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North Korea: Embracing the
dragon
Behind the scenes at Kim Jong-eun's coming-out parade were obvious Chinese
machinations aimed at deepening ties, with a new Chinese Communist Party bigwig
dispatched to Pyongyang organizing a flurry of cross-border delegations.
Beijing's fresh embrace of its troubled neighbor is not unconditional, with the
Kims expected to recompense with market reforms - and no more nuclear tests. - Aidan
Foster-Carter (Oct 27, '10)
British bakeries a lifeline in North
Korea
A small, British-based charity is funding and operating several bakeries in
North Korea. They provide midday meals to many children in a country where one
third of the population is undernourished, and where similar South Korean
charities have been ordered out by their own government. - Michael Rank
(Oct 26, '10)
G-20 declares truce of sorts
US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner talked up the outcome of the Group of 20
finance ministers' meeting in South Korea, and emerging countries gained some
more clout at the International Monetary Fund. With an apparent truce between
Washington and Beijing, perhaps this was progress of a sort. - Donald Kirk
(Oct 25, '10)
Korea's grand prix stutters to the start
Organizers of South Korea's first grand prix will be hoping to put a shambolic
build-up in the rear mirror after poor ticket sales, lack of sponsorship and
concerns over the circuit's remote location threatened to spin wheels. With the
promise of six future races if the event is a success, officials have every
reason this weekend to cast nervous eyes at the starting flag. - Finbarr
Bermingham (Oct 22, '10)
For the Kims, the weakest link is family
A sociological take on North Korea's peculiar evolution suggests that for a
dictator to hold onto power, even after his death, requires three steps:
militarization, family rule, and a quasi-religious cult. Kim Il-sung's
sociological nous has kept the state he created alive longer than many
expected. But among many weak links that could imperil the dynastic chain, the
weakest is family. - Aidan Foster-Carter (Oct
21, '10)
Steady as she goes on North Korea
Speculation that the Western-educated Kim Jong-eun will adopt a softer line is
belied by his need to establish a personality cult and prove his military
mettle before his father dies, as North Korea's elites will pounce on signs of
weakness. As such, the US and South Korea would need to continue applying
pressure alongside conditional engagement with Pyongyang. - Bruce Klingner
(Oct 20, '10)
Young general has hidden depths
The foreign journalists wowed by the military parades and mass gymnastics at
North Korea's Workers' Party conference were unaware of one fact - it was the
Young General Kim Jong-eun's idea to bring them all there, says the North's
unofficial spokesman. They were also likely unaware that heir-apparent Jong-eun
took charge of last year's "satellite" launch and nuclear test. - Kim Myong Chol
(Oct 18, '10)
Young Kim checks his toy chest
Live-fire military exercises by the United States and South Korea have given
North Korea's young heir apparent, Kim Jong-eun, an early opportunity to
consider what he can get up to with his own new toys, in the form of real or
dud missiles, along with his latest chums, the country's legion of aging
generals. The Group of 20 gathering in the South next month might come to mind.
- Donald Kirk (Oct 15, '10)
Korean War veterans don't forget
From around the world, veterans of the "forgotten" Korean War gathered at the
United Nations Memorial Cemetery in South Korea this month to pay tribute to
fallen comrades. Sixty years after the start of the war, the soldiers vividly
recall some of their darkest days; the world might have forgotten, but they
never will. - Michael Rank (Oct 14, '10)
Seoul shows signs of bending
South Korea's highest priority is to make sure the Group of 20 summit next
month goes off without a hitch. That priority may explain why Seoul seems
willing to talk to the North Koreans about resuming tours to Mount Kumkang and
also to stage the first inter-Korean family reunions in a year. - Donald Kirk
(Oct 8, '10)
COMMENT
Forget the FTA fix
The United States-South Korea free-trade agreement, signed but awaiting
ratification by the legislatures of both countries, is predicated on the
principle that corporate interests should be privileged over all other things.
There is no way to repair an agreement that is, by design, destructive of the
public interest. - Christine Ahn and Martin Hart-Landsberg
(Oct 7, '10)
Pyongyang pointers in power transfer
North Korea's leadership conference has guaranteed that peerless, heroic
statesmanship will continue in uninterrupted generations from the founding
father Kim il-Sung, says the state's unofficial spokesman. The smooth road laid
for Kim Jong-eun to follow is in marked contrast to the United States, where a
lack of leadership is eroding the country's resolve. - Kim Myong Chol
(Oct 5, '10)
All power to the little general
Fortune-tellers are having a field day in determining the character of Kim
Jong-eun, now that they have a picture to go by. Pyongyang's propaganda machine
has no doubts: Jong-eun is a genius in artillery engineering and he's a
talented computer engineer. And, according to a cook who once lived in the Kim
household, when in private he uses English to call his father "Papa". - Sunny
Lee (Oct 1, '10)
My father, my son ...
