RECNA-NAGASAKI UNIVERSITY, ASIA PACIFIC LEADERSHIP NETWORK, NAUTILUS INSTITUTE JANUARY 28 2022   I.  INTRODUCTION This report presents the results of year 1 of the Project on Reducing the Risk of Nuclear Weapons Use in Northeast Asia. In it, 21 plausible cases of first use of nuclear weapons involving the Korean peninsula.  Each use case considers […]

MATT KORDA JANUARY 20 2022 I.  INTRODUCTION In this essay, Matt Korda presents a comprehensive account of the DPRK’s nuclear warheads, delivery systems, fuel types, and launch systems, followed by an analysis of the DPRK’s and the United States’ nuclear doctrine and potential nuclear use.  Matt Korda is Senior Research Associate and Project Manager, Nuclear Information Project Federation of American Scientists. This […]

SANG HYUN LEE JANUARY 17 2022 I.  INTRODUCTION In this essay, Sang Hyung Lee assesses the evolution and state of play of DPRK’s current asymmetric capabilities. He argues that DPRK’s asymmetric forces consisting of increasingly-sophisticated nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, bio-chemical weapons, and cyberattacks pose an existential threat to the ROK, undermine stability in Northeast Asia […]

DARYL G. PRESS JANUARY 11 2022 I.  INTRODUCTION In this essay, Daryl Press analyses scenarios of US use of nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula. He argues that the most likely route to US nuclear employment is linked to the DPRK’s own use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), which includes use of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. Daryl Press is […]

JOEL PETERSSON IVRE, ELAINE NATALIE, SHATABHISHA SHETTY JANUARY 6 2022 At a time when denuclearization talks with the DPRK are stalled, the authors argue that: “alternative approaches must be explored. CTR Plus offers a new approach by proposing discrete, small to medium scale localized projects – with the potential for large-scale impact – which address […]

NICK HANSEN DECEMBER 13, 2021  I.  INTRODUCTION Nick Hansen offers a primer on the incredible array of nuclear missile delivery systems currently deployed and under development by the six nuclear-armed states in the Asia-Pacific region – the United States, Russia, China, India, Pakistan and the DPRK. He argues that the main driver of the profusion […]

PAUL K. DAVIS AND BRUCE W. BENNETT DECEMBER 9, 2021 I.  INTRODUCTION In this essay, Paul Davis and Bruce Bennett sketch ten cases in which nuclear weapons might be brandished or used in a Korea-originated crisis. They offer insights on how and why nuclear war could occur, and the corresponding circumstances that must be avoided. The […]

SANG MIN PARK NOVEMBER 8 2021 I.  INTRODUCTION In this essay, Sang Min Park discusses the impact of COVID-19 and the international sanctions regime on the DPRK healthcare system, trends in global health aid for the DPRK and the role of the ROK, and a future inter-Korean Biomedical Cluster Cooperation model in a post-pandemic era, […]

SHIN YOUNG-JEON NOVEMBER 2, 2021 I.  INTRODUCTION In this essay, Shin Young-jeon assesses the potential for the Northeast Asian Public Health Initiative (NEAPHI) to contribute to Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR+) given the COVID-19 situation in the DPRK and the operational status, limitations, and future challenges that NEAPHI must address. Young-jeon Shin is a professor at […]

NAMRATA GOSWAMI OCTOBER 25 2021 I.  INTRODUCTION Namrata Goswami examines the DPRK’s existing space capabilities, explores how space cooperation can be operationalized and funded, and offers a scenario-based analysis of the DPRK’s space militarization escalation and its broader impact.  Namrata Goswami is an independent scholar on international relations, space policy, and conflict resolution. Her co-authored book Scramble for the […]