Editor’s Column
Articles and features from the Editors of 38 North.
GoogleEarth 3D Model of the Unha-3 Flight Path
DPRK Study Team members, Lew Franklin and Dick Donald, at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) have developed a GoogleEarth model of the Unha-3 trajectory. This model is based on Unha-2 physical measurement estimates by MIT’s Theodore Postol, but with flight parameters significantly modified by new [...]
Will Kim Jong Un Visit the Rocket Launch?
North Korea appears to have been conducting a beautification effort at the Sohae launch center before its upcoming rocket launch. Whether that effort is related to the visit of foreign press on April 8, of foreign observers, or of government dignitaries remains unclear. But it is worth noting that Kim Jong Il observed the April 5, 2009 launch of [...]
Dealing with the Kims
This article originally appeared on www.foreignpolicy.com, and has been reprinted with permission. The original can be found here: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/02/21/nuclear_north?page=full. This week's meeting between U.S. Special Envoy Glyn Davies and North Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye Gwan will be the first [...]
China’s Embrace of North Korea: The Curious Case of the Hwanggumpyong Island Economic Zone
Background In early June 2011, China and the DPRK announced an agreement to establish a free trade area on Hwanggumpyong and Wihwa Islands, undeveloped sites adjacent to China’s border city of Dandong where a tax-free zone will also be established. These islands are located in the downstream area of the Yalu River on the border between the [...]
North Korea Makes Significant Progress in Building New Experimental Light Water Reactor (ELWR)
This article is a “38 North” exclusive in cooperation with DigitalGlobe’s Analysis Center and with contributions by Robert Kelley and Mehdi Sarram. This is the first of a new satellite imagery analysis feature, focusing on areas of security and economic interest. SUMMARY A year after disclosing the project, North Korea recently announced [...]
The Security Challenges of North Korean Collapse: A Conversation with Bruce Bennett and Jennifer Lind
This fall, International Security (October 2011) published Bruce Bennett and Jennifer Lind’s article about the collapse of North Korea. The article examines the problems that could result from a government collapse, the military missions that countries might take to stabilize the country, and the requirements of those missions. Bennett and Lind [...]
