North Korea News Podcast by NK News

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. The full podcast is available to NK News subscribers. Sign up today at NK News

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Episodes 300

Trump’s outreach, Seoul’s dilemma and lessons from decades inside the DPRK
3d ago · 52:32
Korea Risk Group Correspondent Joon Ha Park joins this week’s podcast to discuss the latest signals from Pyongyang following President Donald Trump’s renewed outreach to Kim Jong Un and the decision to shorten the Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercises from 11 days to five. He breaks down two recent statements from Kim Yo Jong, including her acknowledgment of the “excellent” personal relationship between Trump and her brother, while dismissing the reduced drills as insufficient. The conversation then turns to the wider implications of Trump’s willingness to alter major alliance exercise
Trump courts Kim again, US-ROK drills shrink and a more confident North Korea
11d ago · 26:36
Donald Trump is once again reaching out to Kim Jong Un, praising their personal relationship, calling for a reduction in U.S.-South Korea military exercises and claiming the North Korean leader has responded “very positively.” This week, NK News Lead Correspondent Shreyas Reddy joins the podcast to unpack what Trump actually said, how closely it resembles his 2018 diplomacy playbook and why the U.S. president may be turning toward North Korea again. He also discusses Washington and Seoul’s decision to cut the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise from 11 days to five after Trump’s directive, as well a
Buried missile facilities, mystery telecom site and North Korea’s naval buildup
18d ago · 21:44
Jeongmin Kim hosts this week’s NK News Podcast and is joined by Senior Analytic Correspondent Colin Zwirko to discuss a series of recent satellite imagery investigations into North Korea’s military infrastructure, beginning with an unusual new facility at a factory producing short-range ballistic missiles supplied to Russia. Colin explains why North Korea built and then buried the structure, what its location may suggest about safety or security requirements and how recent missile activity could relate to Pyongyang’s evolving battlefield experience from the war in Ukraine. The conversation the
Jerome Sauvage on North Korea’s crises, contradictions and quiet moments
25d ago · 39:07
Former U.N. official Jerome Sauvage joins this week’s podcast to discuss his new book, Witness to North Korea: Three Years on the Ground in the DPRK, which recounts his posting in Pyongyang from late 2009 to early 2013. He explains why he accepted one of the U.N.’s most difficult assignments and what it took to reopen the U.N. Development Programme office after its 2007 closure amid allegations over financial controls and sanctions evasion. The conversation explores North Korea’s failed 2009 currency redenomination, the gap between Pyongyang and the impoverished countryside and what census dat
North Korean troops for Russia, a new Seoul strategy and the ‘Hero of Panmunjom’
1mo ago · 29:38
NK News Correspondent Joon Ha Park joins this week’s podcast to discuss Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s claim that Russia has requested another 30,000 North Korean troops for its war against Ukraine. He explains how realistic a deployment of that size would be, why Russia may be preparing facilities in the Voronezh region and whether DPRK personnel are more likely to serve in logistics, reconstruction and rear-area security than in direct frontline combat. The conversation then turns to South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young’s declaration that Seoul is shifting from a “den
Rudiger Frank on North Korea’s hidden middle class: North Korea Unpacked
1mo ago · 53:15
This month, Dr. Rüdiger Frank joins North Korea Unpacked with Jacco Zwetsloot to discuss how decades of marketization have transformed North Korea’s economy and society, and why old assumptions about engagement and pressure may no longer apply. He talks about the emergence of what he describes as a sizable North Korean middle class, how smartphones, private wealth and limited consumer choices point to deeper social change, and why leader Kim Jong Un may be a reluctant reformer forced to manage economic realities he did not create. He also explains why money is increasingly trapped inside North
North Korea’s World Cup miracle and the town that kept the memory alive
1mo ago · 26:07
This week, the NK News Podcast presents a special episode on one of the most unlikely stories in World Cup history: North Korea’s extraordinary run at the 1966 tournament and the English town that embraced the team as its own. Sixty years after the DPRK stunned Italy and reached the quarterfinals, this episode revisits how a little-known team from a country Britain did not recognize became the emotional heart of Middlesbrough’s World Cup summer. Through archival sound, documentary clips and interviews with Nicholas Bonner, Daniel Gordon and Tosh Warwick, the episode traces North Korea’s road t
North Korea’s closer ties with China, Russia — and what Washington can do
1mo ago · 55:24
NK News Data Correspondent Anton Sokolin joins this week’s podcast to discuss North Korea’s deepening ties with China and Russia, starting with Premier Pak Thae Song’s meeting with Xi Jinping in Beijing during a visit marking the 65th anniversary of the China-DPRK alliance treaty. He also previews Wang Huning’s upcoming visit to Pyongyang and explains what these high-level exchanges suggest about where Beijing-Pyongyang ties stand. The conversation turns to Russia’s growing demand for North Korean labor, before breaking down a strange Russian court case involving a failed corn shipment to Nort
North Korea’s new destroyers, China border trade and Seoul’s coexistence dilemma
