Featured Essays
By whose example? Analyzing Sino-DPRK Media Portrayals of Relations in 2018
Oxford University’s Tom Fowdy sums up the year of Chinese-North Korean diplomacy, finding self-interest galore amid the statements of eternal brotherhood.
South Korea’s Resettlement of South Vietnamese War Refugees
Matthew VanVolkenburg explores many angles of an overlooked or forgotten episode in South Korea’s history: the resettlement of South Vietnamese war refugees.
Dictatorial Consensus: South Korean Identity and Popular Remembrance of Park Chung-hee
In her debut on Sino-NK, Megan Cansfield provides readers with some intriguing insights into the connection between Park Chung-hee’s push for industrialization and the formation of a specifically South Korean state identity.
The Korean Peninsula and Great Power Geopolitics: Then and Now
Anthony Rinna returns with a look at how the history of international relations in late 19th and early 20th Northeast Asia can help inform us of the possible future trajectory of Beijing-Moscow ties.
China and Russia on a Nuclear North Korea: Policy Alignment, Divergent Relationships
What is the state of Sino-DPRK and Russia-DPRK relations? A quick glance might led one to think there is total Chinese and Russian policy convergence vis-a-vis Korea, but the evidence indicates significant differences in how Moscow and Beijing see the DPRK. Anthony Rinna explains.
Responsibility Theory: Russian and US Policy Analysis of China’s Role in the Korea Crisis
Anthony Rinna considers how the Kremlin and Washington differ in their views on China’s role in the Korea crisis by looking at Russian and American think tank research.
Ending the Korean War: Donald Trump as Ex-President
Adam Cathcart looks at the end of the Korean War and its resonance today from an American perspective. Cathcart argues that Trump is in many respects in Korea acting more like an ex-President than a conventional, active one.
Moscow’s Korea Policy: Priorities and Trends in the Think Tanks
What do we know about what the Russian government knows about North Korea, and what policy advice is coming out of Moscow and the Russian Far East? Anthony Rinna pivots back to this question and emerges with some surprising conclusions.
History and Identity: Chosunjok in Yanbian
How has the unique history of Yanbian shaped the outlook of ethnic Koreans in China? Based on fieldwork and a new academic study of Korean identity, Steven Denney and Christopher Green investigate.
Wither the Wonks? American Think Tank Research on Moscow’s Policy Toward the Korean Peninsula
To what extent do American policy analysts cover connections between the Russian Federation and the the Korean Peninsula? Not much, Anthony Rinna shows in his first part of a two-part series on the state of Korea-Russia analysis in major US think tanks.
Symbol and Substance: China’s Scramble for Influence in the Korean Peace Process
Chinese pressure on North Korea during 2017 served to accelerate declining relations between the two. Now, with peace ostensibly looming, China wants to reverse course. Tom Fowdy looks at the challenges faced.
The Road to Pyongyang II: Inter-Korean Summits and North Korean Media
In the second part of a series on Pyongyang’s domestic media coverage, Kyle Pope examines the portrayal of the chief actors involved in the high politics of summits: the leaders of the two Koreas.
Righter Than You Think: National Security Conservatism and Moon Jae-in
Moon Jae-in’s policy toward the North is not the Sunshine Policy of his progressive forebears. Indeed, South Korean political culture leans conservative, especially regarding national security. Steven Denney and Christopher Green make the case.
The Road to Pyongyang: Inter-Korean Summits and North Korean Media
How were previous inter-Korean summits covered by North Korean media? In part one of a two-part series, Kyle Pope digs into material at the Ministry of Unification’s North Korea Documents Center for answers.
A Complicated Story: Why the United States Needs A North Korea Roadmap
If you are going on a long journey, you should pack a map. Then, why would the US enter into a diplomatic process with North Korea without any discernible strategic outline of how it will get to its goals? Mintaro Oba calls for a Korean peninsula roadmap.
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North Korean Citizens in Changbai: Social Insurance, Residency Rights, and Chinese Informants
Adam Cathcart | January 21, 2019 -
SEZ Revival Tour? Kim Jong-un in Dandong
Adam Cathcart | January 14, 2019 -
From New York to Dandong: Maximum Pressure
Adam Cathcart | July 23, 2018
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Yongusil 95: The Korean Wave and Identity in the Land of Liberty
Sherri Ter Molen | September 25, 2018 -
Yongusil 94: Decoding the Sino-North Korean Borderlands
Adam Cathcart | July 9, 2018 -
Onward Migration: Why Do North Korean Migrants Leave South Korea?
Jay Song | February 26, 2018