Now that Kim Jong-eun has emerged, in living color portraiture for the first
time before his own people and the world as successor to his father, Kim
Jong-il, it's clear North Korean policy is not going to change, and the son is
for now a prisoner of the generals and politburo members pictured with him in
the official first photo released by Pyongyang. - Donald Kirk
(Oct 1, '10)
Dear Leader gives more power to in-crowd
Little noticed alongside the elevation of Kim il-Jong's heir apparent to
general was the promotion of his childhood buddy, the twice-disgraced Choe
Ryong-hae. The promotion is all about giving power to in-group members who can
carry out a smooth succession of power when the Dear Leader either steps down
or dies. - Bradley K Martin (Sep 28, '10)
Kim the Younger steals the show
North Korea's new lord-appointee came like a thief in the night just hours
before Pyongyang opened its biggest political convention in decades, with the
official news that Kim Jong-eun had been appointed a military general. This is
the clearest signal that Dear Leader Kim Jong-il's third and youngest son has
been anointed his heir. The next question, can the youngster ward off a
supposed power struggle that could cause the collapse of the Kim dynasty? - Sunny
Lee (Sep 28, '10)
Show and tell time in North Korea
North Korea's delayed and much-anticipated party conference kicks off on
Tuesday amid growing speculation Dear Leader Kim Jong-il's son Kim Jong-un will
be unveiled. Pyongyang's military will strut its stuff for the occasion, while
United States and South Korean naval ships are already going through their
paces in the Yellow Sea. - Donald Kirk (Sep
27, '10)
A summit of tensions in Pyongyang
While North Korea's much-anticipated conference, which state media say will
take place on September 28, could see the Dear Leader's youngest son crowned as
successor, it could also see a simmering conflict between the party and the
military explode. The party has powerful players, but the Cheonan sinking
is believed to have been masterminded by a general seeking an independent
course. - Donald Kirk (Sep 22, '10)
Nepotism's a no-no in a 'fair society'
South Korea's Foreign Ministry pulled every trick to ensure the minister's
daughter secured a job, enraging the public, where increasing numbers of young
people are struggling to find work. The moral fabric of the old generation,
which was shaped by traditions of reciprocity and favoritism, is now being
questioned. - Sunny Lee (Sep 21, '10)
Rogues in a 'rogue state'?
An independent attack could explain the sinking of the South Korean corvette Cheonan
at such an inopportune moment for the Pyongyang hierarchy, even though the very
concept of the North Korean military acting independently challenges
established United States and South Korean foreign policy convention towards
North Korea. - Yong Kwon (Sep 20, '10)
Pyongyang given pause for thought
An internal power struggle, a reluctant heir, the Dear Leader's failing health
and severe flooding have all been touted as possible reasons for North Korea
delaying its biggest political gathering in 30 years. Another likely
explanation is Pyongyang's inability to process China's demands for sweeping
economic reforms and inter-Korean rapprochement. - Sunny Lee
(Sep 17, '10)
How North Korea was lost - to China
North Korea today is like some rotten little fruit. Over the years, Japan, the
Soviet Union (then Russia) and South Korea have avoided - intentionally or not
- having this rancid plum drop into their lap. This treat has now gone to
China, and rival powers might be relieved to have been spared the
responsibility of the windfall. Reunification can wait. - Aidan Foster-Carter
(Sep 15, '10)
Sun sets on Indonesia's North Korea ties
Indonesia is still toeing the same line toward North Korea as in 1965 when Kim
Il-sung was presented with an orchid from Bogor, the kimilsungia, that
would become a national symbol. But as public reaction to the latest show of
allegiance illustrates, economic, political and strategic reality has finally
dawned and the relationship's days are numbered. - Jeffrey Robertson
(Sep 14, '10)
Kim's coming out is prime-time drama
North Korea pulled the curtains tight just as the outside world was peering in
for a glimpse of Kim Jong-il's presumed heir apparent, Kim Jong-eun. The best
guess for the postponement of the first Workers' Party gathering since 1966 is
that the Dear Leader wants to be sure his third son enjoys the full support of
bureaucrats before being anointed. - Donald Kirk
(Sep 13, '10)
North Korea blows off the cobwebs
This month's gathering in North Korea is an anachronistic showcase for the
Leninist hierarchy, if not quite the lavish display of a full-blown congress.
