North Korea News Podcast

By NK News

What's North Korea News Podcast about?

The NK News Podcast is a weekly program covering all things North Korea: Discussion on the latest news, extended interviews with leading specialists, and insight from our own staff. We welcome both generalist and specialist audiences interested in knowing more about the Korean Peninsula..

Download our free app to listen on your phone

North Korea News Podcast episodes:

04.24.2024
One man’s mission to map all of North Korea – Ep. 339
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un led a salvo missile launch to test the country’s “Nuclear Trigger’ system” for the first time this week. NK News Deputy Managing Editor Alannah Hill (@alannahmhill) sits down in the studio to discuss the...
04.17.2024
The ups and downs of negotiating with North Koreans – Ep. 338
With the end of the U.N. Panel of Experts on North Korea fast approaching, NK News founder Chad O’Carroll (@chadocl) sits down in the studio to discuss the pros and cons of four alternative ways that like-minded countries could continue...
04.10.2024
North Korea’s impact on the South Korean general election – Ep. 337
South Koreans head to the polls on April 10 to cast their votes in the general election to choose their next legislators. The NK News team sits down in the studio to discuss what impact, if any, North Korea has...
04.03.2024
The challenges of archiving North Korea’s volatile media – Ep. 336
Russia controversially vetoed a resolution to maintain the U.N. Panel of Experts on North Korea last week. NK News correspondent Shreyas Reddy (@shreyas_k_reddy) and news trainee Joe Smith (@nkjoesmith) sit down in the studio to discuss what’s next for the...
03.27.2024
How North Korea rinses the dirty proceeds of its cyber heists – Ep. 335
North Korea continues to process cargo through a border disinfection facility established during the pandemic despite taking steps to ease COVID-19 controls, according to NK Pro analysis. NK News senior analytic correspondent Colin Zwirko joins the podcast to talk about...
03.20.2024
How dictatorship shapes the politics of the North Korean diaspora – Ep. 334
The U.S. and South Korea wrapped up large-scale springtime military drills last week, but not without a response from the DPRK. NK News Managing Editor Bryan Betts (@BryanBetts21) sits down to discuss North Korea’s recent rocket salvo, as well as...
03.13.2024
North Korea’s unexpected response to US-ROK military exercises – Ep. 333
The U.S. and South Korea launched large-scale springtime military exercises to practice “neutralizing” North Korean nuclear threats this month. Pyongyang has called the Freedom Shield exercises between the allies “frantic war drills,” warning that Washington and Seoul will pay a...
03.06.2024
What the UN’s role in North Korea will look like going forward – Ep. 332
North Korea marked the fifth anniversary of leader Kim Jong Un’s trip to Vietnam by highlighting relations between Pyongyang and Hanoi, while making no mention of Kim’s failed summit with former U.S. President Donald Trump during the same visit. NK News...
02.28.2024
How a ‘new Cold War’ is making North Korea more risk-averse – Ep. 331
A German delegation traveled to North Korea this week to inspect the condition of the country’s embassy in Pyongyang, in what appears to be the first visit by European staff in some four years. NK News Seoul Correspondent Ifang Bremer (@IfangBremer)...
02.21.2024
What Kim Jong Un’s appearances can tell us about the DPRK regime – Ep. 330
Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korea’s leader, raised the possibility of engagement between Pyongyang and Tokyo last week but caveated that this is her “personal” view. NK News Lead Correspondent Jeongmin Kim (@jeongminnkim) dissects Kim Yo Jong’s statement,...
02.14.2024
Analyzing the US-ROK alliance’s impact on North Korea’s policies – Ep. 329
The first group of tourists to visit North Korea since before the COVID-19 pandemic returned home to Russia this week after a 4-day trip to Pyongyang and the Masikryong Ski Resort. NK News Data Correspondent Anton Sokolin discusses plans for more...
02.07.2024
How North Korea started spat between Moscow and Seoul – Ep. 328
South Korea and Russia have gone back and forth in recent days after Moscow took issue with President Yoon Suk-yeol’s description of North Korea at a defense meeting. The NK News team discusses the war of words between the two...
01.31.2024
Has Kim Jong Un really made a strategic decision to go to war? – Ep. 327
Some three weeks ago, longtime North Korea watchers Robert Carlin and Siegfried Hecker set off alarm bells from Washington to Seoul when they asserted that “like his grandfather in 1950, Kim Jong Un has made a strategic decision to go...
01.24.2024
Covering North Korea and Kim Jong Un’s elite female entourage – Ep. 326
North Korea appears to have demolished a large monument in Pyongyang symbolizing hope for reunification with South Korea, following orders from Kim Jong Un to “erase” symbols that celebrate inter-Korean reconciliation and the goal of reunification. NK News Senior Analytic Correspondent...
01.17.2024
Collecting evidence of North Korea’s human rights violations – Ep. 325
North Korean propaganda websites targeting South Korea suddenly started to disappear from the internet last week, after leader Kim Jong Un declared in late December that Korean unification is now “impossible.” Some radio broadcasts into the ROK have also stopped,...
01.10.2024
The role of translation in shedding light on North Korea – Ep. 324
North Korea fired more than 200 rounds of artillery shells near the inter-Korean border on Friday, according to the South Korean military, leading the ROK to conduct artillery drills in response and triggering evacuation alerts for three border islands. More...
