Korea Watch
Korea Watch is our portal into all things Korea.
In this space, we will tackle issues such as the North Korea challenge and of course Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons development, U.S.-DPRK relations, South Korean domestic politics and economic issues, technological innovations originating on the Korean peninsula, demographics and more.
You will also find here many new symposiums tackling many Korea-related issues, videos to events and webinars as well as interviews with top policy and decisionmakers.
Some of the key authors you will find here include Victor Cha, Ted Galen Carpenter, Joseph Nye, Robert E. Kelly, and Mitchell Blatt.
Why It’s Time for a South Korean Nuclear Deterrent
With North Korea preparing to strike southward, and the United States deeply ambivalent about its defense, Seoul needs nuclear weapons now more than ever.
Stories from Korea Watch
North Korea Has Room For Only One Patron
Without Russia, the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea and the Kim regime wouldn’t exist. Today, part of that legacy is that North Korea is the longest-lived communist country in...
A Russia-North Korea Alliance in the Works? Don’t Be So Sure
In June, Russia and North Korea signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty. To some Western observers, this appears to be an alliance like the U.S.-South Korea bilateral alliance or even the...
Institutionalizing the Axis of Upheaval: The Russia-DPRK Strategic Partnership
Russia and North Korea have formalized a strategic partnership pledging mutual military support, reflecting their shared opposition to the current global order. The mutual economic and military benefits they stand...
The Revival of the Moscow-Pyongyang Axis
Pyongyang relished Moscow’s revival of the alliance-like relationship that it had severed decades earlier. Still, many international observers were shocked when Vladimir Putin signed a Strategic Partnership Pact in June...
The Renewed Russia-North Korea Alliance: What Has (and Hasn’t) Changed From the Past
The Russia-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, signed between Russia and the DPRK in June of this year, is regarded as a resurrection of the...
Russia and North Korea’s Partnership of Pariahs: Will it Last?
One of the more unexpected outcomes of the Russo-Ukrainian war has been the revitalized partnership between Russia and North Korea. For Pyongyang, this renewed relationship is particularly advantageous as it...
No Easy Answers: America’s Limited Choices in Dealing with North Korea
Whoever occupies the White House in 2025 will find North Korea is still the land of no good options. Physically destroying the North Korean nuclear program is impractical and fraught with...
Russia’s Alliance with North Korea: Balancing Military Inferiority with Recklessness
The effect of the Russian alliance with North Korea has often been perceived as limited to North Korea’s bargaining with the West and its assistance to Russia in the war...
Renegotiate or Retrench? Trump and Harris Offer Stark Choices for U.S.-Korea Relations
In 2016 and again in 2020, the state of the U.S.-South Korea strategic alliance featured prominently in the presidential campaign talking points. Indeed, the Korean Peninsula serves as a microcosm...
Two Turbulent Musketeers: Russia & North Korea’s Alliance-Building
Ever since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, North Korea’s support for its former Cold War patron has evolved dramatically, from expectedly sending words of support to Russia to...
North Korea’s Hezbollah Connection
As we watch Israel move into Lebanon with ground forces this week, it is important to understand that this would not be necessary unless Hezbollah had a vast network of...
Russia and North Korea: A Long-Term Strategic Partnership
As the world observed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a surprising partnership took shape: Moscow and Pyongyang, two isolated authoritarian states, forged an increasingly visible alliance. Their relationship reached a new...