Cultural Relations
North Korea According to Our Words: How Do We Write about Those We Do Not Understand?
Shirley Lee (New Focus International) argues for a new approach to writing and understanding North Korea by engaging the groups that can provide the information needed to understand the country.
Kim Jong Un’s Gallant Rescue of Chinese Miners, and Other Tales: KCNA-China File No. 22
North Korean state media tries to smooth over recent controversies with a “Hail Mary” approach to Chinese mining firms. Analysis by Cathcart/Cavazos and SinoNK in Chengdu.
Technology Linking: The DPRK’s “Quiet Opening”
Jimin Lee unfolds more sanction-busting tactics bringing the North Korean television scene up to date from Beijing. Intro by Roger Cavazos.
Tango in Dandong, Liaoning Dirge: Dualities of Sino-North Korean Trade
As the unprecedentedly large China-DPRK expo winds down in Dandong, the Chinese media reports continuation of a spat between North Korea and a jilted Chinese investor. An exclusive SinoNK translation and analysis.
In One Trench: Parsing Iran’s Tech Agreement with the DPRK
Brian Gleason delves into the recent technology agreements entered into between Iran and North Korea. Roger Cavazos aids in introducing the first of Gleason’s posts that deal with this emerging “axis of information” and high tech.
Empty Beat: On the Relative Worth of North Korean Revolutionary Music Ensembles
The Moranbong Band’s meteoric ascent in North Korea has eclipsed ensembles associated with Kim Jong-il and cultural diplomacy with China. Analysis by Adam Cathcart.
Reading North Korean “Reform” in Shenyang: Reportage
What does the Chinese-North Korean relationship look like from the industrial hub of Shenyang? SinoNK’s correspondent tenders conclusions.
Reviewing “The Flower Girl”: DPRK Sea of Blood Opera Troupe on Tour in China (2)
Landlords, class identity, and the wounding capabilities of wealth: Analzying a North Korean opera performance in China.
Reviewing “The Flower Girl”: DPRK Sea of Blood Opera Troupe on Tour in China
Wither Kim Jong-il’s cultural influence in North Korea? Adam Cathcart reviews a performance of North Korean opera in Sichuan.
