Kim Jong-un

A new policy direction seems to be emerging.

The plan acknowledges the severe disparity in living conditions between Pyongyang and the rest of the country – and the resulting public discontent.

North Korea’s fourth round of cruise missile tests in 2024 came hours after state media reported that Kim had inspected unspecified naval projects at a shipyard in Nampho.

Insights from Soo Kim.

Pyongyang’s increased hostility and Seoul’s unyielding posture have set the stage for 2024 to be a dangerous year.

With a decisive change in the North’s policy toward the South, the Korean Peninsula has now devolved from a state of armistice to one where conflict could loom at any moment.

Underneath the belligerence, the reframing by Pyongyang actually opens an opportunity, if Seoul can seize it.

The North Korean diplomat-turned-South Korean lawmaker discusses Pyongyang’s stepped-up artillery shelling and its foreign policy strategy.

Much attention is focused on whether Kim Ju Ae will succeed her father, but North Korean officials have other explanations for her increased visibility.

Expect North Korea to continue to advance military ties with Russia, push forward key advanced weapons programs (like nuclear subs), and generally shun diplomacy with the U.S. and South Korea.

There are shifting dynamics in North Korea’s diplomatic strategy, particularly concerning its relationships with the U.S. and Russia. 

Kim Jong Un is in Russia, his first foreign destination since the pandemic started. What will be on the agenda when he meets with Putin?