The Impossible State

Latest Episodes:

Should We Sign a Peace Treaty with North Korea? Apr 03, 2023

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In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Ms. Jenny Town and Mr. Frank Aum to discuss the incentives versus pressure debate, rethink working theories around sanctions and China’s role in negotiations, and explore how North Korea is affected by its changing external security environment.

Do Sanctions Really Work on North Korea? Mar 07, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Dr. Soo Kim and Mr. Anthony Ruggiero to discuss sanctions on North Korea, the history of sanctions, how to measure its effectiveness, China’s reaction to sanctions and ultimately answer the question of whether sanctions really works on North Korea.

National Strategy for Countering North Korea Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Ambassador Robert Joseph and Greg Scarlatoiu to discuss their recently released report for the National Institute for Public Policy regarding North Korea's current human rights situation, the Kim family regime, and the North Korean human rights movement ten years after the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the DPRK.

Japan's New National Defense Strategy: Implications for Korea Jan 20, 2023

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In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Mr. Christopher B. Johnstone to discuss the implications of Japan’s new National Defense Strategy for the United States and Korea, the Biden-Kishida Summit, and ROK-Japan bilateral relation.

Countering Chinese Economic Coercion and NK’s Latest Test Dec 16, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha discusses his new Foreign Affairs essay on what the U.S. and allies should do to counter Chinese economic coercion, plus a discussion of North Korea’s latest ICBM engine test.

South Korea’s National Security and the Current Situation on the Korean Peninsula Dec 12, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha and Andrew Schwartz are joined by Dr. Chung Min Lee, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) and Professor at the Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology (KAIST), to discuss his recent report on South Korea’s national security and defense review, and the relationship between ROK-Japan, DPRK, and China under the Yoon administration.

Japan-Korea Relations and DPRK's ICBM Launch Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha and Andrew Schwartz are joined by Professor Yasuyo Sakata, professor of international relations at Kanda University of International Studies in Japan to discuss bilateral Korea-Japan relations, trilateral U.S.-Korea-Japan cooperation and the North Korean growing threat.

Korea’s IRA reaction and 2022 National Defense Strategy on North Korea Nov 04, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha and Andrew Schwartz are joined by Mr. Christian Davies, Seoul bureau chief of the Financial Times, to discuss the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the Korean context, North Korea's nuclear tensions, and the 2022 National Defense Strategy report on North Korea.

Shrimp to Whale: South Korea from the Forgotten War to K-Pop Oct 14, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha and Andrew Schwartz are joined by Dr. Ramon Pacheco Pardo, professor at King's College London and KF-VUB Korea Chair at the Brussels School of Governance of Vrije Universiteit Brussel, to discuss his recently published book, Shrimp to Whale: South Korea from the Forgotten War to K-Pop, North Korea's recent missile tests and military capabilities, as well as South Korea's response to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

VP Harris' Trip to Korea and the Current Situation on the Korean Peninsula Sep 28, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Ms. Jenny Town, Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center and Director of Stimson's 38 North Program, to discuss Vice President Harris' visit to Korea on September 29th, the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and how the war in Ukraine and the situation in Taiwan Strait affect Korean policy and North Korean calculations.

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