Essays
The New King’s Hand: Change in the Court of the Great Successor
A recent reshuffle inside the depths of the Kim regime saw Choe Ryong-hae tumble in the rankings, and Hwang Pyong-so rise further to take his place. As ever, debate is fierce as to why this was. Nick Miller looks back over the evidence now that Choe is back in the public domain.
Public-Private Partners: Rethinking North Korean “Command Criminality”
Sometimes it is possible to forget that among all the narcotics and nuclear weapons, North Korea also engages in licit businesses. Much of it takes place in the country’s near abroad, and during Sino-NK’s recent AKS research trip to Manchuria, Christopher Green took time to think it over.
Bullet Trains and Wood-Burning Trucks
In an effort to cut down travel time and spur economic growth, China is lacing high-speed rail throughout its northeastern provinces. Lessons abound for North Korea, as this essay from eastern Jilin indicates.
Vanadium and Socialism: Rare Earth Prospecting, Politics, and History in North Korea
Behind every cloud there is a silver lining and behind every developmental story in North Korea there is a narrative from Kim Il-sung. Robert Winstanley-Chesters investigates the pre-history of SRE Minerals’ contemporary Rare-Earth gambit.
Tuning Out Beijing’s Six-Party Drumbeat: Wu Dawei in Pyongyang
What has Chinese diplomacy on the North Korean nuclear issue accomplished recently? Not a great deal, to put it mildly. Damning demonstration by Chief Editor Adam Cathcart.
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