Economic Policy
Recent Developments on the SEZ Battlefront: Mubong and Kyongwon
In his second essay for Sino-NK, Théo Clément examines two SEZ developments on the North Korean side of the border, Mubong and Kyongwon. There he finds signs of competing local initiatives, logistical savvy, and reciprocal dialogue with Chinese partners.
Yongusil 79: Market Size and Geography in North Korea
A new SAIS report uses satellite imagery to measure North Korean market sizes as they have fluctuated over the past decade. Sino-NK goes into orbit behind the oculus, assessing gains and limitations of the data.
How Not to Invest in a DPRK Special Economic Zone: The Case of Rason
Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are spaces of great potential in North Korea. Théo Clément evaluates the terrain, based on his own on-site inspection and a holistic reading of North Korea’s premier northern SEZ.
Putting Statistics to the May 30th Measure
Interpreting economic data in and about North Korea is tricky; individual data points can balloon out of control. Christopher Green looks at the debate over North Korean economic growth and what really happened on May 30.
Yongusil 67: Footprints of the Dead and the Utility of Returns: Recent Works from the KEI Academic Paper Series
This Yongusil recounts the footsteps of Sino-NK contributors into Washington, DC, and the august academic paper and seminar series of the Korean Economic Institute.
Command and Conquer: The Co-option of Market Forces in the DPRK
Marketization in North Korea does more to maintain the regime than undermine it, argues Park Hyeong-jung of KINU. In the latest in a series of review essays covering key elements of contemporary North Korean economic history, Christopher Green reviews Park’s “Towards a Political Analysis of Markets in North Korea.”
Friends in Need: Choe Swoops in on DPRK-Russia Relations
On Monday, Korean Workers’ Party Secretary Choe Ryong-hae will embark upon an extended visit to Russia as a special representative of the Kim government. In this, his debut essay for Sino-NK, analyst Anthony Rinna looks at the potential of the visit, and its limitations.
Chosun Ilbo Surveys 100 North Koreans
The results of a recent survey conducted by Chosun Ilbo of visa-holding North Koreans in the Sino-North Korean borderlands offer a rare, if imperfect, glimpse of domestic public opinion in the DPRK. Christopher Green analyzes the findings.
