If North Korea's economic transformation has been largely informal and contested at the level of the state, to what extent is North Korea's economic transformation reflected in North Korean economic research? In this article, we analyze a dataset of North Korean domestic journal articles on...

South Korea has been late to embrace the concept of the Indo-Pacific. Its strategic approach developed from initial neglect to mere tactic acknowledgment and careful engagement under the Moon administration (2017-2022), to the now clear support for a distinct Indo-Pacific strategy under the Yoon...

This paper investigates the economic costs of the recent United Nations sanctions on North Korea. Exploiting a novel data set on North Korean firms, we construct measures of regional exposure to export and intermediate input sanctions and show that trade sanctions cause sharp declines in local...

This paper investigates the economic costs of the recent United Nations sanctions on North Korea. Exploiting a novel data set on North Korean firms, we construct measures of regional exposure to export and intermediate input sanctions and show that trade sanctions cause sharp declines in local...

South Korea has been late to embrace the concept of the Indo-Pacific. Its strategic approach developed from initial neglect to mere tactic acknowledgment and careful engagement under the Moon administration (2017–2022), to the now clear support for a distinct Indo-Pacific strategy under the...

This study examines how the health of North Korean refugees affect the speed of their integration into the South Korean society. Previous studies, mostly of refugees in Europe and North America, have documented that refugees’ poor health delays their integration into host countries. We extend...

This paper quantitatively analyzes the current status of North Korean consumer payment instruments through a questionnaire survey of 292 North Korean defectors. In the 2010s, it was found that the payment experience ratio of domestic currency cash and grain decreased, while the payment...

We focused on multilateral cooperation and aid to North Korea. While it is true that North Korea and the international community both respectively have a certain desire for multilateral cooperation, we evaluate that due to the disagreements stemming from differing perspectives, correspondence,...

This paper empirically examines the relationship between inter-Korean trade and inter-Korean relations over the past three decades. It asks two questions: (1) Does inter-Korean trade contribute to improved interKorean relations and peace on the Korean Peninsula? (2) Does improved inter-Korean...

(Korean Abstract) 본 연구는 김정은 위원장 집권 10년을 정권 승계기(2011년 12월~2012년), 집권 1기(2013~17년), 집권 2기 (2018~21년)로 구분하여 각 집권 시기별로 북한이 추진하였던 대외정책의 특징을 규명하고, 이를 바탕으로...

This paper examines the possibilities for, and obstacles to, the reunification of North and South Korea based on the experiences of the reunifications of Italy, the United States and Germany in the 19th and 20th centuries. Common elements of these reunifications include a slow convergence of...

Could North Korea (officially, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) actually become Northeast Asia’s next big free market economy? At first blush, economic optimism about the Hermit Kingdom seems incredibly misplaced. North Korea is one of the most repressive countries in the world;...

What are the characteristics of President Moon Jae-in's policy toward North Korea, and what lessons can be drawn for the future? More than 70 years have passed since the establishment of the two republics in 1948, during which continuous attempts have been made to achieve reconciliation, peace,...

In the study of the North Korean economy, industrial and business activities still remain uncharted territory. They are the most basic components of an economy, yet the scarcity of information makes those in North Korea almost impossible to understand from the outside world. Today, the general...

Over the past three decades, North Korea has experienced a period of economic change, most notably in the development of the market. North Korea maintains that it operates a tightly controlled planned economy, the elements of which are poorly understood by the international community. Currently,...

The Ukrainian crisis and Russia-U.S. conflict can provide important policy implications for South Korea. This is especially true in that the external environments of Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula, which are located between great powers, share many similarities. In addition, and more...

As diplomatic initiatives have thus far failed to achieve the objective of a complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and given that a military solution is generally considered to be unfeasible, sanctions have become the central...

This paper investigates the economic costs of the recent United Nations sanctions on North Korea. Exploiting a novel data set on North Korean firms, we construct measures of regional exposure to export and intermediate input sanctions and show that they cause sharp declines in local nighttime...

This research attempts to provide an in-depth analysis of the public perceptions of inter-Korean economic cooperation. KDI survey data with a sample size of 1,000 were subjected to empirical analyses. By means of ordered logit estimations, we derive the following results. First, there is a...

The United Nations Security Council adopted eight resolutions from 2012 to 2019, in condemning threatening actions on the part of North Korea, such as conducting ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons tests. I examine the efficacy of sanctions against North Korea using satellite nighttime lights...