01.03.2024
Dissecting Kim Jong Un’s plenum speech on North Korea’s 2024 plans – Ep. 323
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rounded out 2023 with an important speech at a multi-day plenum on plans for the new year, outlining an agenda to push forward the country’s five-year military development goals and calling for a “fundamental...
12.27.2023
What over 100 experts think about North Korea’s next steps – Ep. 322
A lot of uncertainty surrounds North Korea as it heads into 2024. While the country began to emerge from under its pandemic restrictions this year, it remains unclear when and if the regime will allow embassies, NGOs and tourists to...
12.20.2023
Communicating with North Korea through faxes and phone calls – Ep. 321
North Korea launched two missiles within just ten hours of each other this week, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that state media said aimed to “send a clear warning” to the “U.S. and the military gangsters of the Republic...
12.13.2023
What we know about Kim Jong Un’s daughter, one year after her reveal – Ep. 320
November marked one year since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un first introduced his daughter to the world — and in the process sparked widespread speculation about whether she is his heir. The DPRK has continued to shut down its...
12.06.2023
Behind the scenes of the US approach to North Korea – Ep. 319
Thousands of North Korean women descended upon Pyongyang for the Fifth National Meeting of Mothers on Sunday, where leader Kim Jong Un urged them to give birth to more children and to send kids to perform hard labor for the...
11.29.2023
The role of the UN Command in keeping peace with North Korea – Ep. 318
South Korea partially withdrew from an inter-Korean military agreement over North Korea’s successful launch of a reconnaissance satellite last week. In response, Pyongyang announced it would scrap the Comprehensive Military Agreement in its entirety, and both sides have since pledged...
11.24.2023
North Korea’s successful satellite launch and what it means – Ep. 317
The third time was the charm for North Korea this week, as the country successfully launched a military spy satellite into orbit on Tuesday after two previous failures. Leader Kim Jong Un hailed the success and framed the satellite as...
11.22.2023
Filming treacherous defections from North Korea – Ep. 316
North Korea claimed it successfully launched a rocket carrying a military spy satellite late Tuesday night. NK News Deputy Managing Editor Alannah Hill joins the podcast to discuss the DPRK’s warning about its plans ahead of the launch, as well...
11.15.2023
The growing evidence of North Korean weapons trade with Russia – Ep. 315
U.S. and South Korean officials have continued to raise concerns about potential weapons trade between North Korea and Russia, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken accusing Moscow of providing technical assistance to Pyongyang in return for munitions. The U.N. Panel...
11.08.2023
Divisions over how to tackle North Korean human rights issues – Ep. 314
The U.N. Panel of Experts overseeing DPRK sanctions released its latest report this month. NK News correspondent Shreyas Reddy (@shreyas_k_reddy) sits down in the studio to discuss some of the report’s findings, as well as North Korea’s decision to close...
11.01.2023
The intertwined histories of the two Koreas, and what the future holds – Ep. 313
The seas around the Korean Peninsula have been busy recently, following the defection of four North Koreans in a wooden boat and a South Korean mission to help a DPRK vessel stranded north of the inter-Korean maritime border. NK News...
10.25.2023
Korean Americans’ messages to long-lost relatives in North Korea – Ep. 312
An appeal filed to a U.N. working group this week marked the first time that one of the thousands of North Koreans believed to be detained in China and at risk of forced return to the DPRK was named. NK...
10.18.2023
North Korea’s rapidly changing media landscape – Ep. 311
Photos released Friday by the Israeli military and media outlets show that Hamas likely used North Korea-made weapons in its offensive against Israel. NK News and NK Pro founder Chad O’Carroll (@chadocl) joins the podcast to talk about the DPRK’s...
10.11.2023
How North Korea is weighing in on Hamas attacks on Israel – Ep. 310
North Korea’s ruling party daily the Rodong Sinmun weighed in on the conflict between Israel and Hamas, blaming the violence on Israel’s “ceaseless criminal acts” without mentioning the Palestinian military group’s deadly attacks on the country. North Korean athletes saw success,...
10.04.2023
How outside information spreads in North Korea – Ep. 309
North Korea made the sudden decision to expel Travis King from the country last week, more than two months after the young American soldier dashed across the inter-Korean border. NK News Managing Editor Bryan Betts talks about King’s journey back...
09.27.2023
Driving change in North Korea through people, not the regime – Ep. 308
South Korea showed off its tanks, drones and missile defense systems in a “street march” through central Seoul on Tuesday afternoon. NK News Deputy Managing Editor Alannah Hill talks about Seoul’s first military parade in a decade, the rare appearance...
09.20.2023
What to make of Kim Jong Un’s second summit with Vladimir Putin – Ep. 307
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un returned to Pyongyang late Tuesday night after a whirlwind nine-day tour of Russia’s Far East. During the trip, Kim and his delegation of high-level officials met with Russian leader Vladamir Putin, visited the Cosmodrome...
