In this episode, Andrei Lankov returns to the podcast to discuss key developments in and around North Korea over the last year, including the deployment of DPRK weapons and soldiers to aid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He also discusses the impact of Pyongyang's increasing alignment with Moscow, the current state of China-DPRK ties and why North Korea is in no hurry to allow Western visitors to return. 

Andrei Lankov is a director at Korea Risk Group and writes for the site as one of the world's leading authorities on North Korea. A graduate of Leningrad State University, he attended Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung University from 1984-5. In addition to his writing, he is also a professor at Kookmin University.

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.

NK News subscribers can listen to this and other exclusive episodes from their preferred podcast player by accessing the private podcast feed. For more detailed instructions, please see the step-by-step guide at nknews.org/private-feed.

North Korea launched into the new year with its first test of a ballistic missile in months, firing an upgraded version of its solid-fuel hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile on Monday. 

NK News Lead Correspondent Shreyas Reddy joins the podcast to discuss what new about the missile and the timing of the launch. He also reviews the DPRK’s year-end party plenum and leader Kim Jong Un’s appearance at a New Year’s concert. 

Finally, he talks about accusations by South Korea’s opposition party that the Yoon administration engaged in psychological warfare operations to induce a conflict with 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.

Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture is located in northeast China, just across the border from North Korea, and while few outsiders may know about it, the region is home to a sizable population of ethnic Koreans whose story is wrapped up with the decades-long division of the peninsula.

In this episode, Chinese YouTuber Jingwu Fang joins the podcast to discuss what he learned during multiple trips to the area sometimes dubbed the “Third Korea,” which he documented in a pair of widely viewed videos on his channel. He explores how many Koreans fled to Manchuria during the Korean War and stayed there after the conflict ended, as well as similarities to ethnic Korean populations in Japan and the former Soviet Union.

Fang also talks about the different attitudes of older and younger generations toward the DPRK and why he thinks many Yangbian residents now harbor negative opinions about North Korean defectors.

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.

The world has long since moved on from the closures and restrictions of the pandemic, but five years since the first COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, the patchy return of diplomatic missions and foreign aid organizations to Pyongyang shows that North Korea is still far from restoring the pre-2020 status quo.

This week, NK News founder Chad O’Carroll joins the podcast to discuss his investigation into the status of all the countries and organizations that once had an on-the-ground presence in the DPRK, from embassies and cooperation offices to NGOs, businesses and schools.

He also explores why North Korea has opened its doors to friendly countries like Brazil, India and Nicaragua and even NATO members Sweden and Poland, while seemingly giving the cold shoulder to the rest of Europe.

This episode features discussion of the following NK Pro stories:

Where things stand with the diplomatic community in North Korea

From aid to academia: The status of foreign organizations in 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.

In this special year-end episode, the NK News podcast revisits the most compelling North Korea stories of the year, as told by the reporters who covered them.

NK News journalists discuss everything from the DPRK’s Olympic glory and inter-Korean border construction to South Korea’s late-night martial law, while sharing firsthand experiences reporting their favorite features and investigations.

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.

The Ukrainian military claims it seized fake identification documents of North Korean soldiers killed in action in Kursk, the latest evidence that DPRK troops disguised as Russian soldiers are supporting Moscow’s war effort.

NK News Deputy Managing Editor Alannah Hill joins the podcast to discuss the latest news about DPRK troops in the region, as well as Moscow’s disclosure that North Korea joined Russia’s largest military drills in decades as an observer for the first time.

She also talks about the evacuation of North Korean diplomats and their families from the DPRK Embassy in Damascus following the fall of the Assad regime and potential opportunities to garner insight into Pyongyang’s cooperation with Syria.

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.

This week, Hanna Song of the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights (NKDB) returns to the podcast to discuss the NGO’s latest white paper documenting a huge surge in regime crackdowns on outside information, as well as how NKDB's researchers gather credible data.

She shares her perspective on the controversy over the all-male speaker lineup for the Global Korean Forum earlier this year and the importance of including women and defectors. She also talks about innovative approaches to raising public awareness about DPRK human rights and ensuring that North Korean voices are not forgotten. 

Hanna Song is the executive director of NKDB. She previously appeared on episode 209.

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 recent days, Kyiv has reported that a “significant number” of North Korean soldiers have participated in assaults on Ukrainian forces, allegedly suffering heavy losses as Russia uses them in more prominent combat roles.

Data Correspondent Anton Sokolin joins the podcast to discuss what we know about Pyongyang’s military cooperation with Moscow and what to make of stories spreading on social media about DPRK troops.

He also talks about how the fallout from South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s imposition of martial law on Dec. 3 has cast uncertainty over Ukraine’s efforts to secure military aid from Seoul, as well as the resumption of a passenger rail service between North Korea and Russia after a five-year hiatus. 

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.

This week, long-time North Korea aid worker Kathi Zellweger joins the podcast to discuss her more than two decades of work to help the people of the DPRK, especially children with hearing disabilities. 

She talks about her last trip to the country in 2019 before North Korea shut its borders to prevent the spread of the COVID-19. She also shares how she first got involved in humanitarian work, her hopes for humanitarian and development assistance in the DPRK and a new book she is working on with previous podcast guest Mike Chinoy, who appeared on episode 213.

Kathi Zellweger has worked to help the people of North Korea for over 25 years with Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of 162 national Catholic relief, development and social service organizations. She was based in Pyongyang for five years (2006-2011) as North Korea country director for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and then with her own organization KorAid Limited, which is based in Hong Kong and focuses on helping people with disabilities. 

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.

NK News Lead Correspondent Jeongmin Kim sits down in the studio to discuss the latest events on the peninsula since South Korea President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law on Dec. 3. 

She explains the confusion over who is in charge of defending the country against North Korean attack after Yoon ceded his authority, growing calls for the president’s impeachment over allegations of treason and reports the South Korean military put special forces units on alert for a “serious situation regarding North Korea” hours before Yoon declared martial law.

She also talks about how Pyongyang has yet to publicly react or mobilize any “unusual” response to the ongoing political turmoil south of the border. 

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.