NK News Lead Correspondent Shreyas Reddy joins this week’s episode to discuss the formal preparations for the upcoming Ninth Party Congress, including meetings where the Central Committee has elected delegates and observers, and what signs to watch for as Pyongyang moves closer to announcing an official schedule.  He also talks about recent diplomatic activity in […]

In this episode, Agence France-Presse (AFP) global news editor Roland de Courson joins the podcast to discuss his photo-and-essay project — K-Scar — documenting life, memory and tourism along the inter-Korean border.  De Courson explains why he describes the border as a “scar” and reflects on how indifference, curiosity and commercialized “dark tourism” shape the […]

NK News CEO Chad O’Carroll joins the podcast this week to discuss why the Workers’ Party of Korea still hasn’t held its Ninth Congress, the lack of typical pre-event mobilization campaigns and what satellite imagery of parade preparations suggests about a possible timeline. The episode then turns to leadership dynamics in Pyongyang, including Kim Jong […]

Dr. Ria Roy, a scholar of modern Korea and East Asian history, joins the podcast to discuss the differences in language between the two Koreas, including contrasts in linguistic and ideological correctness. She examines the Soviet Union’s influence on the Korean language in the DPRK and the importance of conveying information with the right tone. […]

This week, NK News Senior Analytic Correspondent Colin Zwirko delves into the large-scale conference marking the 80th anniversary of the Socialist Patriotic Youth League, attended by Kim Jong Un.  He then turns to signals surrounding the timing of the upcoming Ninth Party Congress, as well as expectations for announcements on long-term economic planning, weapons development […]

North Korea is closely watching the situation in Venezuela after the U.S. captured President Nicolás Maduro, shaking up one of Pyongyang’s few political friendships in the Western Hemisphere. In this episode, Gabriela Bernal and Camilo Aguirre Torrini delve into what happened in Venezuela, how North Korea has reacted in state media and what lessons Kim […]

This week, NK News correspondent Joon Ha Park joins the podcast to discuss North Korea’s new allegations that Seoul sent unmanned aerial vehicles to surveil military and other sensitive sites in Sept. 2025 and Jan. 2026. He explains the specifics of Pyongyang’s claims and the photos it released of the alleged drones, as well as […]

This week’s podcast features a panel discussion with NK News journalists on what to expect from North Korea in the year ahead, taking stock of what they got right about 2025 and making new predictions for 2026. The panelists discuss why DPRK leader Kim Jong Un doubled down on military development last year but didn’t […]

This week’s podcast starts by discussing the U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend and its implications for North Korea and its leader. NK News correspondent Shreyas Reddy then speaks about Pyongyang’s condemnation of the U.S. attack on its longtime ally, accusing Washington of attempting to exercise dominion over the […]

Yong Ja Hong, a PhD candidate studying North Korean society, culture and media at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, joins the podcast to discuss the history of sports in North Korea, even before the peninsula was separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. She recalls North Korean athletes who competed on the international […]