09.13.2023
Lessons from four decades shaping US policy on North Korea – Ep. 306
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to the Russian Far East for a summit with Vladimir Putin this week, holding talks at the Cosmodrome Vostochny spaceport on Wednesday. NK News Data Correspondent Anton Sokolin recaps the lead-up to the...
09.06.2023
Why Kim Jong Un might want to discuss weapons sales with Putin – Ep. 305
Reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could soon travel to Russia for a summit with Vladimir Putin made international headlines this week, following a busy August in which the DPRK conducted the first flights to Vladivostok in years...
08.30.2023
Inside the UN Panel of Experts overseeing North Korea sanctions – Ep. 304
North Korea attempted to put a military spy satellite into orbit but failed for the second time in three months last week. NK News Senior Analytic Correspondent Colin Zwirko talks through what’s known about the launch, as well as South...
08.23.2023
How one activist helps North Koreans grow their own food – Ep. 303
North Korea will attempt a satellite launch between Aug. 24 and 31, according to the Japanese Prime Minister’s office and Japan Coast Guard Tuesday morning. NK News Lead Correspondent Jeongmin Kim talks about why Japan got the heads up from...
08.16.2023
North Korea’s imitation of foreign brands, from Choco Pie to Dior – Ep. 302
A tour company operating in North Korea has claimed that the DPRK will soon open its borders to select citizens for the first time in nearly four years, citing sources in the country. NK News correspondent Shreyas Reddy talks about...
08.09.2023
The FBI investigation into Virgil Griffith, crypto guru to North Korea – Ep. 301
Both China and North Korea have increased security along their border in recent years, making it much more difficult for DPRK escapees to avoid capture. NK News correspondent Ifang Bremer discusses the network of security cameras, watchtowers and other infrastructure...
08.01.2023
North Korea welcomes special guests for a ‘Victory Day’ parade – Ep. 300
North Korea marked the 70th anniversary of its “victory” in the Korean War last week with its second large-scale military parade of the year, as high-level international guests traveled to the country to join the festivities for the first time...
07.26.2023
The American prisoners of war left behind in North Korea – Ep. 299
This week marks the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War armistice, a day known as “Victory Day” in North Korea. Chinese and Russian delegations are traveling to the DPRK to join celebrations for the holiday, including a...
07.19.2023
What’s next for the American soldier who crossed into North Korea – Ep. 298
North Korea warned last week that it will shoot down U.S. reconnaissance planes that enter its exclusive economic zone, and those may not be empty threats, history shows. NK News analyst James Fretwell discusses when North Korea shot down a...
07.12.2023
North Korean threats over US planes, DPRK internet access and more – Ep. 297
North Korea threatened to shoot down U.S. spy planes that it said “violated” its exclusive economic zone this week. But South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff denied the claims, stating the U.S. reconnaissance flights were “standard” and did not intrude...
07.05.2023
An interview with John Bolton, hardliner on North Korea – Ep. 296
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol announced his nominee for unification minister last week, but his pick for the role overseeing inter-Korean exchanges — the “new right” professor Kim Yung-ho — has proven controversial for his past comments calling for regime...
06.28.2023
The Wagner Group and North Korea, Seoul under DPRK rule and more – Ep. 295
The Wagner Group’s brief rebellion rocked Russia over the weekend — and left analysts scratching their heads about what it was all about. But will the aborted uprising impact North Korea’s cooperation with Russia, and should Kim Jong Un himself...
06.21.2023
Seoul sues North Korea, inter-Korean naval tensions and more – Ep. 294
North Korea dramatically destroyed an inter-Korean liaison office near the border in anger over ROK activists’ leafleting in 2020, and now three years later, Seoul wants Pyongyang to pay, suing the North in an effort to recoup construction costs for...
06.14.2023
Why North Korea barely moves the needle for South Korean voters – Ep. 293
North Korea’s borders have been closed for more than three years, but that likely hasn’t stopped China from rounding up defectors and detaining them for eventual repatriation back to the DPRK. New NK Pro analysis reveals that China has expanded prisons...
06.07.2023
What went wrong with North Korea’s spy satellite launch – Ep. 292
The last several weeks have seen major developments on the Korean Peninsula, most notably North Korea’s botched satellite launch that triggered “wartime alert” warnings in South Korea. A historic series of meetings between ROK and Japanese leaders pushed forward efforts...
05.31.2023
Evacuation warnings in Seoul, North Korean children’s books and more – Ep. 291
Seoul residents awoke to the sound of evacuation sirens and shrill emergency text alerts on Wednesday, after North Korea launched a military spy satellite that ultimately failed. The DPRK has expressed interest in sending its athletes to international competitions, but...
05.23.2023
How a US ambassador navigated North Korean tumult – Ep. 290
The late 2000s and early 2010s saw a rapid deterioration in inter-Korean ties. The six-party talks broke down, North Korea conducted its second nuclear test and dozens of sailors and South Korean civilians died in two separate DPRK attacks in...

