[뉴스] Analysts: Flood disaster exposes Kim Jong Un's fear of South Korean influence

WASHINGTON — As North Korean leader Kim Jong Un struggles to cope with devastating floods in his country, his recent brash words have exposed his fear of South Korean influence over his people, analysts in Seoul said.

[뉴스] 글로벌 사우스 외교에 전략이 없다

인도-태평양 전략(인태전략)이 본격 추진된 2017년 이후 자유진영 국가들은 이에 부응하는 전략 조정을 꾸준히 추진해 왔다. 우리 정부도 '글로벌 중추국' 외교를 펼치면서 2022년 인도-태평양 전략서를 출간했다. 인태전략 핵심축 중 하나가 글로벌 사우스(Global South) 지역이다.

[뉴스] What’s known, and not known, about the partnership agreement signed by Russia and North Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un say a new strategic partnership is a breakthrough, but what it means for their relationship is still uncertain.Rus

[뉴스] Japan is selling patrol vessels to the Philippines. Is Tokyo confronting Beijing with more ‘aggressive diplomacy’?

The Philippines’ purchase of Japanese patrol vessels amid growing tensions in the South China Sea is the latest indication of Tokyo’s growing role as a security provider in the region, observers say, as they point to the need to confront Beijing through deterrence and more “aggressive diplomacy”.

[뉴스] The Guardian view on North Korean women: a daughter’s rise does nothing to help others

strolling hand-in-hand with her father at a missile launch. Celebrating Pyongyang’s first spy satellite alongside him. Lauded not only as “most-beloved” but as “respected”, the “morning star of Korea” and “female general”.

[지리/관광] North Korea: What we know about the world's most isolated country (Paperback)

...Korea's formidable military, its destabilizing nuclear program, its sophisticated cyber warfare capabilities, and its fraught foreign relations with China, the United States, and its estranged sibling, South Korea. Ultimately, this work provides an indispensable guide to understanding the forces of change bubbling beneath the surface of this monolithic state. By examining the impact of smuggled information...

[법/인권] Girl with Black Makeup(검은 화장을 한 소녀)

...국군포로의 후손인 그녀는 북한에서 “자유의지”를 가질 수 없는 인생이였습니다. 이러한 그녀의 이야기를 생생하게 이 책에서 이야기하고 있습니다. I was born in 1991, but the course of my life was determined in 1953, near the end of the Korean War. My grandfather, a South Korean soldier, was captured by North Korean forces. He endured imprisonment, beatings, and torture, and after his release, he was forced to labor in a coal mine. Similarly, my mother was compelled...

[정치/군사] The Sister: The extraordinary story of Kim Yo Jong, the most powerful woman in North Korea

...rise of Kim Yo Jong, de-facto deputy to her brother, Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, and the most powerful woman in North Korea. In 2022, in a particularly fiery speech, Kim Yo Jong threatened to nuke South Korea, reminding the world of the dangers posed by her state. But how did the youngest daughter of Dear Leader Kim Jong Il, his ‘sweet princess’, become the ruthless chief propagandist, internal administrator...

[정치/군사] Korea: A New History of South and North

A major new history of North and South Korea, from the late nineteenth century to the present day “Cha and Pacheco Pardo have years of expertise in Korean international relations. . . . A crisp and balanced account.”—Christopher Harding, The Telegraph Korea has a long, riveting history—it is also a divided nation. South Korea is a vibrant democracy, the tenth largest economy, and is home to a world-renowned...

[정치/군사] Enduring Conflict

...nature of political conflict and the endurance of people in conflict-ridden societies, looking at countries involved in conflict transformation, such as Northern Ireland, Cambodia, Indonesia, and South Africa. Examining debates around trauma, memory, and reconciliation, the work shows how conflicts are so socially and culturally ingrained and protracted that political agreements alone cannot bring...

[학술논문] An Integrated Framework for MOSAIC-AQNEA Emission Inventory Development in Northeast Asia

...quality and transboundary pollution. This study presents the development of the MOSAIC-AQNEA emission inventory framework, integrating country-specifi c emission inventories for six countries: China, South Korea, Japan, North Korea, Mongolia, and the Asian part of Russia. A mosaic approach was applied to combine nationally developed inventories under a unifi ed sectoral classifi cation scheme. The inventory...

