North Korea is putting on a tough face as the world confronts the COVID-19 pandemic. Authorities in Pyongyang continue to reassure the rest of the world that nothing is wrong and that the country remains completely immune from the pandemic. And yet previous international crises - like the global rice panic of 2008 - had an outsized impact on North Korea because the country stands so precariously on the edge of economic collapse. Similarly, the country’s decision to close its borders to both goods and people in response to the pandemic is expected to have severe consequences on the livelihood of many people.
Simultaneously, the country has also been maintaining diplomatic isolation - waving away overtures from South Korea and demolishing the inter-Korean liaison office that had symbolized the great advances made since the summits between Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un in 2018.
But now, Pyongyang faces a tough decision - will it maintain this isolation even as South Korean voters extend overwhelming support to its pro-engagement administration, and as the United States prepares for an election where Donald Trump - the U.S. president who has extended legitimacy to the North Korean leadership - faces a very tough competition?
To discuss Pyongyang’s strategic choices at this critical juncture, we have with us today, Markus Garlauskas - a former U.S. National Intelligence Officer for North Korea. KEI Senior Director Troy Stangarone caught up with him for a quick discussion.
Staying on the subject of North Korea, KEI will host Dr. Hazel Smith on July 28, 2020 at 2 p.m. EDT for a discussion on the ethics of international sanctions on North Korea - she asks whether the illegality of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal justifies the current pressures placed on the country by the international community.
You can RSVP for the event here:
https://share.hsforms.com/1T4Y00yBaQkOu6OLU0NNXEA2ztzy
Humanizing Korea: E. Tammy Kim
Implications of the War in Ukraine for the Korean Peninsula
A Conversation with Amb. Marc Knapper on U.S.-Korea-Vietnam Cooperation
U.S.-Korea Relations at 70: A Post-Summit Evaluation
Four Decades of Korea, In & Out: Rob Rapson (Part 2)
Four Decades of Korea, In & Out: Rob Rapson (Part 1)
Divided Families: Soojin Park, Paul Lee, Ambassador Robert King
The Ethics of Sanctions on North Korea: Hazel Smith
The Retreat (And Return?) of the United States: Gordon Flake
When Cold Warriors Sued for Peace: Mark Tokola
Lasting Legacies of An Unfinished War: James Person and William Stueck
The Miracle at Hungnam: Ned Forney
A Division No One Planned or Wanted: Charles Kraus
Defending Korea and a Letter to Pvt. Parker: John Stevens
Troubles Apologies in the Time of Pandemic: Alexis Dudden
Korean Baseball Comes to Bat in America: Mark Lippert, Eric Hacker, Daniel Kim, Dan Kurtz, Esther Lee, Troy Stangarone
The Last Transition Economy: Vincent Koen
Diplomacy or Readiness: Terence Roehrig
Succession in North Korea: Ken Gause, Chris Steinitz
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free