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Sat, October 20, 2018 | 13:02

Opinion > Columnists > Andrei Lankov >

Kim Jong-un: his first five years

Next month it will be five years since the sudden death of Kim Jong-il led to the second dynastic transition in North Korean history. Kim Jong-un’s reign is approaching the five-year mark, the length of a presidential term in many modern democracies, so it is probably a good time to say what we think of the young North Korean leader.

2016-12-11 16:05

Troubles ahead?

A new U.S. President has been elected, and this time the world’s most powerful job went to, should we say, a rather unconventional person. Indeed, a former real estate tycoon and TV celebrity is not the type of individual we expect to see in the Oval Office. But such was the will of the people, and the outside world must adjust to this new era.

2016-11-27 16:01

Bridge to nowhere?

The New Yalu Bridge separates the twin cities of Sinuiju and Dandong, lying opposite each other on the Chinese and North Korean sides of the Yalu River respectively.

2016-11-13 17:08

A bit of (realistic) pessimism

Recent talks, technically “Track Two” and “unofficial,” between former U.S. diplomats and North Korean representatives, have predictably spawned a number of speculative suggestions for solving the North Korean nuclear problem. This is understandable, particularly in an era where dialogue is so scarce between DC and Pyongyang, but as somebody who has dealt with North Korea for some 30 years, I have a rather pessimistic, if realistic, answer to the perennial question: What could bring about a solution to the North Korean nuclear problem? My answer is simple: “Short of a military strike or revo...

2016-10-30 18:01

Phone revolution

Foreign journalists love to take pictures of people on the streets of Pyongyang (preferably nice looking and smartly dressed women, of course) busily chatting over their mobile phones. Indeed, the penetration of North Korea by mobile technology as attracted much attention worldwide (not the least of which because mobile phones are seen as an embodiment modern technology and by extension, capitalism).

2016-10-16 17:25

Diplomatic roller coaster

China is routinely described in the world’s media as “North Korea’s sole ally,” but this statement is rather misleading: the relations between Beijing and Pyongyang have never been easy, and the friendly official rhetoric all too often has served as a thin veneer, masking a great level of mistrust and suspicion. In the last year, since September 2015 or so, Sino-North Korean relations have been uncertain to say the least. Periods of warmth have been followed in quick succession by sudden cooling, and periods of near open hostility have given way to renewed cordiality

2016-10-02 17:06

Bridges of Dandong county

Bridges connect countries - few people would argue with this remark. If a country needs connections with the outside world, it builds a bridge, and if it wants to be left alone, it sees a bridge as a threat. There are few places in the world where this can be seen more clearly than on the banks of the Lower Yalu River, where the North Korean city of Sinuiju and Chinese city of Dandong face one another.

2016-09-18 17:12

Jumping the ship

The recent few months have been marked by a significant increase in the number of the elite defection from North Korea - a defection of the North Korean minister from London is yet another such incident, but it is believed that up to seven North Korean diplomats have defected this year.

2016-09-04 17:15

Large, moody and dangerous

It is clear, that since mid-July, the relations between South Korea and China, which in recent years had been quite friendly, have begun to deteriorate quickly. The reason for this crisis is widely known: in July, despite stern warnings from Beijing, the South Korean government decided to deploy the U.S.'s THAAD anti-missile system which is hopefully capable of protecting South Korea against a possible North Korean missile attack. While the THAAD system is said to be technically incapable of intercepting Chinese missiles (at least this is what the US and South Korean governments claim), the ...

2016-08-21 15:46

Alliance of convenience

Many, if not most, Westerners with a passing interest in North Korea tend to believe that in the bygone days of the Communist bloc the Soviet Union and North Korea were close allies. This is a gross mistake. While relations between Moscow and Pyongyang were initially quite close, from the late 1950s they deteriorated rapidly and significantly. Hence, the 1960 to 1990 period can be best described as a time of a pragmatic alliance driven not by any ideological solidarity but rather by cold, practical geopolitical concerns.

2016-08-07 17:23

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Hurricane Michael