I was interviewed today on Arirang News’ “Within the Frame” public affairs newscast, along with Dr. Go Myong-hyun of The Asan Institute, to discuss last week’s visit to Pyongyang by Russian foreign minister Lavrov, the possibility of President Putin visiting North Korea, and the impact of the Israel-Gaza crisis on the Korean Peninsula. Many thanks to host Kim Bo-kyoung for her questions.

Here is the full interview:

Photo at top: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Riyadh on Oct. 22, 2023.

I was interviewed today for Arirang News’s “On Point” segment on its morning news program, “New Day.” Questions related to the overall impact of Hamas’s devastating attack on Israel for the Korean Peninsula, as well as evaluating the wisdom and likely impact on security and stability if South Korea unilaterally suspended or abrogated its 2018 Comprehensive Military Agreement with the North. Many thanks to anchor Kim Da Mi for her questions.

My Sept. 20 interview on “Within the Frame.” Many thanks to anchor Kim Bo-kyoung for her questions:

My Sept. 21 comments on President Yoon’s visit to the UN in New York on “New Day,” broadcast Sept. 25. Many thanks to Presidential Office correspondent Oh Sooyoung for her questions:

Photo at top:  Kim Jong Un with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, visits an airport to see military aircraft near Vladivostok in the Russian Far East, on  Sept. 16, 2023. 

I was interviewed Wednesday on Arirang News’ “Within the Frame” public affairs newscast, along with Dr. Go Myong-hyun of The Asan Institute, to discuss North Korea’s second failed satellite launch and its apparent re-opening of its borders. Many thanks to host Kim Bo-kyoung for her questions.

In retrospect, when asked if North Korean defectors caught in China may soon be forcibly repatriated (which has not happened since early 2020 due to the North’s pandemic border closures), and if there was a way to prevent that from happening, I should not have assumed all viewers were familiar with this issue.

Although repatriating North Korean escapees to China back to the North has been a long-standing Chinese policy, I should have clearly deplored it, and emphasized that unfortunately even United Nations human rights agencies have long been unable to persuade China to change its policy. I hinted this is part of a larger bargain between China and North Korea. But this policy is no less a human rights issue than China’s harsh treatment of its own citizens in Xinjiang.

Only far stronger international pressure might influence China to change its policy on repatriating North Korean escapees, especially hitting China where it hurts — e.g., sanctioning major Chinese banks that assist North Korea in circumventing existing United Nations sanctions. China’s violations of international law regarding North Korean refugees should be linked to rigorous enforcement of sanctions on China.

Here is my full interview:

Photo at top: North Korean defectors rush into the Japanese Consulate General in Shenyang, China, in May 2002

I was interviewed at length by Arirang News yesterday during the ground-breaking Camp David Trilateral Summit between the U.S., South Korea and Japan. The questions start about 15 minutes in, and more questions are asked after the joint press conference concludes. I was joined by Dr. Eric S. Kim, Adjunct Professor of International Studies, Hanyang University. We were preceded by Oh Sooyoung, Presidential Office Correspondent, Arirang News, and Jessica Stone, Washington Correspondent, Voice of America. Many thanks to anchor Kim Da Mi for inviting us and for her maintaining her line of questions in a rapidly developing news environment.

Link to my full 2012 article on the 1945 division of Korea (78 years ago).

I was interviewed today on Arirang News’ “Within the Frame” discussion program about the 70th Anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement, and the direction the Peninsula should take for the future. I was joined by Dr. Min Jeong-hun, associate professor, Department of American Studies, Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA). Many thanks to host Kim Bo-kyoung for her far-reaching questions, not all of which could be asked due to program time constraints.

The full interview is below:

Photo at top: Marshal Kim Il Sung signing the Korean Armistice Agreement and the Temporary Agreement Supplementary to the Armistice Agreement, assisted by Gen. Nam Il (right), in Pyongyang on or about July 27, 1953.

I was interviewed yesterday on Arirang News’ “Within the Frame” discussion program about North Korea’s food shortages and the impact on the North of the Wagner coup attempt in Russia last week. I was once again joined by Dr. Kim Young-jun, Professor of International Politics, National Security College, Korea National Defense University (KNDU). Many thanks to host Kim Bo-kyoung for her thoughtful questions.

The full interview is below:

I was once again interviewed on Arirang News’ “Within the Frame” discussion program today about North Korea’s failed May 31 satellite launch. I was joined by Dr. Kim Young-jun, Professor of International Politics, National Security College, Korea National Defense University (KNDU). Many thanks to host Kim Bo-kyoung for her great questions, which allowed me to give far more expansive answers than I had anticipated.

The full interview is below: