Military
King, Wu, B-52: North Korea’s Rational Dis-invitation to the US Special Envoy on Human Rights
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of (recent) history by Morgan Potts explores the tensions of the 2013, when Robert King’s invitation to Pyonyang was rescinded, examining what could have been a turning point for US-DPRK relations that was lost amidst other diplomatic crises.
Svoliking in the High Grass: New Approaches to Understanding Authoritarian Regimes
Steven Denney reviews a few key works on “the politics of authoritarianism,” providing researchers with multiple comparative frameworks for understanding North Korea as authoritarian regime.
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.
Framing Epistemic Communities in North Korea: From Fungus to Botanical Gardens
North Korean developmental praxis relies on epistemic communities and research institutions to achieve its goals. The country’s institutions are not only meta-devices for rolling out in reportage to add a veneer of intellectual legitimacy to centralized dictat, as Robert Winstanley-Chesters reveals in the case of Pyongyang Botanical Gardens.
Sino-NK 2013 Rewind: The Byungjin Line and North Korea in an Era of Songun Politics
Extensively analyzed on Sino-NK in 2013, for the second of a pair of Sino-NK 2013 Rewind pieces, Peter Ward returns to Byungjin’s source with an investigation of its ur-text, April’s “Nuke and Peace.”
The “Myth” of the Kill, Kill, Kill Chain
One of the most common South Korean military buzzwords of recent months is “Kill Chain.” It sounds scary and pregnant with deterrence capability, but does it work? Hankyoreh and Professor Choi Jong-kun of Yonsei University think not. Christopher Green summarizes the argument.
Billion Dollar Miscalculation: B-52s, Korea, and Missiles
SinoNK dismantles the signals being sent by a B-52 run over Korea, and describes why a move away from American conventional deterrence would be a net loss.
Atomic Aftermath: An Op-Ed Glossary
Adam Cathcart and Mycal Ford take on a slew of op-eds, half-truths, and brilliant assertions in a creative A-Z glossary of post-nuclear news and opinion.