1mo ago · 50:06
NK News Senior Analytic Correspondent Colin Zwirko joins this week’s podcast to discuss North Korea’s naval modernization push, from Kim Jong Un’s latest cruise missile test from the Kang Kon destroyer to the recent commissioning of the Choe Hyon, the country’s first 5,000-ton warship to formally enter service. He also breaks down his latest NK Pro analysis on the apparent restart of makeshift smuggling routes across the North Korea-China border, including what satellite imagery shows, why private vehicles appear to be a major driver of the trade and what the activity suggests about China’s wi
Destroyer deployment, missile tests, drone warfare and North Korea’s near misses
2mo ago · 46:49
This week’s episode of the NK News Podcast looks at North Korea’s military modernization, from Kim Jong Un’s new 5,000-ton Choe Hyon destroyer to recent tactical missile and artillery tests. Korea Risk Group Correspondent Joon Ha Park discusses what the destroyer adds to Pyongyang’s navy, why its assignment to the West Sea Fleet matters and what South Korea’s delayed public confirmation of a Hwasong-11D launch reveals about missile disclosure policy. He also breaks down Seoul’s push to expand drone and counter-drone capabilities — including loitering munitions, laser and microwave defenses — a
Ambassador recall, remote work scams and the lives of North Korea’s elites
2mo ago · 1:09:28
This week’s episode of the NK News Podcast looks at North Korea’s decision to recall its ambassador to the U.K. just weeks after his appointment, in protest over British sanctions on the Songdowon International Children’s Camp. NK News Lead Correspondent Shreyas Reddy discusses why the camp holds symbolic importance for Pyongyang, its links to Russia and Ukrainian children from Russian-controlled territories, and what the diplomatic downgrade could mean for DPRK-U.K. relations. He also examines a new Nisos investigation into a North Korean IT worker network that submitted nearly 170,000 job ap
Brian Davis on how the US military collects intel: North Korea Unpacked
2mo ago · 1:01:27
This month, retired U.S. Army Col. Brian Davis joins North Korea Unpacked with Jacco Zwetsloot to discuss lessons from his nearly 40-year career spanning some of the most consequential periods in U.S.-DPRK relations. He talks about how intelligence on North Korea is gathered and analyzed, how U.S. and South Korean military priorities shifted from conventional threats to nuclear and missile programs and why Pyongyang remains one of the world's most difficult intelligence targets. Davis also reflects on the 2017 "fire and fury" period, the risks of military action against North Korea and what le
Yoon’s prison sentence, Xi’s North Korea visit and shifting peninsula dynamics
2mo ago · 43:41
This week, NK News CEO Chad O’Carroll and Chris Green of International Crisis Group join the podcast to discuss a Seoul court’s decision to sentence former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison, finding that he orchestrated a drone operation that sought to provoke a North Korean response and create a pretext for declaring martial law. The episode also explores Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Pyongyang, the absence of denuclearization from official summit readouts, China’s increasingly pragmatic approach to North Korea’s nuclear status and the prospects for e
Xi Jinping’s return to Pyongyang and the future of China-North Korea relations
2mo ago · 34:49
On this week’s episode, NK News Lead Correspondent Shreyas Reddy unpacks Chinese President Xi Jinping's first visit to North Korea in seven years and what it reveals about the future of China-DPRK relations. The conversation examines the symbolism and strategic messaging behind the two-day summit, including Xi's meetings with Kim Jong Un, visits to the Sino-DPRK Friendship Tower and the Workers' Party cadre school. Shreyas also discusses why denuclearization was notably absent from official readouts and what that suggests about Beijing's evolving approach to North Korea's nuclear program. The
A modular missile system, warship testing and signs Xi will visit North Korea
2mo ago · 30:28
On this week’s episode, NK News Senior Analytic Correspondent Colin Zwirko discusses a busy week of developments in North Korea. He examines Pyongyang’s latest missile test of a new modular launcher and tactical cruise missile system, as well as what these weapons could mean for military planning near the inter-Korean border. He also talks about satellite imagery suggesting North Korea’s Choe Hyon-class destroyer may be undergoing final testing near Nampho ahead of possible deployment. The episode also looks at signs Pyongyang may be preparing to welcome a foreign leader visit amid reports of
North Korean club soccer team wins AFC title during rare trip to the South
3mo ago · 26:00
This week, NK News Correspondent Jooheon Kim joins the podcast to discuss a North Korean soccer team’s rare trip to the South. The Naegohyang Women’s Football Club made the journey for the AFC Women’s Champions League semifinals, marking the first visit by a DPRK sports delegation in nearly eight years and the first by a North Korean soccer team in 12 years. Kim recounts the team’s arrival at Incheon International Airport and explains why Seoul needed to make a special exception for the team to enter South Korea. He also discusses Naegohyang’s semifinal victory over Suwon FC Women, which took
Andrei Lankov on DPRK’s new doctrine – North Korea Unpacked with Jacco Zwetsloot
3mo ago · 47:00
In the first episode of North Korea Unpacked with Jacco Zwetsloot, Jacco sits down with Professor Andrei Lankov of Kookmin University and a director of Korea Risk Group — the first-ever guest on the original NK News Podcast back in 2018 — to discuss North Korea’s newly revealed constitutional changes and what they mean for Pyongyang’s worldview. Lankov explains how the revised constitution reframes South Korea not as part of a divided nation, but as a separate and hostile state — a move he argues is designed to reduce the political danger posed by South Korea’s far greater wealth and living st
