North Korea News Podcast by NK News

Retired Lt. Gen. Robert G. Gard, Jr., is the first Korean War veteran to appear on the NK News podcast.

On today's episode, he reminisces about his time in Korea in 1952 and 1953. He also talks about his involvement after the Korean War in projects, ranging from banning anti-personnel land mines and nuclear arms control, and what, in his opinion, has gone wrong in U.S. negotiations with North Korea over the past decades.

Retired Lt. Gen. Robert G. Gard, Jr. is a senior military fellow at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.

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

North Korea has long been known as one of the most challenging countries for foreign journalists to report on, given the lack of access and general information black hole that the DPRK can represent.

So how best to navigate this complex environment?

In a very special crossover podcast produced in collaboration with the Korea Society this week, freelance journalist and outgoing Asian American Journalist Association New York President Hannah Bae joins NK News's very own CEO Chad O'Carroll and podcast host Jacco Zwetsloot to talk media, foreign policy, and the future of North Korea coverage.

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

North Korea cares deeply about its bilateral relations with the United States, perhaps even more so than its stated priority of unifying the Korean peninsula. This sequencing is not always the most well-executed or demonstrated, but it helps explain Pyongyang’s behavior under Kim Jong Un and may outline the “new path” the regime continues to allude to.

Dr. Ramon Pacheco Pardo has written extensively on this topic, and he joins the NKNews Podcast to discuss U.S.-DPRK relations, how that relationship has changed through various presidents, and what the North Koreans thought and think about the Trump administration.

Dr. Ramon Pacheco Pardo is Associate Professor in International Relations at King's College London and the KF-VUB Korea Chair at the Institute for European Studies of Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

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

The Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) plays a unique role on the Korean peninsula, one unlike in any other part of the world, and is an institution that serves as a reminder that the Korean War never officially ended.

Swiss Major General Patrick Gauchat is based at the Demilitarized Zone and joins the NKNews Podcast to explain the role of the NNSC, the importance of neutral actors on the peninsula, and how it fits into inter-Korean relations in the 2020s.

Swiss Major General Patrick Gauchat is head of the Swiss delegation to the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) in Panmunjom.

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

It’s been nearly fourteen years since North Korea conducted its first successful nuclear test, and neither South Korea, the U.S., nor the international community appears anywhere close to convincing the Kim Jong Un regime to give up its nuclear weapons.

Is there another forward? Duyeon Kim offers her analysis on North Korea, the nuclear weapons situation, the state of negotiations, and lays out realistic ways forward for policymakers in 2020 and beyond.

Duyeon Kim is a senior adviser for Northeast Asia and nuclear policy at the International Crisis Group.

Articles written by Duyeon Kim mentioned in the show: "How to Make Proportionate Bargains with North Korea on Denuclearization and Peace" // "No Christmas gift from North Korea? Not so fast."

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

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un bucked recent tradition this week by releasing a major speech at the conclusion of the Party plenum on New Year's Day instead of making the anticipated annual New Year Address.

In the speech, Kim revealed a policy shift towards a greater national focus on weapons development, telling the North Korean people he will not back down to U.S. demands and that, assuming the U.S. will not give in, citizens should expect economic hardships as sanctions relief is not likely to come.

In this week's episode, Dr. Andrei Lankov along with NK News reporters Jeongmin Kim and Colin Zwirko sat down for a roundtable chat to discuss the plenum speech and what it means for U.S.-DPRK relations in the coming year -- a year which will see both a U.S. Presidential election in November and Pyongyang's continued pursuit of economic development amid the stalemate.

Japan and North Korea have a complicated relationship, and Tokyo’s approach to solving the nuclear and other issues diverges from the current Seoul government in many ways.

Tokyo and Seoul’s own bilateral discord of late has amplified those differences and complicated matters for what are two countries essential in bringing about long-term change on the Korean peninsula.

Professor Sakata Yasuyo is an expert on Japan-South Korea and Japan-North Korea relations and joins the NKNews Podcast to discuss the history of those relations, their current state, and where she believes things are heading.

Sakata Yasuyo is Professor of International Relations and Kanda University of International Studies in Japan, and recorded this podcast with NK News on December 27.

The NK Shop is now live: you can get all of your Christmas essentials there, including NK News calendars, t-shirts, posters, and much much more. Use the code “PODCAST” at the checkout for a $10 discount.

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

A U.S. citizen who says he was arrested and subsequently released from North Korea in 2015 has told his story for the first time, in a series of exclusive interviews with the NK News podcast published today. Listen to part one here and part two here.

Unable to return to North Korea for now, our guest still feels there is unfinished business. In this episode he talks of his hopes and dreams for the country, and the role he believes he could play in it. He also hints at a message that he must give to Kim Jong Un, a message he feels he can only deliver personally.

The NK Shop is now live: you can get all of your Christmas essentials there, including NK News calendars, t-shirts, posters, and much much more. Use the code “PODCAST” at the checkout for a $10 discount.

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

A U.S. citizen who says he was arrested and subsequently released from North Korea in 2015 has told his story for the first time, in a series of exclusive interviews with the NK News podcast published today. Listen to part one here and part three here.

Our guest, while finished with the farm, is far from finished with North Korea. He returns as a tourist on a solo bespoke two-week trip. During a visit to the east coast, a proposal is made that piques his interest. A letter is written to Kim Jong Un and things look hopeful, but it ends bitterly. He vows to return, welcome or not, and this leads to a series of events, both fortunate and unfortunate, that are out of his control.

The NK Shop is now live: you can get all of your Christmas essentials there, including NK News calendars, t-shirts, posters, and much much more. Use the code “PODCAST” at the checkout for a $10 discount.

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

A U.S. citizen who says he was arrested and subsequently released from North Korea in 2015 has told his story for the first time, in a series of exclusive interviews with the NK News podcast published today. Listen to part two here and part three here.

In part one, our guest, who has asked to only be identified by his first name, Miles, describes how he went from knowing almost nothing about the Koreas to volunteering to live for six months in remote north-eastern North Korea, working unpaid on a farm as a paramedic for animals and general handyman. He explains how this came to be and what effect this experience had on his life and live plans.

The NK Shop is now live: you can get all of your Christmas essentials there, including NK News calendars, t-shirts, posters, and much much more. Use the code “PODCAST” at the checkout for a $10 discount.

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