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Doubles, toil and trouble in
Pyongyang
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's sprightly appearance in a spate of
public showings  since
he reportedly suffered a stroke, including meetings with China's Premier Wen
Jiabao and former United States president Bill Clinton, has re-ignited rumors
there is a troupe of look-alike Dear Leader actors. - Donald Kirk
(Oct 30, '09)
New moons are rising
The Reverend Sun Myung Moon, nearing 90, has been meeting movers and shakers in
the rarified heights of Washington to promote his  autobiography,
illustrating the political power and influence both in the United States and
abroad of his World Unification Church. Moon's sons are now being groomed for
the difficult task of making the church appear less idiosyncratic and more
acceptable to the public. (Oct 30, '09)
Korean summit not such a sick idea
As Washington pledges continuous military support for South Korea and issues
cautious words for the North, South Korean media are hinting that an
inter-Korean summit might not be as absurd an idea as previously believed.
Maybe the Dear Leader will go on a medical tourism journey to Seoul. - Donald
Kirk (Oct 23, '09)
Pyongyang flirts with 'two-track'
strategy
A glimpse of the desolate battlefields of the Korean War - near the site of
Friday's talks on family reunions and aid - highlights how little inter-Korean
reconciliation has progressed since the conflict ended in 1953. The talks come
after a week of mixed messages from Pyongyang that saw it launch a barrage of
short-range missiles, before making a rare apology. - Donald Kirk
(Oct 16, '09)
ADRIFT ON A RUSSIAN ISLAND, Part 2
A political crisis erupts
As the 30,000-strong South Korean community on Russia's Sakhalin Island began
to demand repatriation in the mid-1970s, Soviet authorities scrambled to deal
with a political crisis that threatened to turn into a major embarrassment. A
harsh solution was found, with many of the dissenters sent packing to North
Korea, never to be seen again. - Andrei Lankov
(Oct 16, '09)
This is the concluding article in a two-part report.
PART 1:
Koreans left high and dry
North Korea begins 'Plan C'
As part of a "Plan C", Pyongyang is willing to start acting as a responsible
nuclear power, stop transferring sensitive technology abroad and even help the
Barack Obama administration's goal of global nuclear disarmament, according to
its unofficial spokesman. All it will take is complete US recognition of the
North's nuclear power status, a peace treaty and the establishment of full
diplomatic ties. - Kim Myong Chol (Oct 13,
'09)
Give and take on North Korea
North Korea's Kim Jong-il on Tuesday promised visiting Chinese Premier Wen
Jiabao that Pyongyang will return to the six-party talks that the North has
previously spurned. Beijing will take credit for arm-twisting the recalcitrant
North Koreans, while Kim will believe he has played his cards just right. - Donald
Kirk (Oct 6, '09)
North Korea reverts to form
After a fleeting period of cordiality, North Korea has slammed the door on
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's vision of a "grand bargain" to resolve
inter-Korean issues and blasted the United States for a policy of
"confrontation" over the North's nuclear program. Diplomats from Seoul and
Washington are doing their best to smile through the gloom. - Donald Kirk
(Oct 2, '09)
Obama's Korean honeymoon sours
The fact that Iran and North Korea have exchanged nuclear components and
know-how, and that Pyongyang has exported missiles to Iran, inextricably links
them - if not in an "axis of evil", then at least in a military and commercial
alliance. This is not missed by United States President Barack Obama, whose
tough talk could throw cold water on the current US-North Korea honeymoon. - Donald
Kirk (Sep 25, '09)
And then there were two ...