Still, as men in badly tailored suits clap only when instructed, the meeting
could be one of the last reminders of a bygone era - and it could deliver big
news - just as happened in 1980. - Andrei Lankov
(Sep 7, '10)
Old Korea hand points new finger of blame
In Donald P Gregg, a former United States ambassador to South Korea, North
Korea has found an unlikely advocate for its claim of innocence in the sinking
of the South's corvette the Cheonan. Gregg goes further in an op-ed
piece for the New York Times, blaming Washington and Seoul for driving Kim
Jong-il into the arms of China. - Donald Kirk
(Sep 3, '10)
China makes its North Korea move
A long handshake between President Hu Jintao and Kim Jong-il in Jilin province
explicitly placed China's Korean Peninsula eggs in the North's basket. The idea
that Beijing will acquiesce to the collapse of the Pyongyang regime and
reunification under the aegis of South Korea is a discounted commodity. China
called South Korea's bluff - and the United States is ill-equipped to respond.
- Peter Lee (Sep 2, '10)
The Dear Leader has left the building
Analysts are scratching their heads over reports that Kim Jong-il traveled to
China this week rather than meet Jimmy Carter in Pyongyang. Was he making a
defiant gesture to the United States, or cutting an urgent deal with Beijing
over resuming the six-party nuclear talks? The aged North Korean leader was
introducing his heir, media in the South reported. Others question if he made
the trip at all. - Sunny Lee (Aug 27, '10)
Kim snubs Carter as realities intrude
Maverick North Korea leader Kim Jong-il had hopped on an armored train to China
quicker than former United States president Jimmy Carter, on a private mission
to secure the release of a detained American teacher, could say "peanuts".
Certain realities make Carter's visit quite different from Bill Clinton's
success a year ago in bringing two US journalists home after actually meeting
the Dear Leader. - Donald Kirk (Aug 26, '10)
Humiliation, the North Korean way
North Korea's national footballers were subjected to bizarre criticism sessions
after the team crashed out of this year's World Cup. Their humiliating
treatment and rumors of imprisonment for some members of the much more
successful World Cup team of 1966 are a reflection of the public fear generated
by North Korea's abusive system. - Kay Seok (Aug
25, '10)
Carter linked to Pyongyang mission
Former United States president Jimmy Carter is reported to be about to
undertake a visit to North Korea to seek the release of an American arrested in
January. Carter traveled to Pyongyang on a peace mission in 1994, something
Dear Leader Kim Jong-il would be advised to recall before rolling out the red
carpet. - Sunny Lee (Aug 24, '10)
Ridicule for Lee's reunification rhetoric
It is difficult to tell who was more strident in castigating South Korean
President Lee Myung-bak for his recent reunification proposal - North Korea's
rhetoricians or just about anyone on the streets of Seoul. While Lee's proposal
seemed to have died before taking its first deep breaths, the Sunshine policy
of reconciliation lives on among fans of his late predecessor Kim Dae-jung. - Donald
Kirk (Aug 18, '10)
Ain't no sunshine in Lee's smile
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak surprised everyone on Sunday with a call
for a tax on reunification with the North. Yet some say there is ample reason
to believe that by pointing to how harmony will hurt South Korean wallets, he
aimed to entrench his hardline stance, and displayed his belief that
reunification will come through regime collapse in Pyongyang - for which Seoul
had better be prepared. - Sunny Lee (Aug 17,
'10)
CLASSROOM WARS IN SOUTH KOREA
Rod of love
Education is a raging battleground for competing ideologies in South Korea.
While open national debate or a neutral commission of experts would make most
sense to resolve subjects from school autonomy to free lunches, to teachers'
politics and the wielding of the "rod of love" for corporal punishment, it is
more likely that the left and right will continue to thrash it out. - Aidan
Foster-Carter (Aug 16, '10)
This is the conclusion of a two-part report.
PART 1: An
education paradox
CLASSROOM WARS IN SOUTH KOREA
An education paradox
Just 65 years ago, nearly four out of five South Korean adults couldn't read.
Today, top places in many world rankings mark the rise in education as another
great Korean success story. Yet nobody - parents, teachers, authorities and
students forced to burn the midnight oil to compete - is happy. - Aidan
Foster-Carter (Aug 13, '10)
This is the first article in a two-part report.
