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North Korean nuclear program: what can and what cannot to be done about it
North Korean nuclear program: what can and what cannot to be done about it. Back in the 1990s, a recently appointed Vietnamese ambassador to the United States jokingly remarked that one of his major tasks would be persuade Americans that “Vietnam is the name of a country, not a war”.…
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Chinese illegal fishing in Korean waters seems insoluble due to its connection with Chinese economic growth
On the 16th October, the Korean Coast Guard was notified about another major intrusion of Chinese fishing boats into the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of South Korea. Some thirty small Chinese fishing vessels were reported to have been fishing illegally some 55 miles from Hong Island. There was nothing unusual…
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Economic reforms in NK forecasted to accompany political liberalization
It is too early to say with any certainty, but appears increasingly likely that Kim Jong Un and his advisors are going to initiate reforms in North Korea, generally in emulation of the well-tested and very successful Chinese model. Of course, the major emphasis is on transformation of industrial management…
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NK media normally say nothing about economic reforms soon to be implemented
The biggest news from North Korea on 25th September was the lack of any important news. When few weeks ago the North Korean government suddenly announced another session of the Supreme People’s Assembly would be convening on that day, North Korean watchers were expecting something significant to take place. Indeed,…
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China angered by NK move to usurp Chinese mining company
Over the last one and a half months, the outside world has been exposed to a rather unusual sight, that of China and North Korea (or rather a large Chinese company and the North Korean government) openly quarrelling. It has always been an open secret that China and North Korea are…
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Recent NK-Japan contacts may thaw their frozen relationship
In late August official talks between North Korean and Japanese diplomats were held in Beijing – the first such talks for four years. Initially it was expected that talks would take two days, but at the last moment, it was decided that the consultations would be extended for another day,…
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Changes in NK already underway, expected speeded up
It is not widely understood how much North Korea has changed over the last two decades. North Korea of Kim Il Sung’s era could be seen as the world’s most perfect example of a Stalinist state. It was a society of a personality cult gone mad, of omnipresent social and…
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Column
Expose of NK top leader’s wife may be a sign of change to come
In mid-July, the world of Pyongyang watching was in a state of great excitement. Remarkable news were coming out of North Korea with unusual frequency. There was a lot to be discussed, analysed and speculated about. And, perhaps, the single most popular topic of speculative excitement was the identity of…
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Many changes loom in NK under new leadership
After a few months of comparative calm, things have finally begun to move in North Korea. The recent dismissal of Vice Marshall Ri Yong Ho, the de facto supreme commander of the North Korean military, can be seen as the first significant purge of the Kim Jong Un era. This…
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Talks with NK won’t come until after U.S. presidential election
Perhaps the biggest news out of Pyongyang in the last month or two is actually about a non-event. In early June, a North Korean spokesperson said that North Korea has no intention of staging a nuclear test in the near future. And indeed, a nuclear test was almost universally expected…
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