The Barack Obama administration has resolved that there's no harm in beginning
the bilateral dialogue that North Korea has long wanted as a way to get
Pyongyang back into the six-party talks on its nuclear program. This places
Washington on a collision course with South Korea. - Donald Kirk
(Sep 18, '09)
South Korea shows recovery skills
The South Korean economy is charging back into recovery mode, as the country's
consumers make the most of a stimulus package and its factories' products are
bought up to help global inventory restocking. - R M Cutler
(Sep 10, '09)
North Korea's succession gets twisted
Years of speculation over who will succeed North Korean leader Kim Jong-il
seemed to be nearing conclusion in April when his youngest son emerged as the
probable new "Sun of the Nation". Now, after an apparent uptick in the Dear
Leader's health, all talk and songs about "Young General Kim" have come to an
abrupt halt. - Andrei Lankov (Sep 10, '09)
North Korea drops a uranium bombshell
Suspicions that North Korea never halted its uranium nuclear weapons program
have been at the core of United States diplomacy with Pyongyang for years. The
North on Friday officially confirmed these fears, and worse, that enrichment is
in its "final phase". Cornered by tough sanctions and a dire economic
situation, Pyongyang hopes the revelation will hasten one-on-one dialogue with
Washington. - Donald Kirk (Sep 4, '09)
Storm over North Korea-Iran arms vessel
An Australian-owned vessel has been seized by the United Arab Emirates after
North Korean conventional weapons, reportedly destined for Iran, were found in
its cargo marked as "machine parts". The seizure, the result of tough new
United Nation sanctions, could undermine Pyongyang's recent conciliatory
gestures and a glowing report on Tehran's nuclear program. - Donald Kirk
(Aug 31, '09)
Pyongyang plays 'funeral diplomacy'
North Korea's sudden displays of cordiality, such as the delegation sent to
Sunday's funeral of former South Korean president Kim Dae-jung, are more likely
a result of Pyongyang's economic desperation than any desire to end the nuclear
standoff. As equally significant as the North's visit was who the United States
chose for its delegation to honor Kim. - Donald Kirk
(Aug 24, '09)
SPEAKING FREELY
It's all a North Korean plot
North Korea's plan to upset the international community is a well thought out
strategy. The political and military leaders are wary of a succession struggle
and regime collapse if Kim Jong-il passes away. Hence, they are toying with
China-style economic liberalization and nuclear brinkmanship to ward off future
prosecution for human-rights abuses. - Peter Van Nguyen
(Aug 20, '09)
Kim Dae-jung fought for an elusive dream
To the end of his days, 85-year-old Kim Dae-jung backed the "Sunshine" policy
of reconciliation with North Korea that he instituted during his  presidency
from 1998 to 2003. Kim, who died on Tuesday, was fighting a losing battle; the
Barack Obama administration's approach to Pyongyang will ensure that "Sunshine"
remains a mirage. - Donald Kirk (Aug 19, '09)
Through the (North Korean) looking glass
The administration of President Barack Obama has in many ways adopted the
policies of George W Bush towards North Korea, even using strikingly similar
rhetoric. There has been a conspicuous difference, however, in the response of
observers. Alice in Wonderland would describe it as "curiouser and curiouser".
Or hypocritical. - Bruce Klingner (Aug 18,
'09)
Freedom comes at a price in Pyongyang
North Korea's release on Thursday of a South Korean worker, like its freeing of
two United States journalists, could signal a shift towards a more conciliatory
line after its atomic bomb and missile tests this year. But it is more likely
the gestures stem from large financial incentives, or from an even greater
motivating factor - pressure from China. - Donald Kirk
(Aug 14, '09)
Finally, laid to rest in Pyongyang
The brother of a British pilot shot down over Pyongyang during
the Korean War was not expecting much help from reclusive North Korea in
locating the fallen airman's remains. He was more than surprised, then, when he
was welcomed by officials for a visit to the well-tended grave near the
capital. - Michael Rank (Aug 13, '09)
South Korea's first rocket ready - at
last
South Korea's first domestically developed rocket is finally scheduled to
launch this month after delays that have strained relations with the Russian
space agency that helped build it. Seoul had few options when choosing a space
ally - the United States refused to help the nation's space program for years,
fearing this would kick-start a regional arms race. - Peter J Brown
(Aug 10, '09)
No hero for Pyongyang's other guests
Former United States president Bill Clinton was able to secure the release of
two American journalists held by North Korea, but the future remains bleak for
an estimated 1,000 South Koreans and up to 20 Japanese in detention there.