Parades, panaceas and a sunken ship: North Korea-Russia cooperation grows
3mo ago · 43:50
This week on the NK News Podcast, Data Correspondent Anton Sokolin talks about the expanding North Korea-Russia relationship — from military pageantry in Moscow to drone training in Russia’s Far East and a mysterious shipwreck off Spain’s coast. Anton breaks down the significance of North Korean soldiers marching through Red Square for the first time during Russia’s Victory Day parade, what their appearance says about Moscow’s shifting alliances and why Kim Jong Un skipped the event despite expectations that he may eventually visit Russia again. The discussion also covers a DPRK delegation’s v
Borders, nukes and welfare: Inside North Korea’s purported constitution
3mo ago · 40:44
This week’s NK News Podcast looks at a newly revealed document that appears to show how North Korea amended its constitution to redefine relations with South Korea. Korea Risk Group Executive Director Jeongmin Kim discusses the document’s apparent removal of unification language, its new territorial clause and why Pyongyang may be keeping maritime boundaries deliberately vague. She also delves into what the changes could mean for Kim Jong Un’s leadership, including the trimming of references to Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, the use of “head of state” language and constitutional wording on nucle
Jacco Zwetsloot: A look back and a new chapter for the NK News Podcast
3mo ago · 32:33
In this handover episode of the NK News Podcast, new host Alannah Hill sits down with longtime host Jacco Zwetsloot to look back on his time leading the show since its launch in Feb. 2018. They revisit the podcast’s first episode with Andrei Lankov, the major North Korea stories that defined that period and how the news beat changed from U.S.-DPRK summit diplomacy to today’s focus on North Korea-Russia ties. Jacco reflects on some of the most memorable interviews from his roughly 400 episodes, including the extraordinary three-part interview with a U.S. citizen who entered North Korea without
Eunhee Park: Surviving North Korea and reclaiming identity in the South
4mo ago · 1:10:59
Content warning: This episode contains discussion of sexual violence. NK News Data Correspondent Anton Sokolin kicks off the podcast this week by discussing the long-running debate over the transfer of wartime operational control, or OPCON, from the U.S. to South Korea, following comments made by U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson. He also examines growing Russia-North Korea cooperation, including a new “friendship hospital” project near the Wonsan-Kalma resort, and what it may signal about the durability of their ties beyond the war in Ukraine. In the second half of this podcast,
Sayaka Chatani: How pro-North Korea communities took root in Japan
4mo ago · 51:01
NK News Correspondent Jooheon Kim kicks off the podcast this week by discussing North Korea-Japan relations, focusing on lingering tensions over the abductions issue, recent trilateral naval cooperation with Seoul and Washington, and Pyongyang’s criticism of Japan’s latest diplomatic Blue Book. In the second half, the scholar Sayaka Chatani joins the podcast to explore the development of pro-North Korean communities in Japan and how they came to align themselves with Pyongyang’s national project. She explains the origins of Chongryon and its role as a quasi-state institution for ethnic Koreans
Cathy Kang: Rethinking Korean unification from a global perspective
4mo ago · 44:03
Korea Risk Group Executive Director Jeongmin Kim kicks off the podcast this week by discussing North Korea’s positive response after Seoul expressed regret for past civilian drone incursions, only to quickly undercut hopes for inter-Korean detente with more hardline messaging and a series of missile launches. In the second half, Dr. Cathy Kang of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council — a group that advises South Korea’s president on inter-Korean issues — joins the podcast to discuss how her experience growing up in Europe has shaped her perspective on Korean unification and coexistence, as
Jonathan Cheng: The Christian roots of North Korea’s personality cult
4mo ago · 51:49
NK News founder Chad O’Carroll begins this week’s episode by discussing the death of North Korea’s longtime representative to the International Olympic Committee, a South Korean helicopter’s accidental flight into the demilitarized zone during a firefighting mission and Seoul’s expression of regret over civilian drone incursions. In the second half, Jonathan Cheng, the China bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, joins the podcast to discuss his new book on how Christian practice and symbolism may have influenced the development of the DPRK’s leadership cult, particularly through Kim Il Sun
Ankit Panda: How North Korea could take its military modernization to space
5mo ago · 51:19
NK News Data Correspondent Anton Sokolin kicks off this week’s episode with a look at Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s visit to Pyongyang for a summit last week, and his potential to serve as an intermediary between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump. The conversation explores Belarus’s evolving ties with the DPRK, including plans to establish an embassy in Pyongyang, expand economic cooperation and potentially allow visa-free travel for North Korean nationals. International security expert Ankit Panda joins in the second half of the episode for a wide-ranging analysis of North Korea’s mi

