 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
When we last checked in, Dennis Rodman was chillaxing with his friend “Kim,” doing Sunday morning talk shows, carrying diplomatic messages, and appealing to Kim to “do him a solid” and release Kenneth Bae. It seems that Worm is now losing his patience, indicating that “Obama can’t do sh#t” but promising to make another pitch [...]
I do not know what motivated the North Koreans to repeatedly threaten the US over the last couple of months, but I do know what the effect has been: the threats greatly narrow the Obama Administration’s options going forward, especially with respect to any action that would require Congressional approval. It is particularly difficult for [...]
In our post from last Friday, we discussed central deterrence on the Korean peninsula: the ability of the United States and the ROK to deter both a first nuclear strike and a large-scale conventional attack. We raised questions about whether the use of strategic or even tactical nuclear weapons were even credible, and emphasized the [...]
We not only got through the Day of the Sun without a missile test, but the conversation has shifted—on a dime—to the prospects for talks. The opening North Korean bids are very high. The National Defense Commission statement seeks: An end to provocations, with the lifting of UN sanctions as a first good-will gesture. This [...]
One more sign that the North Koreans are bluffing (or have utter disregard for the safety of really fast Kenyans) will be the running in a few hours of the Pyongyang marathon. Back in 2001, during one of those tentative periods of opening, the Financial Times was induced to become a corporate sponsor of the race. In this connection, [...]
Several weeks ago—on March 15 to be exact—we offered a “review of the bidding”: an analysis of three successive statements in the first half of March from the Supreme Command of the KPA (March 5), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (March 7) and the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (March 8). We also [...]
Bahng Tae-seop and his colleagues at SERI have released the 2013 first quarter report on the Korean peninsula security outlook. It may come as no surprise that the experts surveyed forecast heavy weather. The index of current conditions fell for the fourth consecutive quarter to 42, approaching the all-time minimum of 41 at the time [...]
Over the last several weeks, the North Koreans have issued three separate statements, all emanating from different parts of the state apparatus; they can be found on the KCNA website on the dates cited below. All are intended to show resolve, not only through words but through domestic political mobilization as well. The targets appear [...]
The “Sunshine Policy” of South Korean President Kim Dae-jung derived its name from Aesop’s fable of the North Wind and the Sun in which the Sun and Wind compete to see which can strip the coat off a traveler. While the Wind fruitlessly attempts to blow away the coat off, the Sun uses its warmth [...]
On Thursday March 7, the United Nations Security Council approved Resolution 2094, imposing a new round of sanctions against North Korea in response to its underground nuclear test last month. The penalties include some measures we have seen in the past–such as designating individuals and companies–but also some new curbs on North Korean trade and [...]
