North Korea News Podcast by NK News

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently inspected a site for a new naval base, revealing plans to construct a port capable of operating “large, modern surface and underwater vessels” as he pushes to revitalize the country’s navy. NK News Seoul Correspondent Ifang Bremer joins the podcast to discuss Kim’s weekend activities, as well as South Korea’s new defense minister and North Korea’s barrage o...

Cooperation between North Korea and Russia across various sectors has gone from strength to strength in recent years, with major implications for the Korean Peninsula and beyond. This week, scholar Bo Ram Kwon joins the podcast to talk about how Moscow’s war in Ukraine has shifted the security dynamics for South Korea, particularly strategic planning with the U.S. She also discusses the possibilit...

North Korea appears to be preparing for a large-scale outdoor concert in Pyongyang to celebrate the country’s foundation day on Sept. 9, according to NK News analysis of satellite imagery. NK News CEO Chad O’Carroll joins the podcast to discuss the DPRK’s foundation holiday, as well as reports that a North Korean foreign ministry delegation is expected to attend the U.N. General Assembly and the r...

Research analyst Decker Eveleth joins the podcast to discuss where exactly North Korea’s missile program stands today, and why it presents a security problem not only for Asia and the U.S. but for the entire globe.  He also talks about the benefits of working with open-source intelligence, such as sharing intel publicly and providing new analysis, as well as a piece he wrote for NK Pro that delves...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected new “suicide drones” and urged production of small drones that ordinary troops can use against “any enemy target,” according to state media on Monday. NK News Data Correspondent Anton Sokolin joins the podcast to discuss the new drones, as well as Kim’s demand to incorporate artificial intelligence in their development. He also talks about Russia’s first l...

In his newly published book, “How Tyrants Fall: And How Nations Survive,” political scientist Marcel Dirsus examines the workings and malfunctions of dictators around the globe, including North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.  He joins the podcast to discuss the differences between authoritarian systems, how tyrants come into and fall out of power, and the unique aspects of the DPRK’s leadership system.  Dr....

In a speech on Liberation Day, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol embraced a new vision of unification that seeks to “extend freedom” to the suffering masses in North Korea.  NK News CEO Chad O’Carroll and Lead Correspondent Jeongmin Kim join the podcast to discuss Yoon’s speech, which deviates from decades of policy toward Pyongyang by embracing unification by absorption, as well as the start o...

The Global South has continued to grow in political importance in recent years, as the U.S., China and Russia battle for influence among countries in the Southern Hemisphere. And that contest also has implications for addressing a range of North Korea issues. This week, Rob York of the Pacific Forum joins the NK News podcast to discuss how the countries of the Global South think about the DPRK’s h...

North Korea only sent 14 athletes to compete at the Paris Olympics, its first Summer Games in eight years, but its small contingent managed to take home six medals, demonstrating the country’s ability to consistently punch above its weight in sports. NK News correspondent Shreyas Reddy discusses where the DPRK had the most success, and moments where the humanity of its athletes shone through. Then...

Almost a quarter century ago, South Korean President Kim Dae-jung traveled to Pyongyang to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Il for the first-ever inter-Korean summit, a watershed moment in ties between the longtime adversaries. Months later, Kim Dae-jung received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to promote reconciliation with the DPRK and for his work for democracy and human rights in the RO...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gave a speech at a large-scale military event on Sunday where he handed over more than 250 missile launchers to the frontline units, calling for improvements to nuclear capabilities to counter the U.S. NK News Senior Analytic Correspondent Colin Zwirko joins the podcast to discuss the message behind the DPRK missiles, as well as the hard rock rendition of the nation...

Ed Pulford joins the podcast to discuss his new book “Past Progress: Time and Politics at the Borders of China, Russia, and Korea,” which examines the unique border area between the three countries from various angles. He shares insights from his time in the Chinese town of Hunchun on the border with Russia and North Korea, and discusses how the region's proximity to the DPRK impacts its inhabitan...

North Korea’s 16-athlete contingent descended upon Paris for the Olympic Games last week, competing in events such as table tennis, wrestling and diving. NK News’ Joe Smith joins the podcast to talk about where the DPRK might achieve success, as well as a $10 million U.S. bounty for a North Korean national tied to a notorious cybercrime syndicate. As his time as a news trainee comes to an end, he’...