[학술논문] 북한 핵 위협의 고도화와 한국의 전략적 선택: 확장억제를 넘어서

...체제의 성공적인 작동 요건을 규명하고 이를 북한의 사례에 적용하여 확장억제가 북한 의 핵 능력이 고도화된 오늘날에도 여전히 유효하게 작동하는지를 검토한다. 이를 통해 북한 핵무기의 실존적 위협에 처한 한국의 바람직한 전략적 선택은 무엇인지를 고찰한다. 논문은 북한 핵 능력의 고도화로 미국의 대(對)한반도 확장억제 전략이 더 이상 효과적으로 작동할 수 없는 상황에서 한국의 생존을 가장 확실하게 보장하는 방안은 한국의 독자적인 핵무장이라고 주장한다. 또한 논문은 한국의 독자적인 핵무장, 특히 ‘한국으로만 제한되고 통제된 핵확산(a limited and controlled proliferation to South Korea)’을 제안하고 그것은 한국과 미국 양국의 전략적 이익에 부합함으로 실현 가능하다고 주장한다.

[학술논문] Destabilizing the Balance of Threat on the Korean Peninsula: The Russia-North Korea Military Alliance

...belligerent rhetoric and military provocations as key drivers of South Korea’s threat perception. Empirical evidence shows that North Korea’s mis-sile tests, nuclear development, and cyber activities intensify security anxiety. The Russia-North Korea partnership further destabilizes the balance of threat on the Korean Peninsula, prompting South Korea to strengthen alliances with the United States and Japan...

[학술논문] 북한이탈주민의 의료이용 현황과 정착 단계별 의료지원 방안

Although South Korea offers highly accessible healthcare services, North Korean refugees (NKRs) report unmet healthcare needs during their settlement. Evidence suggests that these challenges stem less from insufficient service supply than from gaps in timely and appropriate care that is aligned with priority health needs across settlement stages. This review synthesizes evidence on healthcare utilization...

[학술논문] 남한 정착 기간에 따른 북한이탈주민의 치과의료 개선 요구와 의미망 탐색

...explore the problems and needs of North Korean defectors in accessing dental care in South Korea by analyzing open-ended survey responses with Word2Vec, and to derive implications for oral health support strategies. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 200 North Korean defectors in South Korea. Of these, 133 respondents who answered an open-ended question on improving dental...

[국내] Aesthetic Citizenship and North Korean Defector Women : Cosmetic Surgery and the Politics of Belonging in South Korea

This study examines how North Korean defector women use cosmetic surgery to negotiate social belonging and aesthetic citizenship in South Korea. Drawing on interviews with twelve North Korean defector women and one plastic surgeon, the data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Three themes were identified: erasing visible traces of hardship, seeking softness and approachability, and demonstrating...

[해외] Paving the Way for Hostile Coexistence? What North Korea’s Constitutional Revisions Mean for Inter-Korean Ties

The text of North Korea’s (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; DPRK) latest constitution recently surfaced in South Korea, making it the first publicly available constitution since the September 2023 revision. A review of this law shows the country made changes across a broad range of areas, from Kim Jong Un’s state leadership to economic, social, and cultural policies. Most of them, if not all...

[해외] A blueprint for a US-South Korea combined multi-domain task force

In an era of accelerating geopolitical competition and rapid technological advancement, the security landscape of the Indo-Pacific region and the Korean Peninsula demands a forward-thinking evolution of the US-Republic of Korea (ROK) alliance. The challenge for the alliance is to enhance deterrence while accounting for changing strategic and operational realities. In the latest US National Defense

[해외] The Leader Gets a Strong Constitution

The most recent North Korean (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea or DPRK) constitution was released by the South Korean government on May 5. The document is most likely an amalgamation of revisions and amendments made during the first session of the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) in March 2026 in addition to those made during previous SPA sessions in 2021, 2023, and 2024 to 2026. The revised...

[해외] Building a Robust U.S.-ROK Cyber Alliance

This report, Building a Robust U.S.-ROK Cyber Alliance: A Joint Cyber Resilience Strategy, examines how the United States and South Korea can strengthen bilateral cyber cooperation in response to an increasingly complex and transnational threat environment. As cyber operations from North Korea, China, and Russia grow in scale and sophistication, the report argues that existing approaches are insufficient...