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North Korea News Podcast by NK News

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North Korea News Podcast by NK News

Episodes 300

Trump’s outreach, Seoul’s dilemma and lessons from decades inside the DPRK

Trump courts Kim again, US-ROK drills shrink and a more confident North Korea

Buried missile facilities, mystery telecom site and North Korea’s naval buildup

Jerome Sauvage on North Korea’s crises, contradictions and quiet moments

North Korean troops for Russia, a new Seoul strategy and the ‘Hero of Panmunjom’

Rudiger Frank on North Korea’s hidden middle class: North Korea Unpacked

North Korea’s World Cup miracle and the town that kept the memory alive

North Korea’s closer ties with China, Russia — and what Washington can do

North Korea’s new destroyers, China border trade and Seoul’s coexistence dilemma

Destroyer deployment, missile tests, drone warfare and North Korea’s near misses

Ambassador recall, remote work scams and the lives of North Korea’s elites

Brian Davis on how the US military collects intel: North Korea Unpacked

Yoon’s prison sentence, Xi’s North Korea visit and shifting peninsula dynamics

Xi Jinping’s return to Pyongyang and the future of China-North Korea relations

A modular missile system, warship testing and signs Xi will visit North Korea

North Korean club soccer team wins AFC title during rare trip to the South

Andrei Lankov on DPRK’s new doctrine – North Korea Unpacked with Jacco Zwetsloot

Parades, panaceas and a sunken ship: North Korea-Russia cooperation grows

Borders, nukes and welfare: Inside North Korea’s purported constitution

Jacco Zwetsloot: A look back and a new chapter for the NK News Podcast

Eunhee Park: Surviving North Korea and reclaiming identity in the South

Sayaka Chatani: How pro-North Korea communities took root in Japan

Cathy Kang: Rethinking Korean unification from a global perspective

Jonathan Cheng: The Christian roots of North Korea’s personality cult

Ankit Panda: How North Korea could take its military modernization to space

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Episodes 300

Trump’s outreach, Seoul’s dilemma and lessons from decades inside the DPRK

Trump courts Kim again, US-ROK drills shrink and a more confident North Korea

Buried missile facilities, mystery telecom site and North Korea’s naval buildup

Jerome Sauvage on North Korea’s crises, contradictions and quiet moments

North Korean troops for Russia, a new Seoul strategy and the ‘Hero of Panmunjom’

Rudiger Frank on North Korea’s hidden middle class: North Korea Unpacked

North Korea’s World Cup miracle and the town that kept the memory alive

North Korea’s closer ties with China, Russia — and what Washington can do

North Korea’s new destroyers, China border trade and Seoul’s coexistence dilemma

Destroyer deployment, missile tests, drone warfare and North Korea’s near misses

Ambassador recall, remote work scams and the lives of North Korea’s elites

Brian Davis on how the US military collects intel: North Korea Unpacked

Yoon’s prison sentence, Xi’s North Korea visit and shifting peninsula dynamics

Xi Jinping’s return to Pyongyang and the future of China-North Korea relations

A modular missile system, warship testing and signs Xi will visit North Korea

North Korean club soccer team wins AFC title during rare trip to the South

Andrei Lankov on DPRK’s new doctrine – North Korea Unpacked with Jacco Zwetsloot

Parades, panaceas and a sunken ship: North Korea-Russia cooperation grows

Borders, nukes and welfare: Inside North Korea’s purported constitution

Jacco Zwetsloot: A look back and a new chapter for the NK News Podcast

Eunhee Park: Surviving North Korea and reclaiming identity in the South

Sayaka Chatani: How pro-North Korea communities took root in Japan

Cathy Kang: Rethinking Korean unification from a global perspective

Jonathan Cheng: The Christian roots of North Korea’s personality cult

Ankit Panda: How North Korea could take its military modernization to space