Seoul and Tokyo have worked for years for their release, but they simply don't
have the US's sway or resources. - Donald Kirk
(Aug 7, '09)
Dear Leader stars in Bill and Hillary
show
Former United States president Bill Clinton has done his bit by bringing home
American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, five months after they were
seized for crossing illegally into North Korea. Now it is up the State
Department, led by his wife Hillary, to play its part: North Korean leader Kim
Jong-il certainly wants a reward for his "humanitarian and peace-loving"
gesture. - Donald Kirk (Aug 5, '09)
Pyongyang purges for a new era
A crackdown on anyone perceived as soft towards the United States or South
Korea is reportedly underway in North Korea, with even skilled past negotiators
destined for chicken farms, re-education camps or a public execution. The purge
is a manifestation of a much more sweeping campaign to purify society ahead of
a looming succession crisis. - Donald Kirk (Jul
31, '09)
North Korea sees an opening
Pyongyang is now out in the open with a strategy that may not be as misguided
as it appears. Negotiations to bring home two female American journalists found
guilty of intruding into North Korea may easily segue into the one-on-one
dialogue that North Korea sees as the only way to bypass the six-party talks
while winning serious concessions from the United States. - Donald Kirk
(Jul 28, '09)
Nuclear powers revert to playground
A hissy fit between the United States and North Korea this week, with US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling North Korea's leaders "unruly
teenagers" and Pyongyang saying she is a "primary-school girl", may illustrate
the depth of tensions over their nuclear standoff but does little to resolve
it. - Donald Kirk (Jul 24, '09)
Conflicts in China's North Korea policy
China's indifference to United Nations efforts to block North Korean arms
shipments flies in the face of world opinion and could doom the plan. Beijing
has clear motives: a reunified Korea might recognize United States supremacy in
the region, and if North Korean refugees flood into south China, it could spark
more ethnic separatism. - Cynthia Lee (Jul
20, '09)
Washington funds its Uyghur 'friends'
If the United States is not openly on the side of the Uyghurs,
there are plenty of signs of substantive support. One that's getting notice in
Washington and Beijing is the role of the National Endowment for Democracy, a
non-governmental organization that dispenses money from the US Congress -
including US$200,000 a year to the World Uyghur Congress, blamed for triggering
the July 5 riots. - Donald Kirk (Jul 17,'09)
Rich lessons in North Korea's playbook
Since the Korean War ended in 1953, ties between the United
States and North Korea have been strained to the point of war on five
occasions, including the seizure of the USS Pueblo and the Poplar Tree
incident at Panmunjom. The most striking common fact of the crises is that
North Korea kept the nuclear-armed US at bay, a good lesson for the Barack
Obama administration, the North's "unofficial spokesman" suggests. - Kim Myong
Chol (Jul 15,'09)
SINOGRAPH
China, please invade North Korea
In 1979, China waged war against Vietnam with the blessing of the United States
as Beijing was on the right side in the grand clash of the Cold War. In the
interests of establishing a solid foundation for broad US-China cooperation,
China could do worse than take up arms against recalcitrant nuclear-armed North
Korea. - Francesco Sisci (Jul 15,'09)
Pyongyang's cyber-terrorism hits home
North Korea's audacious cyber-offensive this week at
high-profile computer systems in South Korea and the United States is clearly
linked to its earlier nuclear and missile tests. The next step is for Pyongyang
to perfect its ability to deliver weapons of mass destruction to carefully
selected targets in countries where information systems have been disabled. -
Donald Kirk (Jul 9,'09)
Pyongyang plans fourth of July fireworks
United States officials are scrambling for a response as North Korea reportedly
plans a fireworks display to mark US Independence Day in the form of a
long-range Taepodong-2 missile test. As a military reaction could lead to
nuclear war, perhaps the Treasury Department is right to concentrate on
attacking Pyongyang's finances. - Donald Kirk
(Jul 3,'09)
China's rogue regimes play up