 CHAN
AKYA
Obama's battles in Asia
Across Asia, from Japan to China to Indonesia, United States President Barack
Obama has missed opportunities that are likely to haunt America for some time
to come. It's not too late, though, and greater engagement would go a long way
towards rectifying matters. (Aug 13, '10)
In North Korea, peace is war
In the 57 years of de facto peace since a ceasefire was declared on the Korean
Peninsula, the North's leaders have worked to maintain that peace is war. By
applying planned financial sanctions, the Barack Obama administration can foil
the doublespeak, and show that deterrence is peace, totalitarian control is
slavery, and knowledge is national strength. - Sung-Yoon Lee
(Aug 12, '10)>
North Korean refugees head for home
An estimated 1% of the 20,000 North Korean refugees in South Korea have
returned home. Some were spies with completed missions, some couldn't stand
being away from their families. Still others were dismayed about their lowly
position in the prosperous and sophisticated South - a gap that does not bode
well for harmonious unification. - Andrei Lankov
(Aug 12, '10)
Seoul devours Japanese apology
South Korea's conservative leaders this week allowed an apology by Japanese
Prime Minister Naoto Kan to resonate more strongly than past displays of sorrow
for the sins of war. The centenary of Japan's annexation of Korea comes at a
time of deep concern about confrontation with North Korea, and Seoul is not
about to miss an opportunity for "wise and sincere" cooperation with Japan. - Donald
Kirk (Aug 11, '10)
'The beautiful coat' wears a bit thin
The brouhaha over the sinking of a South Korean warship and South Korea-United
States naval exercises have cast a shadow over the strategic partnership
between Beijing and Seoul. As neighbors geographically, partners economically
and relatives culturally, the countries can get over the rough patch. - Jian
Junbo (Aug 10, '10)
Musical chairs in Seoul
A major cabinet reshuffle in South Korea, which saw the premier and seven
ministers fired, perpetuates the revolving door politics that have seen 21
prime ministers come and go in the past 22 years. The political purges and
too-brief tenures of perhaps talented ministers raise questions about President
Lee Myung-bak's desire to surround himself with friends as rivals emerge, but
also about the powers granted to imperial, and often imperious, presidents. - Aidan
Foster-Carter (Aug 10, '10)
Terror list conundrum over North Korea
North Korea still does not make the grade as a state sponsor of terrorism. A
slim distinction, since the US State Department's latest list includes Iran and
Syria, to which North Korea has shipped arms. That the US plans to show more
force in the Yellow Sea after blaming Pyongyang for the sinking of the South
Korean corvette the Cheonan - a military act, according to the US - adds
to the irony. - Donald Kirk (Aug 6, '10)
Seoul questions recovery stamina
South Korea is showing enviable growth, with industrial output surging and
inflation within the government's target range. The dark cloud is doubt that
the global economy can continue to recover and absorb made-in-Korea products. - R
M Cutler (Aug 5, '10)
China: Rising river, rising fears
Traders in the northeastern Chinese city of Dandong, along with tourists who
usually come to gawk at North Korea just across the Yalu River, are watching
with alarm as the rising waters of the river threaten flood defenses at the hub
of trade between China and the North. Should rains continue and the floodwall
break, disruption will be felt immediately on both sides of the border - and
even on worldwide rice markets. - Andray Abrahamian
(Aug 5, '10)
History drags on Japan and South Korea
One hundred years since Tokyo's formal annexation of the Korean Peninsula,
relations between Japan and South Korea remain far from perfect, despite strong
trading ties. One way to bridge the huge gap created by history would be to
intensify cultural and sports exchanges, but first the blame-game has to stop.
- Suvendrini Kakuchi (Aug 3, '10)
Love Lee, love him not
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak is bound to be a happy man after gaining
unexpected victory in by-elections last week, barely two months after volatile
voters slapped down his conservative Grand National Party in mid-term local
polls. His smile could turn south again if the man known for his bulldozing
ways takes the July 28 vote as a mandate to run roughshod over the delicate
politics of building consensus. - Aidan Foster-Carter
(Aug 2, '10)
The (war) games go on
The South Korean navy plans to stage military exercises next week in the Yellow
Sea near where one of its ships was sunk in March with the loss of 46 sailors.
The United States has still to decide on participation in this drill, but it
will join regular monthly war games that both sides have agreed to stage in
response to the sinking of the corvette the Cheonan. - Donald Kirk
(Jul 30, '10)
Lee's chance to steer a new course
Northeast Asia after the Cheonan affair is more volatile than it has
been since the end of the Cold War. With North Korea off the hook, South Korean
President Lee Myung-bak has lost the most. A reversal of his policy toward
Pyongyang would stem the loss and, more importantly, could restore some sense
of stability to the region. - Yong Kwon (Jul
29, '10)
Kim sets sights on succession
Having outfoxed the Americans, but aware of his own mortality, Kim Jong-il is
busy promoting the succession of his youngest son, Kim Jong-eun. Reports are
circulating that the younger Kim may have ordered the Cheonan attack to
show his toughness and will rise to a senior position in September when the top
echelons of the Workers' Party meet, possibly for the first time in 40 years. - Donald
Kirk (Jul 23, '10)
South Korea reels as US backpedals
For a time, South Korea expected to ride the Cheonan crisis to a
heightened global profile and recognition as America's key security partner in
Asia. But that wasn't to be as the US had second thoughts in response to
Chinese opposition and Russian reservations about fingering North Korea for the
sinking of the Cheonan, and joint US-South Korean naval exercises have
turned into an embarrassing fizzle. - Peter Lee
(Jul 23, '10)
Footballers, dictators and a way forward
The aftershocks of the sinking of a South Korean corvette in March are still
being felt on both sides of the demilitarized line that separates North and
South Korea. The most perilous moments of the incident have passed, but
Pyongyang-Seoul ties are in a pit from which no easy exit is apparent.
