North Korea News Podcast by NK News

Some observers have argued that North Korea followed a familiar pattern of raising tensions for the purpose of extracting concessions during the 2017 nuclear crisis, maintaining that there was never any serious danger of war breaking out on the Korean Peninsula.

On this week's podcast, Professor Van Jackson explains why 2017 was different: Donald Trump’s foreign policy brought the U.S. and DPRK perilously close to a catastrophic nuclear conflict, he says. Jackson also discusses what he views to be serious problems with Joe Biden’s “conservative” North Korea policy and how he uses his own show, “The Un-Diplomatic Podcast,” to bring hip-hop to bear on international relations.

Jackson is a senior lecturer in international relations at Victoria University of Wellington and holds appointments at the Center for a New American Security, the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and other think tanks. He is the author of “Rival Reputations: Coercion and Credibility in U.S.-North Korea,” “On the Brink: Trump, Kim and the Threat of Nuclear War” and the forthcoming “Pacific Power Paradox." He tweets under the handle @WonkVJ.

About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.

For this special National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day episode, Korean War veteran Richard Underwood joins the podcast to talk about experiences before and during the Korean War, including meeting Syngman Rhee, seeing a young Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang and working as an interpreter at the Kaesong peace talks.

For more on Richard Underwood’s life, see his autobiography, “What A Fun LIFE!: A Medley of Memories of an American in Korea before, during, and after the Wars.”

About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.

Humanitarian professional and author Carla Vitantonio joins the NK News podcast this week to discuss her four years in North Korea working with and for people with disabilities, the impact of international sanctions on humanitarian aid and leaving a diplomatic job to work at a nongovernmental organization (NGO).

Vitantonio was a country director and project coordinator in North Korea for Handicap International (now Humanity & Inclusion) from Dec. 2013 to Aug. 2016, and she now serves as the country representative in Cuba for CARE. 

Vitantonio is the author of two Italian-language books: “Pyongyang Blues” and “Myanmar Swing.” An English-language excerpt from “Pyongyang Blues” about the Arirang Mass Games, mentioned in the interview, is available here.

About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.

In an exclusive interview with NK News, former top U.S. envoy on North Korea Stephen Biegun provides his first-hand account of U.S. negotiations with a rotating lineup of North Korean interlocutors on the country’s denuclearization program and his reflections on the outcomes of that engagement as the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State from Dec. 2019 to Jan. 2021 and as the U.S. Special Representative for North Korea from Aug. 2018 to Jan. 2021.

A feature-length write-up of the interview is available here: https://www.nknews.org/2021/07/an-interview-with-stephen-biegun-former-us-envoy-to-north-korea/

About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.

Dr. Immanuel Kim joins the NK News podcast this week to talk about women and sexuality in DPRK literature, his translation of a popular North Korean novel and the striking sense of humor on display in the country’s short films.

Kim is a professor of Korean literature and culture studies at George Washington University and is the author of three books: “Rewriting Revolution: Women, Sexuality and Memory in North Korean Fiction,” “Friend: A Novel from North Korea” and “Laughing North Koreans: The Culture of Comedy Films.”

North Korean films discussed in this episode include “Boasting Too Much,” “Our Fragrance” and “The Treasure That I Found.”

About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.

In this week’s podcast, Lieutenant Colonel Sean Morrow talks about his unique stories and experiences during his time as commander of the United Nations Security Battalion from June 2018 to June 2020, and as the host of U.S. President Donald Trump during the Panmunjom meeting.

About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.

Mentioned in the episode: Bridges at Panmunjom - The Wilson Quarterly

https://www.wilsonquarterly.com/quarterly/korea-70-years-on/bridges-at-panmunjom/

In this roundtable podcast episode, the NK News team discusses the ever-changing and wild price fluctuations seen in North Korea in the last few weeks.

Host Jacco Zwetsloot is joined by Chad O’Carroll, founder of NK News and NK Pro; Colin Zwirko, senior analytic correspondent for NK News; and Peter Ward, a researcher on North Korean politics and contributing analyst to NK Pro.

About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.

Joining us on the podcast this week is Dr. Sandra Fahy to talk about her two books on North Korea — Marching through Suffering (2015) and Dying for Rights (2019) — as well as her current academic pursuits and the overlap and difference between human rights work and humanitarian work.

Fahy's Twitter and books can be found here and here.

About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.

In this week’s episode, Ian Bennett joins the podcast to discuss the work of Choson Exchange. As program director, he runs entrepreneurship workshops in the Pyongyang and Pyongsong regions and in an online format. We discuss the history and criticisms of Choson Exchange, as well as how Ian got involved and how things are running online amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information, see chosonexchange.org or follow them on Twitter [at]chosonexchange.

About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.

Lindsey Miller (@LindseyMiller87) lived in Pyongyang from 2017 to 2019, during some of the most turbulent times on the Korean Peninsula in recent memory. She joins the NK News Podcast to talk about her personal experiences in North Korea, photography in the capital city and beyond, connecting with the community, and her new book North Korea: Like Nowhere Else: Two Years of Living in the World's Most Secretive State.

About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.