Transcript: North Korea’s growing alignment with Russia has reshaped the security landscape of Northeast Asia, drawing renewed attention from global analysts and policymakers alike. In his latest article, “The North Korea–Russia Strategic Partnership and Moscow–Washington Great Power Rivalry in a Regional Security Context,” published in the Fall 2025 issue of North Korean Review , Anthony V. Rinna examines how great power competition influences Pyongyang’s evolving ties with

YIKUS Issue Brief No. 168 Cho Jin Soo (Senior Researcher, Institute for North Korean Studies, Yonsei University)   In January 2024, Unification Minister Kim Yung Ho stated during the New Year’s greeting of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council that “in North Korea, collectivism is declining as individualism grows, and mobile phones along with other digital devices are becoming more widespread.”1 If so, what is the essence of the weakening collectivism and emerging individ

YIKUS Issue Brief No. 170 Kim Myungse (Research Fellow, Yonsei Institute for Unification Studies, Yonsei University)   It's common in most countries for a newly established regime to distinguish itself from its predecessor. This differentiation becomes clear through significant policy shifts when opposition parties take power, but it's minimal when the ruling party is re-elected. The subtle policy differences observed during re-elections are also present in one-party dictator

YIKUS Issue Brief No. 158 Kwon So Young (Senior Research Fellow, Yonsei Institute for Unification Studies, Yonsei University) Research on North Korea has progressed steadily despite epistemological limitations and challenges in data collection. The methodologies used in North Korean studies have gradually become more specialized and diverse, moving beyond traditional perspectives. With the rise of the global era, extrinsic approaches based on universal human values or area st

(Source: Wikimedia Commons) Introduction When North Korea unexpectedly closed its borders in February/March, despite still having foreign tourist groups within the country, many analysts speculated that the decision was drawn from concerns regarding the social media uploads and increased international attention. However, a month later, borders reopened for the Pyongyang International Marathon. Many of the travelers to Pyongyang were the same visitors from the Rason group, and

Synopsis Pyongyang’s destabilizing conduct can be seen as communications with three consistent audiences, namely North Korean citizens, the U.S.-ROK alliance and the West. This could signal why durable rapprochement is extremely difficult.         Pyongyang’s recent moves to supply Russia with ammunition, artillery systems, ballistic missiles  and even combat vehicles , along with the prospective future dispatch of tanks, and 6000 engineering/construction  troops, to bolster

YIKUS Issue Brief No. 150 Bong Young Sik (Research Fellow, Institute for Unification Studies, Yonsei University) At 11:59 p.m. local time on August 30, 2021, the last U.S. C-17 transport aircraft departed from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. With this, the United States officially ended the longest war in its history—the Afghanistan War—in accordance with President Joe Biden's full withdrawal deadline announced on July 8, 2021. The Afghanistan War, w

YIKUS Issue Brief No. 148 Choi Jae Deok (Senior Researcher, Institute for Unification Studies, Yonsei University / Director, Institute...

Introduction In recent years, the world has seen a significant increase in North Korean cybercrime operations. A series of cryptocurrency...

Between uncertain regulations and changing social priorities, the role of ethnic schools for Zainichi Koreans faces an uncertain future.