[Global NK Commentary] The Russia-Ukraniane War and North Korea-Russia Relations |
What is the impact of the war in Ukraine on North Korea’s unprecedented military provocations? Seung Soo Hyun, a research fellow at Korea Institute for National Unification, points out that Moscow’s defense of Pyongyang at the UN Security Council has emboldened North Korea. However, considering the low economic compatibility between the two countries and tight international sanctions against Russia after it invaded Ukraine, the bilateral economic cooperation would hardly help Pyongyang to develop its economy. Dr. Hyun claims that conflicts between Northeast Asian countries show signs of polarization and highlights the importance of monitoring how the war in Ukraine will reshape global strategic dynamics among Russia, China, and the U.S. |
[Global NK Special Report] Kimism and the Future of North Korea |
Adrian Buzo, a former professor at Macquarie University in Sydney, suggests that Kimism, or “the political philosophy of the former North Korean leader Kim Il Sung,” was shaped by cultist Japanese militarism and state-centralized Soviet Stalinism. Considering recent geopolitical trends, the failure of maximum pressure on Kim Jong-un’s regime, and the authoritarian ideologies that have shaped North Korea’s economic restructuring and nuclear program, Pyongyang will hardly opt into reforms or be persuaded by external forces. |
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