Warm-hearted North Korean footballer Jong Tae-se and the lessons learned over
former brutal South Korean dictator Chun Doo-hwa show a way out. - Aidan
Foster-Carter (Jul 22, '10)
A new face to US-China ties
Frictions between China and the United States have proved persistent and
apparently structural. In response, the Barack Obama administration has chosen
to interpret its doctrine of "strategic reassurance" as the simple and
emotionally satisfying strategy of rollback - attacking Chinese interests
instead of trying to accommodate them. - Peter Lee
(Jul 21, '10)
Burning issues in troubled
Balochistan
The vast Balochistan region that spans Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran is
characterized by extremist groups, secessionist movements, poverty and
oppression. In the Pakistani section, armed dissidents have launched their
fifth rebellion in the country's 63-year history. Islamabad will move to crush
them because the territory is an important sanctuary for the Taliban, which it
supports as a hedge against Indian influence in Afghanistan. - Abubakar Siddique
(Jul 21, '10)
North Korea's desperate measures
After spurning all advances, North Korea wants to renew six-party nuclear
talks. Recovering ground lost in the past couple of years of worsening
recriminations will be tough, but rising food shortages and an Amnesty
International report on its "crumbling" health care system show why Pyongyang
is desperately seeking aid in return for another pledge to stop its nuclear
program. - Donald Kirk (Jul 16, '10)
BOOK REVIEW
All the world's a
stage
Illusive Utopia, Theater, Film, and Everyday Performance in North Korea
by Suk-young Kim
All the world's a stage
It's hard not to miss the theatrical aspect to any visit to North Korea, and
it's all part of a show in which Western visitors are complicit. This
impressively researched book examines performance in the Hermit Kingdom in
great detail and in its widest sense, although there are some surprising
omissions in source material. - Michael Rank (Jul
16, '10)
China turns netizen anger on Seoul
Seeing how South Korea's closer security relationship with the United States
after the Cheonan sinking inflamed anti-Korean hostility within China,
Beijing seems to view rising xenophobia as a useful feature of diplomacy. Under
such thinking, netizens' fury combined with economic leverage could make Seoul
recoil from a keener US embrace. - Peter Lee (Jul
15, '10)
UN washes its hands of Cheonan affair
North Korea has claimed victory over a United Nations Security Council
statement that stopped short of blaming it for the sinking of a South Korean
warship, and, confident of Chinese support, it is welcoming a revival of
six-party talks on its nuclear program. The message for Seoul appears to be
that while the Cheonan sinking was bad, it is time to get over it. - Donald
Kirk (Jul 12, '10)
Power and its abuses in Seoul
South Koreans are riveted by unfolding stories alleging police brutality and
claims that bullying officials illegally hounded a citizen just for mocking the
president. Yet the upside is that, unlike in other Asian nations, heads are
certain to roll and those proven guilty by due process can't evade prosecution.
