North Korea

Commentary

Sep 13, 2024

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris looks on during a campaign event at Girard College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 29, 2024, photo by Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters

What Might Harris Do on North Korea if Elected President?

Should Kamala Harris win the presidency, there is likely to be more continuity than there is change in U.S. policy toward North Korea. But if North Korea becomes a larger threat, particularly due to broader geopolitical events involving China and Russia, Harris may be motivated to make bolder changes to the U.S. approach.

Q&A

Sep 9, 2024

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits O Jin U Artillery Academy in North Korea, September 6, 2024, photo by KCNA via Reuters

North Korea Explained: What Americans Need to Know

The Korean Peninsula will demand a nuanced strategy from the incoming U.S. administration. Two RAND experts discuss foreign policy challenges, denuclearization, and bolstering the U.S.–South Korea alliance, as well as cybersecurity threats, economic sanctions, and human rights abuses in the region.

Commentary

Sep 6, 2024

Women clean bricks outside the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, North Korea, July 7, 2018, photo by Andrew Harnik/Pool via Reuters

Spick and Span: How North Korea's Clean Streets Sanitize Its Image Abroad

Visitors to Pyongyang often marvel at its clean streets. This fascination highlights the regime's success in controlling the narrative and presenting an image of efficiency and purity to the outside world. But outside the capital, many areas face poor sanitation and infrastructure, revealing a stark contrast.

Commentary

Aug 22, 2024

Then-U.S. President Donald Trump and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrive for their joint news conference at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, February 25, 2020, photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters

Trump 2.0 Would Get Mixed Responses in the Indo-Pacific

The responses from across the Indo-Pacific to a second Trump administration are likely to be mixed, with the determining factor being whether the country in question maintains a close relationship with the United States.

Commentary

Aug 12, 2024

South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stand together for a trilateral meeting at the APEC summit in San Francisco, California, November 16, 2023, photo by Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

South Korean Nuclear Nonproliferation Pivot Points

The growing North Korean nuclear weapon force has created a pivot point for South Korea, where many are unsure that they can blindly depend on the U.S. nuclear umbrella to deter North Korea. A growing number of South Korean officials are calling for South Korea to build its own nuclear weapons.

Commentary

Jul 1, 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attend a wreath-laying ceremony in Pyongyang, North Korea, June 19, 2024, photo by Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via Reuters

The Uncertain Russia–North Korea Relationship

The United States and South Korea have ample reasons to worry about the new agreement between Russia and North Korea. But what is not clear is how much of a difference this agreement will make.

Commentary

Jun 19, 2024

A speaker device attached to parachutes which will broadcast anti-North Korean messages over North Korean territory, in Seoul, South Korea, June 3, 2024, photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters

Winning the Balloon Wars: How Airborne Information Could Prod Kim to Rein in His Nuclear Ambitions

The threat of an ongoing information campaign that relies on balloon drops, followed by the use of other technologies, could help prod Kim Jong-un to step back from immediate plans, such as another nuclear test, and to rethink his overall nuclear ambitions.

Commentary

Jun 19, 2024

North Korea conducts a test firing of a tactical ballistic missile at an unknown location in North Korea, May 18, 2024, photo by KCNA via Reuters

Can America Live with a Nuclear North Korea?

If the United States has decided to live with North Korean nuclear weapons, it should take some actions to reduce the risks of those weapons. The risks grow as the size of the North Korean nuclear arsenal increases.

Commentary

Jun 11, 2024

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un and then-U.S. President Donald Trump talk during the second North Korea-U.S. summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, March 1, 2019, photo by KCNA via Reuters

Did Kim Jong-un Really Seek to Denuclearize?

Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in claims in his recent memoir that Kim was sincere in promising to denuclearize in 2018, and Moon believed him. Moon sees the failure to pursue Kim's willingness as a major lost opportunity. Can we believe such a claim?

Commentary

May 31, 2024

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversees a tactical missile weapons system at an unknown location, May 14, 2024, photo by KCNA via Reuters

North Korea's October Surprise: A Nuclear Weapons Test?

Some in the United States worry that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could carry out an October surprise by doing a nuclear weapon test just before the U.S. presidential election this year. Could Kim do that? We don't know, but he certainly has a number of reasons for doing so.

Commentary

May 2, 2024

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends a military demonstration in North Korea, in this picture released by the Korean Central News Agency on March 16, 2024, photo by KCNA via Reuters

Short-Term Gain for Long-Term Pain: Why a North Korea Deal Could Come at a High Price

Kim Jong-un may be prepared to reduce his provocations and provide a more peaceful atmosphere on the Korean peninsula in exchange for what would be longer-term gains for Pyongyang. But is short-term peace worth making it possible for North Korea to establish a dominant position on the Korean peninsula in the coming years?

Announcement

Apr 29, 2024

Map of East Asia with a magnifying glass highlighting North Korea and South Korea, photo by stuartbur/Getty Images

Miyeon Oh Named RAND's New Korea Policy Chair

Miyeon Oh, a defense researcher with deep expertise in Indo-Pacific geopolitical, economic, and security issues, has joined nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND as its Korea Policy Chair.

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North Korea

North Korea

The Uncertain Russia–North Korea Relationship

Winning the Balloon Wars: How Airborne Information Could Prod Kim to Rein in His Nuclear Ambitions

Explore RAND’s Work on this Topic

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What Might Harris Do on North Korea if Elected President?

North Korea Explained: What Americans Need to Know

Spick and Span: How North Korea's Clean Streets Sanitize Its Image Abroad

Trump 2.0 Would Get Mixed Responses in the Indo-Pacific

South Korean Nuclear Nonproliferation Pivot Points

The Uncertain Russia–North Korea Relationship

Winning the Balloon Wars: How Airborne Information Could Prod Kim to Rein in His Nuclear Ambitions

Can America Live with a Nuclear North Korea?

Did Kim Jong-un Really Seek to Denuclearize?

North Korea's October Surprise: A Nuclear Weapons Test?

Short-Term Gain for Long-Term Pain: Why a North Korea Deal Could Come at a High Price

Miyeon Oh Named RAND's New Korea Policy Chair

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