Korean Peninsula

South Korea to remove loudspeakers from DMZ

South Korea has decided to dismantle many of speakers used to blast propaganda and K-pop across the DMZ. This was one of many psyop missions to attempt to influence soldiers and civilians from North Korea. Historically, these speakers have also been a profound source of irritation for the North Koreans, even prompting an exchange of […]

PR Warfare: Kim’s plan to relinquish nukes could be a blow to US foreign policy

The world watched with bated breath as North Korea’s delegation attended the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, hoping that the seemingly innocuous olive branch extended by the divided Koreas might somehow lead to averting the war that’s been looming over their peninsula for months. Kim Jong Un’s aggressive pursuit of nuclear weapons and increasingly […]

After US announces more sanctions aimed at North Korea, Kim says he’s willing to talk

On Friday, President Trump’s White House announced another round of sanctions aimed at countering North Korea’s efforts to circumvent previous sanctions intended to strangle funding away from North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile weapons programs. Only days later, Kim Jong Un’s regime indicated that they are now willing to begin diplomatic talks with U.S. officials. […]

North Korea resorts to school yard name-calling after Trump’s State of the Union address

North Korea has responded to President Trump’s remarks about the nation’s poor human rights record with name-calling rhetoric, in a move that seems out of character even for the historically aggressive regime. Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has assumed a more aggressive tone toward Kim Jong Un’s North Korean regime, prompting some […]

Why North Korea succeeded at getting nuclear weapons — when Iraq and Libya failed

North Korea was considered too poor, authoritarian and vulnerable to succeed with its nuclear and missile programs. And yet Pyongyang has acquired advanced nuclear weapons capabilities — and, at the end of November, tested an intercontinental ballistic missile. Why has North Korea succeeded when other countries such as Iraq and Libya have failed? Three factors are central to North Korea’s success. This […]

North Korean defectors: A basic rundown

A nuclear scientist from North Korea recently committed suicide as he was deported from China back to North Korea, where he faced the severe punishment that awaits all defectors — to include the three-generation punishment system that not only involves him, but any spouses, children, siblings and parents too. Hyun Cheol Huh is one of many […]

North Korea calls new UN sanctions ‘an act of war’

On Friday, the United Nations unanimously voted to levy the harshest sanctions yet against Kim Jong Un’s North Korean regime.  The new limitations include a significant reduction in oil imports into the nation and the demand for all North Korean citizens working abroad to return to their home nation within 24 months.  Because North Korea […]

A recipe for disaster: Could North Korea be the site of the next Chernobyl?

Late in the evening of April 26th, 1986, a safety test simulated a power station failure shut safety systems down at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near Pripyat, in Soviet-controlled Ukraine. A combination of design flaws in the reactor and station personnel failing to adhere to established safety precautions during the test soon led to an […]

On this day in history: The death of Kim Jong Il

December 17, 2011 — Kim Jong Il was reported to have had a heart attack on a train just outside of Pyongyang, North Korea. He was the leader of North Korea, succeeded by his son, Kim Jong Un. Kim Jong Il had himself succeeded his own father, Kim Il-sung, who died at the age of […]