Pity that the prosecutors probing both cases are such a bumptious bunch. - Aidan
Foster-Carter (Jul 12, '10)
MSCI snubs Korea, Taiwan
The MSCI group, whose indexes guide the investment decisions of many of the
world's investment managers, is again refusing to promote South Korea and
Taiwan to developed market status. That could be keeping funds away from both
countries - yet the status quo might also serve their interests as well as
those of the index compiler. - Ian Williams (Jul
7, '10)
Seoul wary of success backlash
South Korea's fast growth is putting the country in a strong position to help
set the agenda when it hosts the Group of 20 summit in November. But with the
gap between rich and poor widening, the government will be wary of a backlash
from those wanting a bigger share of the pie that is held for the most part by
the elite chaebol. - Donald Kirk (Jul
6, '10)
China smarts at US slap
China's reaction to United States President Barack Obama's blunt accusation of
"willful blindness" in its relations with North Korea shows Beijing wants
acknowledgement for its essential role in moderating tensions in the Korean
Peninsula, even as - to spare Pyongyang's blushes - it tries to hide revisions
to the official line on how war started 60 years ago. - Peter Lee
(Jul 1, '10)
US misses history lessons on Korea
The United States' extension of its defense commitment to South Korea ignores
that the Korean War and other major conflicts which have shaken Northeast Asia
since the late 19th century were driven by revisionist actors seeking to change
the geopolitical setting in their favor. - Sung-Yoon Lee
(Jul 1, '10)
Deception and denials in Myanmar
After North Korea joined Myanmar in denying an investigative report's findings
of collaboration on developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles for the
Southeast Asian regime, the international community is now weighing up the
evidence that both governments went to great lengths to conceal. Myanmar's
generals could soon face United Nations-imposed sanctions for their military
dealings with North Korea. - Bertil Lintner (Jun
29, '10)
Jeju islanders want love, not war
South Korean plans to base a naval fleet equipped with US anti-ballistic
missiles on Jeju island have angered locals happier to school honeymooners in
the arts of love than to consider entertaining a US nuclear carrier there, but
in the wake of the Cheonan controversy the government in Seoul is giving
no berth to dissent. - Matthew Reiss (Jun 29,
'10)
Pyongyang's $65 trillion bill for US
enmity
North Korea has defiantly marked the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the
Korean War by demanding US$65 trillion in compensation from the United States
for its "atrocities" and sanctions since the peninsula was divided in 1945.
Pyongyang's demand may be rhetoric, but along with tensions over the sinking of
the South Korean warship Cheonan, it highlights how bitter divisions
remain after all these years. - Donald Kirk (Jun
25, '10)
The sorry tale of Sejong City
Sejong City has had a troubled gestation, its prospects undergoing frequent
mutations, variously shaping up to be a hub for business, education and
technology or a "capital lite" for government administration 150 kilometers
south of the political action in Seoul. The big ongoing mess reflects badly on
the priorities and prejudices of both left and right in South Korea. - Aidan
Foster-Carter (Jun 24, '10)
PYONGYANG WATCH
Great eggspectations: Dear dupe?
Reports that rising son Kim Jong-un is carefully masking North Korea's economic
mire from the gaze of a dazed Dear Leader - through clever ruses such as tours
of booming chicken farms - have ruffled some feathers in the South. But Kim
Jong-il is unlikely to be fooled, given the North's rich history of "Potemkin
village" shows, and he reportedly already has a beady eye on the heir apparent.
- Aidan Foster-Carter (Jun 22, '10)
Cheering with 'the enemy'
The football World Cup has rekindled the idea among South Koreans that despite
tensions over sunken warships, torpedoes and constant military parades in Kim
Il-sung Square, North Korea is - above all - Korean. The North's brave,
sportsmanlike performance against the mighty Brazil struck a chord among many,
as did Jong Dae-se's tears, while South Korea's win was reportedly cheered in
Pyongyang, too. - Andray Abrahamian (Jun 21,
'10)
Diplomacy tried, and not trusted
As the United States prepares to mark the 60th anniversary of the Korean War's
start with naval exercises in the Yellow Sea, an influential think-tank has
recommended coordinated engagement with China to convince North Korea to halt
its nuclear program. This approach has been tried many times, and failed. - Donald
Kirk (Jun 18, '10)
A North Korean leadership car crash
There aren't many certainties about North Korea; that Kim Jong-il will die is
one of them. As North Korea's moment of truth approaches, Kim's three sons and
others will fight for their place at the helm of Pyongyang, evident by the
string of shuffles, dismissals and deaths that are expected to intensify in the
coming months. Fasten your seatbelts. - Aidan Foster-Carter
(Jun 17, '10)
US looks within, Pyongyang looks to war
As a report by a bi-partisan United States think-tank urged the Barack Obama
administration to take a tougher approach on North Korea, Pyongyang was
threatening war if the United Nations condemned it over the sinking of a South
Korean warship. The report strongly endorses the six-party talks on the North's
nuclear program, but skeptics say China, the talks' host, has only an
"illusionary" influence over Pyongyang. - Eli Clifton
(Jun 16, '10)
Son rising for a post-Dear Leader era
North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament has approved a post-Kim Jong-il power
structure with Kim Jong-un, his youngest son, to be installed as a powerless
puppet while real authority dwells with an aging council presided over by Jang
Song-taek, his brother-in-law. The major reshuffle follows an unfortunate car
accident - very unfortunate given the few cars on the North's roads - which
killed Jang's main competitor. - Andrei Lankov
(Jun 15, '10)
Pyongyang purge echoes Stalin
The excesses of Kim Jong-il and of his father before him resemble those of
Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. History suggests that Pyongyang's recent
execution of elite officials over last year's bungled currency reform herald
the start of another bloody purge, with dire signs of famine adding to its
likely intensity. - Yong Kwon (Jun 14, '10)
Seoul's space hopes crash
South Korea's second attempt to get a satellite hyped as totally homegrown into
obit ended in failure this week. As gloom descended over the Naro Space Center,
the first question on the minds of the engineers, scientists and technocrats
was about who had messed up this time; the Russians or the Koreans? - Donald
Kirk (Jun 11, '10)
War, succession and economics
on the peninsula
As South Korea, with the help of Washington, makes its counter-offensives
against North Korea following the sinking of the Cheonan, the continued
isolation of Pyongyang is forcing new and dangerous options onto the table.
