Diplomacy

Dead on Arrival? Taking Trade Notes in Dandong

By and | October 20, 2015

Which North Koreans turned up in the Chinese city of Dandong for a recent trade fair? And does this event represent a real stabilization or upgrade in bilateral relations? Sino-NK reads the sources.

History, Smoke and Mirrors: Assessing North Korea’s Association for the Study of Human Rights

By | October 07, 2015

Can anything be learned from crawling through North Korea’s own report on its human rights situation and outlook? Adam Cathcart goes spelunking to find out.

King, Wu, B-52: North Korea’s Rational Dis-invitation to the US Special Envoy on Human Rights

By | April 13, 2015

This piece of (recent) history by Morgan Potts explores the tensions of the 2013, when Robert King’s invitation to Pyonyang was rescinded, examining what could have been a turning point for US-DPRK relations that was lost amidst other diplomatic crises.

Does a New Ambassador Mean a “Reset” In China-North Korea Relations?

By | March 27, 2015

With a deep dive into Beijing’s internal bureaucratic politics and Li Jinjun’s predecessors in Pyongyang, Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga sheds light on China’s evolving stance toward North Korea.

“Parties with Different Ideologies:” China’s New Ambassador to North Korea

By | March 24, 2015

The appointment of a new Chinese Ambassador to Pyongyang, Li Jinjun, will serve as both a Rohrschach test and a means of ascertaining where China thinks things might go, argues Simone van Nieuwenhuizen.