The U.S. has charged prominent North Korea expert Sue Mi Terry, a former CIA analyst and White House official, with allegedly working for South Korean spies in exchange for luxury goods and expensive dinners. The NK News team joins the podcast to discuss Terry’s indictment, its implications for North Korea policymakers, its impact on South Korean politics and more. This episode features the follow...

South Korea restarted “full-scale” propaganda broadcasts from border loudspeakers this week in retaliation over North Korea’s ninth trash balloon launch to date. NK News Editorial Intern Joon Ha Park joins the podcast to discuss the content that ROK is blaring over the border, what a high-profile defector from the DPRK Embassy in Cuba has revealed about Pyongyang’s leadership and how a new generat...

Kim Jong Un’s announcement of a new policy rejecting reunification has sparked considerable debate among North Korea watchers. This week, Kim Jaechun, a professor of international relations at the Graduate School of International Studies at Sogang University, joins the podcast to talk about a discussion he recently moderated at the unification ministry about the future prospects for Korean unifica...

The North Korean leader’s sister warned that South Korea will pay “a very high price” after North Korean authorities discovered more ROK-origin leaflets in its territory, according to a statement published by state media over the weekend.  NK News CEO Chad O’Carroll (@chadocl) joins the podcast to discuss Kim Yo Jong’s threat, as well as his recent trip to Mongolia, what he spotted at the North Ko...

Park Hyangsu, who was born and raised in Japan in a pro-DPRK enclave of ethnic Koreans, joins the podcast for a second time to discuss how this group has reacted to Kim Jong Un’s decision to abandon peaceful reunification with South Korea. She talks about the shock of the initial announcement for members of Chongryon, the association of pro-DPRK Koreans in Japan, and why they consider reunificatio...

Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister condemned South Korea’s resumption of live-fire drills along the inter-Korean border as a tactic to distract the public from calls to impeach President Yoon Suk-yeol, which has garnered more than one million signatures. NK News’ Deputy Managing Editor Alannah Hill (@alannahmhill) discusses Kim Yo Jong’s statement, news that a youth organization from the Russia-control...

John Linton, also known by his Korean name Ihn Yo-han, first visited North Korea with his mother as part of efforts to eradicate tuberculosis in the country. He has since visited the DPRK almost 30 times for various humanitarian aid projects, and hopes to again step foot in the country in his new role as a lawmaker of South Korea’s National Assembly.  Linton joins the podcast to discuss the curren...

North Korea held a major plenary session of the Workers’ Party of Korea this week, with leader Kim Jong Un presiding over the meeting. Photos published in the Rodong Sinmun of the plenum showed North Korean officials delivering speeches while wearing badges with Kim Jong Un’s portrait on them, the first confirmed use of such badges within the DPRK. NK News Data Correspondent Anton Sokolin joins th...

North Korea launched balloons toward the South for a third consecutive day on Wednesday, bringing the total number of launches to seven since May as the DPRK continues to retaliate against anti-regime leafleting by ROK activists. Pastor Eric Foley of the Voice of the Martyrs Korea, an NGO that regularly sends Bibles to the North by balloon, joins the podcast to discuss the purpose of balloon launc...

North Korea launched a sixth round of trash balloons toward the South on Tuesday night, according to Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the latest in a wave of inter-Korean incidents that have included border incursions by DPRK soldiers.  NK News Correspondent Shreyas Reddy (@shreyas_k_reddy) joins the podcast to discuss new details about what the DPRK’s balloons have been dumping in the South, the po...

After arriving late, Russian leader Vladimir Putin kicked off his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on Wednesday. In addition to much fanfare, including a parade and concert, the pair also took their ties to the next level by signing a Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Article 4 of which vows that either side will “immediately provide military assistance” in the...

Russian leader Vladimir Putin is set to touch down in Pyongyang for a “friendly state visit” from June 18 to 19, according to the Kremlin. During his trip, Putin will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and the pair may sign a “comprehensive strategic partnership.”  NK News CEO Chad O’Carroll (@chadocl) joins the podcast to discuss what this partnership could entail, what else Putin and Kim...