Military

Warfare by Feelings: Strategy, Spontaneity, and Emotions in Kim Il-sung’s Tactical Thinking

By | May 10, 2016

Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein of UPenn and North Korea Economy Watch examines the role of emotion in DPRK military and political culture. Real KPA commanders surely see things very differently, but rhetorically the DPRK is at odds with the Western ideal of a modern soldier.

Chests Full of Brass: A DPRK Political History in Orders, Medals, Prizes, and Titles

By | January 08, 2016

The DPRK state structure can be hard to discern from the outside, but it is possible to structure analysis so as to dissipate the fog somewhat. Here, Martin Weiser wields the state system of awards and medals to shed light on national history.

2nd Miracle on the Han: Mass Media Unites over History by Ministerial Fiat

By | October 09, 2015

The South Korean mass media rarely unites in condemnation of a domestic policy, but controversial and deeply flawed plans to “re-nationalize” the production of secondary school history textbooks made it happen. Christopher Green investigates.

From the Borderland to Beijing: Chinese Civilian Shot in Changbai

By | September 20, 2015

A number of incidents involving North Korean soldiers in the Sino-NK borderland have recently been reported in the South Korean and Chinese media. Christopher Green takes a closer look at one of them from the Korean perspective.

Unpacking Beijing’s “Sinocentric Narcissism” during the Loudspeaker Crisis

By | August 25, 2015

Sino-NK translates a key editorial about how recent events along the Korean DMZ might impact the Chinese-North Korean relationship.