North Korea's willingness to export high-tech weapons and know-how to Myanmar
and other reclusive, anti-Western regimes has raised regional security concerns
and could launch a new Southeast Asian arms race. If Pyongyang is indeed
helping Myanmar achieve its nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions, China may
shut the door on its troublesome client states. - Brian McCartan
(Jul 2,'09)
SPEAKING FREELY
South Korea in a new Asia initiative
President Lee Myung-bak is pushing his ambitious "New Asia Initiative", which
aims to boost South Korea's role as a regional powerbroker. Lee will likely
face the same roadblocks and critics as the late Roh Moo-hyun, who tried to
make South Korea an honest broker between China and Japan and the United States
and China. - Zhiqun Zhu (Jun 29,'09)
A UN snub: Two regimes in a tub
Trying to fathom the mystery of the Kang Nam I, an
aging North Korean cargo vessel allegedly stacked with weapons and steaming
towards Myanmar, has become a global obsession. The ship is being shadowed by
an American destroyer for possible violations of a United Nations resolution
against Pyongyang's nuclear test, and the world is watching. The Kang Nam's
cargo might be unknown, but its mission is surely to churn the waters of
regional diplomacy. - Donald Kirk (Jun
25,'09)
Pyongyang turns back the clock
As North Korea demands excessive salary and rent hikes, companies flee
and political tensions worsen, the one-time jewel in the crown of inter-Korean
trade, the Kaesong Industrial Complex, seems doomed. Though the complex turned
a healthy profit for Pyongyang, it has been decided to put a lid on "cancerous
capitalism". - Leonid Petrov (Jun 24,'09)
A convenient North Korean distraction
The main venue for demonstrating enhanced United States-Japanese cooperation as
a viable alternative to Chinese diplomatic suzerainty over North Asia is North
Korea. In this process, Dear Leader Kim Jong-il is playing a perfect role by
provoking a security crisis the US can exploit to the full. - Peter Lee
(Jun 22,'09)
Kim Jong-il at the opera
Taking a moment to forget international pressure, Kim Jong-il decided it was
time to expose his proletariat to world culture. He picked Tchaikovsky's opera Evgeni
Onegin , the tale of a bored hero who makes bad decisions and dies
alone after a fatal duel with his best friend. Hopefully, North Korea does not
imitate art too closely. - Aidan Foster-Carter
(Jun 22,'09)
Beijing toys with tougher tactics
On the surface, China hasn't toughened its stance on North Korea, despite
Pyongyang's nuclear test. But a closer look suggests Beijing is indeed
considering hardening its line, as fears of North Korea's nuclear pursuit - and
the accompanying North Asian reactions - grow. - Willy Lam
(Jun 19,'09)
Obama lights North Korea's fuse
By signing a joint statement with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak pledging
commitment to the US "nuclear umbrella", President Barack Obama has sent the
North Koreans a loud and clear message. The US has a lot more nukes than they
do, and is willing to use them if that is what it will take to stop Pyongyang's
nonsense. North Korea's venomous response is expected soon. - Donald Kirk
(Jun 17,'09)
Doubts over US-China-Japan talks
Plans for a first-ever summit between China, Japan and the United States have
raised hopes that the framework could become a pivotal forum for East Asia.
However, with South Korea likely to view its exclusion as insulting and
threatening, any serious progress on the region's most pressing security issue,
North Korea, is unlikely. - Jian Junbo (Jun
15,'09)
Pyongyang sends a radioactive riposte
While not unexpected, North Korea's response to the United Nations Security
Council's admonishment of its nuclear test - stepping up plutonium production -
does force the hand of the United States. If the US responds by promising South
Korea a defensive "nuclear umbrella", it will again play into the hands of
Pyongyang's propagandists. - Donald Kirk (Jun
15,'09)
North Korea resolution lacks teeth
The draft resolution passed by the United Nations Security Council on North
Korea's second nuclear test is filled with unenforceable demands for the Hermit
Kingdom to drop its nuclear program and stop firing missiles. The only
difference from previous unenforceable demands is a clause that signatory
states can inspect suspicious ships in their territory and "on the high seas".