Among these is of course war, although the crisis could provide the opportunity
for the six-party talks to resume and secure the future stability of Northeast
Asia. Yong Kwon (Jun 7, '10)
Short shelf life for China-US reset
China's dismay at a United States strategy in North Asia pursued in cooperation
with South Korea gives a short shelf life to the positive reset of relations
resulting from a united front on Iran sanctions. Beijing's refusal to blame
North Korea over the Cheonan sinking has created well-documented
diplomatic friction. The next flashpoint will probably be over Myanmar. - Peter
Lee (Jun 7, '10)
IAEA faces mushrooming Asia
challenge
How the International Atomic Energy Agency's director general deals with
nations such as Iran and North Korea may grab the political spotlight, but also
challenging for Yukiya Amano are the safeguards and safety issues presented by
Asia's bullish interest in nuclear power. - Peter J Brown
(Jun 7, '10)
Cheonan credibility gap widens
So many theories are floating around about how the South Korean corvette Cheonan
was sunk that it's beginning to seem possible nothing happened at all, that the
ship never exploded and that the two sections hauled up from the Yellow Sea
were fabrications. - Donald Kirk (Jun 4, '10)
Lee rapidly falls out of favor
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's combative relationship with the online
community could very well have led to his party's dismal showing in regional
polls. Far from the reaffirmation Lee sought on his North Korea policy,
left-wing netizens found a way to get voters to doubt him. - Andray Abrahamian
(Jun 4, '10)
Pyongyang: Cheonan was false-flag
sinking
A leaked probe by China's naval intelligence arm into the sinking of the South
Korean corvette Cheonan suggests the United States Navy was involved,
says North Korea's unofficial spokesman. The attack was a false-flag attack
designed to implicate the North and pressure Japan into reversing course on
moving a US base off Okinawa. And, all the while, Seoul happily played along. - Kim
Myong Chol (Jun 3, '10)
The Cheonan: What's in it for
Russia
As it steps into the Cheonan investigation, Russia is showing that
although protective of North Korea, it won't be blindly soft. What Moscow needs
is a moderately belligerent, non-nuclear regime in Pyongyang that could
facilitate its objectives while standing against American influence in the
Pacific Rim. - Yong Kwon (Jun 3, '10)
Brazil, North Korea: Brothers in trade
Recent indications are that North Korea has sought willing trade partners
outside of Asia, with dealings with Thailand dropping off sharply, and its new
closest commercial ally appears to be Brazil. Relations between the two
countries have warmed considerably since Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva became
president in 2003. - Bertil Lintner (Jun 2,
'10)
The Cheonan sinking ... and Korea
rising
Seoul has grasped the Cheonan sinking as a chance to draw closer to the
United States and strengthen that alliance as a counter to China's regional
clout. The Lee Myung-bak government can now justify an arms build-up and
capitalize on Japan's political malaise, positioning itself as a rising world
power primed to take over a united, pro-US Korea. - Peter Lee
(Jun 2, '10)
 SINOGRAPH
Flaws in pulling plug
on North Korea
China is stoking ire for keeping silent amid the chorus of blame directed at
Pyongyang for the sinking of a South Korean corvette. Without China, North
Korea could shrink and die - but the thinking behind calls for Beijing to cut
support for Kim Jong-il's regime is deeply flawed. - Francesco Sisci
(Jun 2, '10)
SINOGRAPH
Tough love for an unstable neighbor
China, the only country with some leverage over North Korea, in theory is in a
position to try to rein in Pyongyang. But as the crisis in the North is deeper
today than perhaps ever before, North Korea is dangerous for global stability
and the task for Beijing in restoring stability in the Korean peninsula is
extremely difficult. - Francesco Sisci (May
28, '10)
Deadly silence at the DMZ
As part of the tit-for-tat escalation of the crisis between North and South
Korea over the sinking of one of the South's warships, Pyongyang has abrogated
an agreement meant to avoid "accidental" clashes, and Seoul has begun
anti-submarine warfare exercises. While the Yellow Sea is an obvious
battleground should fighting erupt, the tense, 248-kilometer-long demilitarized
zone has many potential flashpoints. - Donald Kirk
(May 28, '10)
North Korea leaves little time for
talking
North Korea's apparent sinking of a South Korean corvette has played right into
the hands of those calling for greater isolation of Pyongyang, while military