What's North Korea News Podcast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

North Korea News Podcast episodes:

One man’s mission to map all of North Korea – Ep. 339

The ups and downs of negotiating with North Koreans – Ep. 338

North Korea’s impact on the South Korean general election – Ep. 337

The challenges of archiving North Korea’s volatile media – Ep. 336

How North Korea rinses the dirty proceeds of its cyber heists – Ep. 335

How dictatorship shapes the politics of the North Korean diaspora – Ep. 334

North Korea’s unexpected response to US-ROK military exercises – Ep. 333

What the UN’s role in North Korea will look like going forward – Ep. 332

How a ‘new Cold War’ is making North Korea more risk-averse – Ep. 331

What Kim Jong Un’s appearances can tell us about the DPRK regime – Ep. 330

Analyzing the US-ROK alliance’s impact on North Korea’s policies – Ep. 329

How North Korea started spat between Moscow and Seoul – Ep. 328

Has Kim Jong Un really made a strategic decision to go to war? – Ep. 327

Covering North Korea and Kim Jong Un’s elite female entourage – Ep. 326

Collecting evidence of North Korea’s human rights violations – Ep. 325

The role of translation in shedding light on North Korea – Ep. 324

Dissecting Kim Jong Un’s plenum speech on North Korea’s 2024 plans – Ep. 323

What over 100 experts think about North Korea’s next steps – Ep. 322

Communicating with North Korea through faxes and phone calls – Ep. 321

What we know about Kim Jong Un’s daughter, one year after her reveal – Ep. 320

Behind the scenes of the US approach to North Korea – Ep. 319

The role of the UN Command in keeping peace with North Korea – Ep. 318

North Korea’s successful satellite launch and what it means – Ep. 317

Filming treacherous defections from North Korea – Ep. 316

The growing evidence of North Korean weapons trade with Russia – Ep. 315

Divisions over how to tackle North Korean human rights issues – Ep. 314

The intertwined histories of the two Koreas, and what the future holds – Ep. 313

Korean Americans’ messages to long-lost relatives in North Korea – Ep. 312

North Korea’s rapidly changing media landscape – Ep. 311

How North Korea is weighing in on Hamas attacks on Israel – Ep. 310

How outside information spreads in North Korea – Ep. 309

Driving change in North Korea through people, not the regime – Ep. 308

What to make of Kim Jong Un’s second summit with Vladimir Putin – Ep. 307

Lessons from four decades shaping US policy on North Korea – Ep. 306

Why Kim Jong Un might want to discuss weapons sales with Putin – Ep. 305

Inside the UN Panel of Experts overseeing North Korea sanctions – Ep. 304

How one activist helps North Koreans grow their own food – Ep. 303

North Korea’s imitation of foreign brands, from Choco Pie to Dior – Ep. 302

The FBI investigation into Virgil Griffith, crypto guru to North Korea – Ep. 301

North Korea welcomes special guests for a ‘Victory Day’ parade – Ep. 300

The American prisoners of war left behind in North Korea – Ep. 299

What’s next for the American soldier who crossed into North Korea – Ep. 298

North Korean threats over US planes, DPRK internet access and more – Ep. 297

An interview with John Bolton, hardliner on North Korea – Ep. 296

The Wagner Group and North Korea, Seoul under DPRK rule and more – Ep. 295

Seoul sues North Korea, inter-Korean naval tensions and more – Ep. 294

Why North Korea barely moves the needle for South Korean voters – Ep. 293

What went wrong with North Korea’s spy satellite launch – Ep. 292

Evacuation warnings in Seoul, North Korean children’s books and more – Ep. 291

How a US ambassador navigated North Korean tumult – Ep. 290