What are the characteristics of President Moon Jae-in's policy toward North Korea, and what lessons can be drawn for the future? More than 70 years have passed since the establishment of the two republics in 1948, during which continuous attempts have been made to achieve reconciliation, peace,...

Through its "comfort women" framework, the World War II Japanese military extended its licensing regime for domestic prostitution to the brothels next to its overseas bases. That regime imposed strenuous health standards, which the military needed to control the venereal disease that had...

Over the past three decades, North Korea has experienced a period of economic change, most notably in the development of the market. North Korea maintains that it operates a tightly controlled planned economy, the elements of which are poorly understood by the international community. Currently,...

While human rights are an integral part of democratic rule, the extent that public opinion in democracies prioritize human rights in foreign countries relative to other competing foreign policy priorities is not clear. This is particularly the case when a country poses a serious security threat...

While human rights are an integral part of democratic rule, the extent that public opinion in democracies prioritize human rights in foreign countries relative to other competing foreign policy priorities is not clear. This is particularly the case when a country poses a serious security threat...

North Korea is a complex humanitarian emergency with food insecurity at its core. As of August 2022, both quantity and price data point to a deteriorating situation, made worse by the regime’s self-isolating response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Food availability has likely...

This paper argues that Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, faces a dilemma between maintaining his dictatorship and enabling economic growth amid pervasive marketization. Although he puts more emphasis on economic development than his father did, he is unlikely to launch Chinese-style reform...

North Korea is one of the most restrictive countries in terms of data accessibility, especially at the regional level. This research assesses the regional economy in North Korea using the nighttime light data. It estimates GRDP per capita at the county level in 2012-2020, the Kim Jong-Un era,...

Using multinomial logistic regressions, this study examines whether human capital accumulated in North Korea (NK) or South Korea (SK) is associated with decreases in welfare receipt among North Korean Defectors (NKDs) in SK. Human capital is measured by (1) (higher) education in NK or SK, (2)...

North Korea is a complex humanitarian emergency with food insecurity at its core. As of August 2022, both quantity and price data point to a deteriorating situation, made worse by the regime's self-isolating response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Food availability has likely...

This paper examines various channels and issues for foreign firms to invest in inter-Korean economic cooperation with the assumption that inter-Korean economic cooperation can be resumed after sanctions against North Korea have been lifted, and the same treatment is applied to foreign firms....

North Korean trade networks have adapted to international sanctions through a variety of strategies to solve the problem of operating in a hostile environment at both the global level, and at the local level. At the global level, they have engaged in obfuscation of the nature of trade and...

While the world’s attention is focused on Russia’s war against Ukraine and the inten­sifying conflict between the US and China, the security situation on the Korean Peninsula has continued to deteriorate. North Korea is steadily advancing the expansion of its military capabilities and...

North Korea and China’s relations have, from time to time, been addressed by the international media as “symbolic brothers,” and often come into the academic discussion with the context of the “Korean War” (1950-1953). It has been captured in the larger discussion, North Korea is a...

Purpose: This study examined the MICE Industry as an exchange and cooperation object to break through the inter-Korean relations in the crisis phase. Design/methodology/approach: This study conducted exploratory research applying grounded theory, a qualitative research method that builds a...

Transformation to some market approaches in North Korea is of highest importance for more economic cooperation on the Korean peninsula. Kim Jong-uns's Byungjin policy, a new ideological approach announced in 2011, gave some hope for such reforms. At least, basic economic reforms like in China or...

While Korea since several decades promotes an infrastructure project called "iron silk road", to link it with European markets, but also to integrate North Korea more into the world economy, these ideas largely ended nowhere. Instead, the Chinese proposal of the "One Belt, one Road" (short BRI)...

This paper uses Generational Accounting to assess the fiscal impacts of Korean reunification. Our findings suggest that early reunification will result in a large increase in the fiscal burden for most current and future generations of South Koreans. The Korean reunification's fiscal impact...

Aiming to discuss the changes in North Korea's economic strategies and policies, and the reasons why North Korea suddenly resumed trade with China in March 2021, this article is largely composed of two parts. The second section introduces the debate between South Ko-rean economists about North...

Scholars studying the North Korean economy say that North Korea (NK) faces three difficulties by the end of 2020: sanctions against NK, Covid19, and flood damage. There are four ways to gauge the economic situation in North Korea: trade data, international reporting, prices, and North Korean...

The United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015 and presented 17 goals and 169 detailed targets to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development by 2030. Accordingly, as a member of the United Nations, North Korea also established a new strategic framework...