Smart Q&A is an interview with the presenter of the Smart Talk, a seminar of the East Asia Institute providing opportunities for leading scholars in Korea to meet and engage with prominent figures from around the world. By posing more specific, focused, and policy-oriented questions, Smart Q&A will facilitate a deeper understanding of the issues at hand and generate creative ideas and strategies for dealing with them.

The comments in this video reflect the views of the interviewee only and not the positional stance of any institution or organization.

Interviewee

Mark E. Manyin, U.S. Congressional Research Service

Questions

1) The Impact of Strategic Patience on North Korea

In 2011 North Korea has changed its tone by offering to return to the Six-Party Talks, asking for humanitarian aid, and holding back from further provocations. To what extent has the Obama and Lee administration’s “strategic patience” had an impact on North Korea’s changing behavior?

2) U.S. Appointment of New Special Envoy to North Korea

Ambassador Stephen Bosworth will leave as the Special Representative for North Korea policy and will be replaced by Glyn Davies, the current ambassador to the IAEA. Ambassador Bosworth worked on a part-time basis which relates to the “strategic patience” approach of the Obama administration. By comparison, Ambassador Davies will be working on a full-time basis; does this mean any change in the Obama administration’s approach?

3) North Korea’s Leadership Transition

North Korea has declared 2012 as the year it will become a “strong and prosperous nation.” It is expected that this will signal Kim Jong-eun’s formal designation as successor or that he will at least play a bigger role. What will be the impact of this period of leadership transition upon the North Korean nuclear crisis?

4) East Asia after 2012

With the simultaneous leadership transition in the main countries of East Asia including the United States, 2012 will be a period of uncertainty. How will the main issues facing the region become more politicized during this period?