Zack and Alex cope with Jenn’s absence by talking about one of their favorite topics: North Korea. In recent weeks, North Korea ramped up military tensions with South Korea and literally blew up the latter’s de facto embassy in the country. It seems that the US-led negotiating process with North Korea, ongoing since 2018, has conclusively failed. The team explains what happened, the deep strategic and political reasons behind the talks’ collapse, and then predict what might happen with North Korea if Biden wins the 2020 US election.

References:

The New York Times has a great write-up for North Korea’s hot and cold strategy.

Zack wrote for Vox that the US should contain North Korea’s nuclear program, not seek to end it.

Alex did an interview with Kim Jong Un biographer Anna Fifield about what makes him tick.

If you want to learn more about North Korea, here are your main nine questions, answered.

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), national security reporter, Vox

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