Park–Obama summit bolsters US–ROK alliance

Author: Robert A. Manning, Atlantic Council

Successful summits tend to be more about symbolism than substance.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s summit with US President Barack Obama certainly had its share of symbolism:the first foreign trip of South Korea’s new first woman President; the 60th anniversary of the USROK alliance; and USROK messages to North Korea, Japan and China. Read more…

Why South Korea downplays the North Korean threat

People walk through a shopping street in Seoul 12 April 2013.  South Koreans worry less than foreigners about the current North Korean belligerence. (Photo: AAP)

Author: Keeseok Kim, KNU and ANU

‘A bluffing game’ may be an apt expression for the brinkmanship and tit-for-tat threats that have overrun the Korean Peninsula since the launch of a long-range missile in December 2012.

The two Korean leaders and the United States have engaged in aggressive rhetoric accompanied by displays of military capability, while the situation has spiralled into declarations of war and talk of a ‘pre-emptive nuclear strike’ on US territory. Read more…

North Korea: an albatross around China’s neck

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspects a live fire drill at an undisclosed location in North Korea, 20 March 2013. (Photo: AAP)

Author: Robert A. Manning, Atlantic Council

North Korea’s recent nuclear test was a stark reminder to China that the days of a ‘lips and teeth’ relationship with Pyongyang, of Mao Zedong and Kim Il-sung half a century ago, are long gone.

 Nuclear test after nuclear test, missile test after missile test, Pyongyang has time after time ignored Beijing’s pleas not to take provocative actions.

Read more…

Managing the North Korean nuclear threat

South Korean conservative activists hold up placards during a rally denouncing North Koreas threat in Seoul on 12 March 2013. (Photo: AAP)

Author: Hitoshi Tanaka, JCIE

With the transfer of power to Kim Jong-un just over a year ago, there was some hope that he would chart a course for reform and opening. Two rocket launches last year and a third nuclear test in February have all but killed any such hopes. Read more…

Basketball diplomacy a new curiosity in DPRK–US relations

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un talks to former NBA star Dennis Rodman as they watch a basketball game in Pyongyang (Photo: AAP).

Author: Mark Caprio, Rikkyo University

On a list of Americans most likely to publicly appear with DPRK leader Kim Jong-un, Dennis Rodman would not be the most unlikely person, but he has to be pretty far down the list.

Yet on 28 February the ex-NBA star sat alongside Kim as three members of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team joined North Korean hoopsters in a game that fittingly ended in a non-conclusive 110–110 tie. Read more…

What to do about North Korea

South Korean conservative activists display placards showing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during a rally denouncing the recent nuclear test, in Seoul on 13 February 2013. (Photo: AAP)

Author: Peter Drysdale, Editor, East Asia Forum

North Korea’s latest nuclear test, on 12 February, has left the international community in a quandary about what to do to rein in Pyongyang’s ambitions for nuclear power status. Read more…

Shifting emphasis: Beijing’s reactions to North Korea nuclear test

Chinese delegates meet with then-North Korean Premier Kim Yong-il in Pyongyang on 4 October 2010. It is likely that Beijing will work for a set of sanctions against North Korea that is tougher than before but not as tough as some people expect. (Photo: AAP)

Author: Jia Qingguo, Peking University

China has persistently tried to help North Korea to sustain its economy and shield it from tougher international reactions to its unpredictable and threatening behaviour on the development of nuclear weapons and missiles.

But despite this help, Pyongyang does not seem to listen to Beijing. Read more…

North Korea’s nuclear test

North Koreans bow in front of the statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il at Mansu Hill, Pyongyang (Photo: AAP).

Author: Ron Huisken, ANU

Pyongyang’s third nuclear test, conducted on 13 February 2013, sparked a flurry of commentary on what to do next.

All the familiar and varied themes of response have been refreshed — toughen the sanctions and accelerate countermeasures (especially against ballistic missiles), engage North Korea unreservedly, Read more…

Testing times for North Korea

South Korean protesters stage a rally demanding a peaceful resolution to the North Korean nuclear crisis near the US Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday 19 February 2013. (Photo: AAP)

Author: Tessa Morris-Suzuki, ANU

North Korea’s latest nuclear test has, both literally and figuratively, sent seismic shockwaves around Northeast Asia.

The negative repercussions of the test will be most directly felt by the long-suffering people of North Korea itself, who desperately need the better living conditions that can only be achieved through increased international cooperation. Read more…

It is time to bring North Korea out of the cold

North Korea holds a rally in Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang to celebrate the successful third underground nuclear test (Photo: AAP).

Author: Emma Campbell, ANU

It might seem that the passing resemblance of Canberra to Pyongyang sealed the decision by the DPRK to reopen its embassy to Australia, but the real motivations behind the move are unclear.

The announcement was greeted with a cautious acceptance on the part of the Australian government. It should be welcomed as an opportunity to re-engage with the isolated nation. Read more…

Google in North Korea: the more things change, the more they stay the same

Google chairman Eric Schmidt talks to the media after arriving at Beijing airport from North Korea on 10 January 2013 with former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson. (Photo: AAP)

Authors: Eddie Walsh and Mark Jansson, FAS

When Google’s executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, and former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson headed to the DPRK in early January they certainly turned some heads.

Many viewed their trip as undermining Western efforts to secure stronger sanctions, following North Korea’s ballistic missile launch in December 2012. Read more…