- Donald Kirk (Jun 12,'09)
South Korea sticks to business
The resilience of the South Korean economy, aided by government stimulus
packages, has helped the equity markets to shrug off harsh news of personal
tragedy and war threats alike. Wise heads, looking at the important role played
by exports, are warning against too much optimism. - R M Cutler
(Jun 11,'09)
Nuclear war is Kim Jong-il's game plan
North Korea already has a strategy for a thermonuclear struggle with the United
States and its allies, says the Hermit Kingdom's unofficial spokesman, and it's
not pretty. Nuclear detonations in outer space will "evaporate" key targets,
and underwater explosions will swamp seaboards with radioactive tsunamis. The
US won't stop acting aggressively, says the game plan, until its wiped off the
map. - Kim Myong Chol (Jun 11,'09)
China: Pyongyang just wants attention
Beijing has dismissed North Korea's saber-rattling on the Korean Peninsula as
mere brinksmanship and is reluctant to criticize Pyongyang's internal affairs.
But there are deeper layers than that. China and North Korea are still bonded
by a long-standing communist alliance, and Beijing's vital economic lifeline
remains intact. (Jun 10,'09)
Journalists may get the 'good' gulag
North Korea has yet to explain what type of life awaits two American
journalists as they begin their 12-year jail sentence of "hard labor", but few
believe they will really suffer through dawn-to-dusk days slaving in fields and
mines, beaten by guards and sometimes tortured, as routinely happens to
prisoners in North Korea. - Donald Kirk (Jun
10,'09)
US shackled by Pyongyang's ploy
The United States is caught between public demands for the release of American
journalists detained in North Korea and its tough-guy take on Pyongyang's
nuclear and missile tests. The balancing act has left Washington dithering as
North Korea's leverage grows. Meanwhile, the two female reporters are set to
begin "re-education'' in a penal system known for brutality, starvation and
torture. - Donald Kirk (Jun 9,'09)
Tokyo struggles to get its message right
The twin false alarms Japan experienced before the North Korean missile test in
April highlight some unacceptable deficiencies in its early warning systems.
Further provocations from Pyongyang will surely confirm that Japan's crisis
management system is on the blink. - Peter J Brown
(Jun 9,'09)
A sombre scoop for Pyongyang's pawns
Frantic behind-the-scenes diplomacy and plaintive appeals for mercy are
unlikely to help the two female American journalists whose trial began on
Thursday in North Korea over illegal entry and "hostile acts". Their plight, in
view of all that's going on with North Korea, might appear trivial, but it
presents unusual possibilities for the United States. - Donald Kirk
(Jun 5,'09)
The hazards of a hasty succession
If it is confirmed that the ailing North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has named
his Swiss-educated youngest son, Kim Jong-un, as his successor, any optimism
should be guarded. Untested in combat and over-privileged, the 26-year-old may
not be accepted by the million-strong military establishment, leading to either
calamitous internal strife or him taking a harder line than his father to prove
himself. - Donald Kirk (Jun 3,'09)
SINOGRAPH
Pyongyang better left to its devices
It can be assumed that North Korea timed its nuclear test in 2006 and the one
last month to provoke China, and Beijing understood it this way - not that
there was - or will be - any rash response. Major issues such as the
unification of the Korean Peninsula, US troops stationed in South Korea and a
possible refugee crisis determine that Pyongyang be left alone - apart from
cutting off the supply of finer things to its pampered leaders.
(Jun 3,'09)
This article kicks off a new weekly column by long-time Beijing resident Francesco
Sisci.
Korea: It's not the bomb, it's the
funeral
If former South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun's legacy is as
badly mishandled as his vengeful prosecution, the fallout could be as
significant for the United States' relationship with the peninsula as the
North's nuclear test. The treatment of what Roh stood for is crucial to the
health of the US alliance, as he broadly shaped what it is today.
(Jun 2,'09)
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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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