May 01,2018 National Commentaries

A View from Russia, China, and Sundry Progressives

The optimism is palpable despite whiffs of concern. Many who had long been saying that North Korea only needed to be reassured to become a reliable diplomatic partner with willingness to abandon its threats and proceed to denuclearization in stages now feel vindicated. Instead of being some sort of madman, Kim Jong-un proved to be […]

Editorial Staff

inter-Korean summit , Pyeongchang Olympics , Regional security framework , US-ROK alliance

May 01,2018 National Commentaries

A View from the United States

Now that the spectacle of the Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un summit has been left for the history books, attention is turning immediately to the anticipated meeting a month or so later between the “dotard” and the “rocket man,” as Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un called each other in 2017. Among some, there is a […]

Gilbert Rozman

inter-Korean summit , Pyeongchang Olympics , Russia scandal , trade war , Trump-Kim summit

May 01,2018 National Commentaries

Moon’s Precarious Push for Peace

Kim Jong-un’s New Year’s Address, and the surge of diplomatic overtures that followed, came as a shock to many. The preceding year had been marked by the North’s heightened efforts toward completing its nuclear program, demonstrating a significant technological leap and leading it to more confidently declare itself a “nuclear state.” Combined with Donald Trump’s […]

Eun A Jo

inter-Korean summit , Kim Jong-un , Panmunjom Declaration , Pyeongchang Olympics

Mar 19,2018 Country Reports

Country Report: Japan (April 2018 with Focus on Korea)

Not only was Abe battered by a domestic scandal, his foreign policy was rocked by diplomacy, history, and trade shocks. The North Korean presence at the Winter Olympics saw Japanese media warning about Seoul turning soft and breaking away from the “maximum pressure” approach of Tokyo and Washington, which was reinforced by warnings in early […]

Editorial Staff

“smile diplomacy” , comfort women , Dokdo/Takeshima , Pyeongchang Olympics , Six-Party Talks , Yasukuni

Mar 08,2018 Country Reports

Country Report: South Korea (March 2018)

In February and March 2018, South Korean news editorials focused on developments in US-South Korean relations and inter-Korean relations before, during, and after the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. On US-South Korean relations, analysts discussed Trump’s State of the Union address and the withdrawal of Victor Cha as the nominee for US ambassador to South Korea—both […]

Eun A Jo

Kim Jong-chul , Kim Yo-jung , Mike Pence , North-South talks , Pyeongchang Olympics , trade war , Victor Cha

Feb 27,2018 Special Forum

Introduction

As the diplomatic prospects for resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis took center stage while the military focus remained fixed on North Korea’s persistent advances and the “fire and fury” that President Trump threatened to unleash, it remained important in the first months of 2018 to keep the eyes of the international community on South […]

Editorial Staff

comfort women , KORUS FTA , Pyeongchang Olympics , THAAD , US-ROK alliance

Feb 27,2018 Special Forum

South Korean Public Opinion

The year 2017 brought unusual dynamism all around the world and particularly related to the Korean Peninsula. In the United States, an unprecedented type of president was inaugurated with scant appreciation of alliances and apparent lack of knowledge of the relations between the United States and South Korea, bringing an unfamiliar and wary air to […]

Kim Jiyoon*

Cheonan , KORUS FTA , Pyeongchang Olympics , THAAD , US-ROK alliance

Feb 27,2018 Special Forum

North Korean Intentions

The Korean Peninsula is at a possible inflection point at the beginning of 2018, defined by the growing nuclear capabilities of North Korea on one hand and the outreach of the North Korean leadership to South Korea on the other. In January 2018 US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director Mike Pompeo declared North Korea only […]

Austin Long

byungjin policy , Kim Jong-un , Kim Yo-jung , Nikita Khrushchev , Pyeongchang Olympics , Saddam Hussein

Feb 27,2018 Special Forum

US-ROK Alliance

North Korea’s Olympic outreach brought an easing of tensions between North and South Korea after a year of escalating tensions throughout 2017. After delivering a somewhat conciliatory New Year’s address, Kim Jong-un sent a substantial delegation to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, led by the North’s titular head, Kim Yong-nam, accompanied by Kim Yo-jung, Kim […]

Sue Mi Terry

comfort women , Kim Yo-jung , KORUS FTA , OPCON , Pyeongchang Olympics , THAAD , trilateralism , Victor Cha

Feb 13,2018 National Commentaries

A Chinese Perspective

Trick or Treat: Will the Inter-Korean Rapprochement Last? The Korean Peninsula never lacks for drama. While many people were wondering if a war would break out on the peninsula not many weeks ago, North and South Korea, the perennial competitors, have shaken hands and embraced a détente. North Korea Makes a U-Turn The year 2018 […]

Cheng Xiaohe*

Kim Yo-jong , Moonlight policy , Pyeongchang Olympics , sports diplomacy