North Korea

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Back to School, Vaccinating Kids, Space Security: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the well-being of America's educators, the effort to vaccinate kids and teens, security in outer space, and more.

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Homelessness in L.A., Russia's Military Woes, Educator Morale: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on breaking the cycle of incarceration and homelessness, Russia’s ongoing military struggles, NATO expansion, and more.

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Yoon Suk-yeol Is Biden's Perfect South Korea Partner

Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korea's conservative new president, has shown that he is in lockstep with U.S. President Joe Biden on foreign policy. During Biden's Indo-Pacific trip in May, their conversations in the security domain suggest Yoon's overlapping tenure with Biden heralds a golden era in the U.S.-South Korea alliance.

Derek Grossman @DerekJGrossman

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Three Principles for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security

In his inaugural address in 1998, former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung defined three principles for Korean Peninsula peace and security. How might these principles be adjusted to manage today's changing North Korean threats and the Korean security environment?

Bruce W. Bennett @bwbennett, Young-jun Kim

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Will South Korea's New President Reshape Regional Dynamics?

Yoon Suk-yeol has been elected president of South Korea. With a tall order to fill at home and abroad, the Yoon administration has the potential to reshape South Korea's future and relationships in the region. The path that he carves for Seoul in the coming weeks and months will be watched with keen interest marked by hopes and apprehension by his neighbors.

Soo Kim @mllesookim

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The Most Popular RAND Research of 2021

As another extraordinary year draws to a close, we continue to believe that objective, nonpartisan research and analysis has a key role to play in navigating what continues to be a difficult time. Here are the 10 research projects that resonated most with rand.org readers in 2021.

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North Korea's Nuclear Arsenal and Prospects for Regional Peace

Nuclear talks between the United States and North Korea have hovered at a standstill since 2019. With the door to diplomacy seemingly closed and North Korea marching forward on weapons development and making threatening statements, what are the prospects for Pyongyang's denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula?

Soo Kim @mllesookim

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Preserving the ROK-U.S. Alliance by Sustaining Military Exercises

The Republic of Korea (ROK)/U.S. military forces based in the ROK are in a constant state of training, which is required to maintain military effectiveness. North Korea seeks to stop this ROK/U.S. military training, but taking the North Korean complaints seriously could be a mistake.

Bruce W. Bennett @bwbennett

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North Korea, Sexual Violence in the U.S. Military, America's Labor Shortage: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how to deal with a nuclear North Korea, preventing sexual violence in the military, supporting immigrant children in U.S. schools, and more.

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Reducing the Role of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Could Make North Korea Happy

The threats emanating from North Korea pose a useful case study for the potential implications of reducing the role of U.S. nuclear weapons. Additional U.S. nuclear deterrence declaratory strategy, backed up by appropriate nuclear weapon capabilities and planning, may be needed.

Bruce W. Bennett @bwbennett

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North Korea's 'Business as Usual' Missile Provocations

North Korea has revved up its cycle of missile provocations, its go-to method of securing leverage against the United States and South Korea in the on-again off-again nuclear negotiations. How will the United States and South Korea choose to respond?

Soo Kim @mllesookim

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Four-Day School Weeks, Domestic Terrorism, North Korea: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the trade-offs of a four-day school week, how to counter domestic violent extremism, racial disparities in who is convicted of more-serious speeding charges, and more.

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Japan's Potential Acquisition of Ground-Launched Land-Attack Missiles: Implications for the U.S.-Japanese Alliance

If Japan acquired ground-based strike capabilities, it would have significant consequences for the U.S.-Japanese alliance. American and Japanese policymakers may need to have a new and expanded set of conversations about how such capabilities would be used and how the alliance could adjust to incorporate them.

Jeffrey W. Hornung, Scott W. Harold

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Insights on Afghanistan, Back to School, North Korea: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the collapse in Afghanistan, what parents think about sending kids back to school, insights from game theory on North Korean denuclearization, and more.

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Can China Be a Real Partner in Bringing North Korea to the Nuclear Negotiating Table?

The United States remains committed to the goal of denuclearization of North Korea. China is more interested in maintaining a delicate geopolitical balance to counter U.S. influence in the region and in expanding its own reach. Thus, prospects for productive U.S.-China cooperation on the North Korean nuclear threat seem faint at best.

Soo Kim @mllesookim