tensions in the region have also been raised. Dear Leader Kim Jong-il says he's
cutting all communication with the South, but while it is not a particularly
palatable message in Seoul, and it probably won't go down well in Washington,
diplomacy remains the only viable way out of the crisis. - John Feffer
(May 26, '10)
South Korea in the line of friendly fire
A key objective of United States President Barack Obama and South Korean
President Lee Myung-bak is to bring North Korea back to the six-party talks to
persuade it to give up its nuclear arsenal and to prevent it from exporting
weapons. The "unofficial" spokesman of Kim Jong-il and North Korea argues that
events following the sinking of a South Korean corvette directly threaten these
goals. - Kim Myong Chol (May 25, '10)
The war that won't end
The recent sinking of the Cheonan is but one illustration of how shocks
from the 1950-1953 Korean War still reverberate. Deep distrust remains across
the world's most heavily 
militarized land border, 60 years after the North Koreans invaded the South to
start a war that has never officially ended. - Ronan Thomas
(May 24, '10)
Seoul plotted a course through crisis
The South Korean government probably knew all along that North Korea was the
culprit in the sinking of the corvette Cheonan, but it was conscious
that the truth would spark public demands for a potentially destabilizing
revenge. With the people's anger cooling, the administration on Monday began
implementing diplomatic and economic measures that boost its domestic standing.
- Andrei Lankov (May 24, '10)
US scrambles for answers
Lawmakers in Washington responded to the findings of the South Korean
investigation that a North Korean torpedo sunk the warship Cheonan with
condemnations of Pyongyang's aggression and, in some cases, calls for North
Korea to be put back on the US State Department's list of state sponsors of
terrorism. - Eli Clifton (May 21, '10)
Seoul firing blanks at North Korea
South Korea's official investigation into the sinking of one of its corvettes
with a loss of 46 lives has concluded that North Korea is to blame. However,
despite vowing "resolute counter-measures", there is little Seoul - or the rest
of the world - is prepared to do beyond further sanctions. For Pyongyang, China
will make up for any loss in trade, aid and diplomatic sympathy. - Donald Kirk
(May 20, '10)
Beijing changes tune on nuclear Kim
China has softened its approach to North Korea after deciding that tough
tactics weren't working. Beijing may be banking on economic ties and Kim
Jong-il's reliance on its blessing for the continuance of his dynasty to ensure
its interests won't be hurt as Pyongyang joins the nuclear club. Its
acquiescence to Kim's nuclear brinksmanship with the global community could
antagonize the West and South Korea. - Willy Lam
(May 17, '10)
Seoul seeks a paradigm shift
Following the sinking of one of its corvettes - possibly by North Korea - South
Korea says it is "high time to create a new paradigm on the Korean Peninsula".
People protesting on Seoul's streets on Friday agree. The trouble is, no one
seems to have a clear idea on how to bring about this change. - Donald Kirk.
(May 14, '10)
In denial about North Korea
While South Korea is in denial about the North's likely sinking of the Cheonan,
in Pyongyang Kim Jong-il refuses to accept his mortality and that brandishing
nukes while abjuring markets is a recipe to self-destruct. Meanwhile, as China
still peddles the illusion of six-party talks, the United States hopes the
"darn place" will just go away. - Aidan Foster-Carter
(May 11, '10)
Explosive evidence ignites Korean
tensions
The visit of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to China, where he promised to
return to six-party talks to end his country's nuclear program, has been all
but overshadowed by new proof that a torpedo sank a South Korean warship,
killing 46 of its sailors. An emboldened Seoul is now pushing for Beijing to
punish Pyongyang over its likely involvement. - Donald Kirk
(May 7, '10)
Pyongyang sees US role in Cheonan sinking
North Korea is being set up as the fall guy in the sinking of the South Korean
corvette Cheonan to deflect attention from the real culprit, the United
States. North Korea's unofficial spokesman argues that a North Korean submarine
could never penetrate the South's sophisticated naval defenses, and suspicious
behavior by the US since the disaster suggests it was a clear case of friendly
fire. - Kim Myong Chol (May 4, '10)
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ATol Specials
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Kim Comes Out
North Korea's nukes and what they mean
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