights from his time in the Chinese town of Hunchun on the border with Russia and North Korea, and discusses how the region's proximity to the DPRK impacts its inhabitants' views of the isolated country. He also talks about the North Korean he met living in Hunchun and how the area changed after the pandemic. Dr. Ed Pulford is an anthropologist and senior lecturer in Chinese Studies at the University of Manchester. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.
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