North Korea is testing a larger version of its state-of-the-art reconnaissance drone, according to exclusive NK Pro analysis, showing that it is continuing to copy U.S. designs. NK News Data Correspondent Anton Sokolin joins the podcast to discuss the advantages of introducing the new unmanned aerial vehicle with a 40-meter wingspan, as well as the […]

Representatives from Young Pioneer Tours and Koryo Tours crossed over the Chinese border to the Rason Special Economic Zone last week as part of preparatory efforts to resume full-fledged tours to the DPRK in the near future, marking a first since before the pandemic. Rowan Beard and Greg Vaczi join the podcast shortly upon their […]

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced that old and deteriorating neighborhoods of Pyongyang will be redeveloped in the coming years, according to state media this week. NK News Lead Correspondent Shreyas Reddy joins the podcast to discuss Kim’s revelation that major annual residential construction projects in Pyongyang won’t end when the current 50,000-home project […]

On today’s episode, intellectual historian Thomas Stock discusses his paper “Polyphonic Peace: The 1989 World Festival of Youth and Students in Pyongyang,” which explores North Korea’s hosting of the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students. This massive event, which brought together 15,000 young people from over 150 countries, was North Korea’s attempt to counter […]

The leader of South Korea’s main opposition party called for renewed dialogue with North Korea this week, while emphasizing the need to maintain strong military readiness amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula.  NK News Correspondent Jeongmin Kim joins the podcast to discuss what Lee Jae-myung, the current frontrunner in multiple presidential polls, has to say […]

In this episode, we speak with Dan Gudgeon, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Vienna, about how peace narratives shape inter-Korean relations. Drawing from his research on South Korea’s Sunshine Policy era, Dan explains how national identity and “ontological security” influence public and political willingness to engage in peace building.  He then discusses whether […]

North Korea issued its first statement directed at U.S. President Donald Trump and his DPRK policy since his inauguration two weeks ago. NK News founder Chad O’Carroll joins the podcast to discuss Pyongyang’s remarks as well as reports that Ukraine killed multiple North Korean officers in a strike on a command post in Russia’s Kursk […]

Researcher Kap Seol, a frequent contributor to the leftist magazine Jacobin, joins the podcast to discuss his recent article about how the deployment of DPRK troops to fight in Ukraine could lead South Korea to respond by escalating its own involvement.  The self-described former socialist also talks about the similarities between Kim Il Sung and […]

North Korea launched multiple sea-to-surface strategic cruise missiles on Saturday, with leader Kim Jong Un overseeing the first weapons test since Donald Trump assumed the U.S. presidency. NK News Correspondent Joon Ha Park joins the podcast to discuss the launch, as well as a former ROK spy likening President Yoon Suk-yeol’s alleged order to arrest […]

North Korea-Russia ties have grown by leaps and bounds since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine, while its relationship with China appears to have suffered as a result. This week, expert Lyle Goldstein joins the podcast to share insights into Pyongyang’s strategic partnerships with its neighbors and the complex dynamics that shape its nuclear ambitions. […]