Policy Forum

By analyzing recently reported economic data and citing public statements by Minister Pak Pong-ju, Aidan Foster-Carter of Leeds University argues that at the macroeconomic level, Kim Jong-il cannot put off forever his choice between a military-first policy or a viable North Korean economy. Kim’s Songun (military-first) policy is a direct and indirect barrier to economic recovery and Prime Minister Pak cannot deliver economic progress while shackled by Songun.

March 30, 2004
By Ruediger Frank

PFO 04-16A: March 26, 2004 Drug Trafficking and North Korea: Issues for U.S. Policy By Raphael F. Perl  

March 26, 2004
By Raphael F. Perl

PFO 04-14A: March 24, 2004 Curtailing North Korea’s Illicit Activities By Balbina Hwang    

The following is a paper presented by Kent Calder, Director of the Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies at Johns Hopkins University, at the joint Korean Energy Economics Institute (KEEI) and International Energy Agency (IEA) workshop “Northeast Asia Energy Security and Regional Cooperation” in Seoul, Korea from May 17-18, 2004. In this paper Professor Calder argues that energy security is closely tied to political stability in Northeast Asia and that the DPRK is the center of this congruence. He discusses the importance of the Korean Economic Development Organization. (KEDO) and the need for a new or reissued group that includes representatives from the entire region and centers on natural gas and electricity interconnection projects.

North Korea’s Legacy of Missed Opportunities Mitchell B. Reiss, Director of Policy Planning Remarks to the Heritage Foundation Washington, DC March 12, 2004 Thank you, Peter.  It is a pleasure to be here again at Heritage – a place whose prominent voice has played an important role in shaping our national debate about East Asia […]

This essay is by Professor Koo Kab-woo from Kyungnam University. Koo argues that the intervention for dismantling the unbalanced South Korea-US alliance is essential and could be done through the solidarity of the South Korean civil society with the civil society in other East Asian countries. East Asia must be re-discovered as a new space for action. Changing the historical structure of global politics in East Asia can only be possible with the intervention of the civil society

February 23, 2004 The Six-Party Talks: Keeping Diplomacy Alive By Balbina Y. Hwang, Ph.D. On February 25th, the second round of the much-anticipated Six-Party talks will open in Beijing. These talks are an effort by the United States, China, Japan, Russia, and South Korea to reach a diplomatic solution with North Korea to end its […]

In this brief essay, Brent Choi, North Korea specialist for the Joongang Daily, argues that the recent dismissal of South Korean Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Yoon Young-kwan has been grossly misinterpreted by the U.S. media as an outgrowth of the struggle between pro-U.S. and anti-U.S. factions within the Roh administration. Instead, Yoon’s dismissal must be interpreted through the socio-cultural prism of South Korea’s bureaucratic society.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Nautilus Institute. Readers should note that Nautilus seeks a diversity of views and opinions on contentious topics in order to identify common ground.