You are here
North Korea
In-depth analysis and commentary on North Korea from RUSI publications and experts.
For media inquiries, please call +44 20 7747 2618 or email smueen@rusi.org
RUSI RESEARCH PROGRAMMES ANALYSING NORTH KOREA
North Korea's Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
China and Region: International Security Studies
Sanctions: Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies
KEY RUSI PUBLICATIONS
Sanctions
A House Without Foundations: The North Korea Sanctions Regime and its ImplementationTarget Markets: North Korea’s Military Customers in the Sanctions Era
Options for UK
Why the UK Needs to be Thinking Now about a Possible Korean War
"Singapore is also a "great location" for the reclusive leader from North Korea, according to Tom Plant, a specialist in nuclear and proliferation issues at London's Royal United Services Institute."Kim will be on friendly territory, not hostile territory. But he wouldn't be on home turf," "
It's not home-field advantage, but summit site Singapore offers benefits to both President Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un
In The News, 11 May 2018 Tags: United States, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
"It is naive to believe North Korea will commit to limit or even reverse its nuclear and missile capabilities without gaining something in return. "
The devil will be in the detail of a Korean nuclear arms deal
In The News, 2 May 2018 Tags: North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues
"The worry here is that expectations raised too high are dashed more completely when they fail – and, after all, it isn't so long since the US was 'locked and loaded' for 'fire and fury' in Korea.'
"
The first step towards peace? Korea experts warn of caution
In The News, 28 April 2018 Tags: United States, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
"Royal United Services Institute’s director of proliferation and nuclear policy Tom Plant said he “didn’t want to rain on anybody’s parade, but I feel like I have to. I’m hopeful, yes but intensely realistic, bordering on cynical,” he told news.com.au. “Until I see evidence that North Korea are giving something concrete on nuclear weapons, it’s very hard to interpret this as anything other than a North Korean win. But it’s not war, so that’s good.” "
Experts wary over historic agreement between North and South Korea
In The News, 28 April 2018 Tags: North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
"The dynamics of this kind of summit meeting might also work for President Trump. Yes, it seems that he is vulnerable to flattery and the trappings of a head of state meeting, as others have found. But this is an opportunity to make a deal that, unlike the Iran nuclear deal or the Paris climate agreement, he would personally own. "
How the Historic North Korea Summit Gave Trump a Path to Create a Lasting Peace
In The News, 28 April 2018 Tags: United States, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues, Pacific
"“North Korea cannot be trusted to denuclearize unless we know exactly what that means and under what conditions,” said Emil Dall, a research fellow at the RUSI think tank based in London. “This deal doesn’t give us any detail about that.” "
Kim Jong Un offers denuclearization deal, but what's the catch?
In The News, 27 April 2018 Tags: United States, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear PolicyPages
Upstaging Armageddon: Kim Jong-un and the Inter-Korean Summit
Commentary, 27 April 2018Adam Cathcart
When attempting to assess today’s inter-Korean summit, the adage ‘Hope for the best, prepare for the worst’ seems more appropriate than ever.
North Korea, Pacific
Bad Chemistry: A Re-analysis of the Assassination of Kim Jong-un’s Brother
Commentary, 5 April 2018Ryan Henrici
Russia’s alleged use of a nerve agent in an attempted assassination of a former intelligence agent in Salisbury provides a good opportunity to look at North Korea’s capabilities in this field.
North Korea
The Proposed US–North Korea Summit: The Art of the Deal
Commentary, 16 March 2018Cristina Varriale
There has been a flurry of headlines relating to the US, North Korea and Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes. However, this time it’s not about a nuclear war, it’s about meetings and dialogue.
United States, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Another Bite at a 'Hamburger Summit'?
Commentary, 9 March 2018Tom Plant
Stunning news overnight, as US President Donald Trump agreed to an unprecedented summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un by the end of May. Or did he?
United States, North Korea
Does North Korea Matter to Russia?
Commentary, 28 September 2017Sarah Lain
Chinese, Russian and US cooperation at the UN over North Korea’s nuclear developments does not mean that these countries see the threat in the same way. However, Russia has the potential to play a constructive role in de-escalating tensions.
North Korea, Russia, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Europe, PacificPages
The North Korean Nuclear Summit
Multimedia, 9 March 2018Tom Plant, Director, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy programme at RUSI on the proposed nuclear summit between North Korea and the US
Tags: United States, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
President Trump's Nuclear Button Tweet
Multimedia, 3 January 2018 Tags: United States, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
Dealing with the Latest North Korea Missile Threat
Multimedia, 11 August 2017Following a war of words between US President Donald Trump and the Pyongyang regime, are we at risk of escalation? RUSI experts Tom Plant, Cristina Varriale and Emil Dall discuss.
Tags: United States, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Cristina Varriale on the North Korea Missile Tests
Multimedia, 6 July 2017Watch Cristina Varriale, a research analyst at RUSI's Nuclear and Proliferation programme discuss North Korea's latest missile test on BBC World News.
Tags: North Korea, UK Project on Nuclear Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
The New South Korean President
Multimedia, 12 May 2017On 9 May 2017, South Korea voters elected Moon Jae-in as president. RUSI research analyst Cristina Varriale assesses the policies of the new leader and what this means for relations with North Korea.
Tags: North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, PacificPages
‘And the Gold Medal Goes to’: Sport Diplomacy in Action at the Winter Olympics
Newsbrief, 23 February 2018J Simon Rofe
In a period of heightened tensions between North and South Korea, the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang represent an opportunity for the disarming power of sport diplomacy to take centre ice.
Newsbrief, North Korea, Global Security Issues, International Institutions
Atomic Outcast: Will North Korea Behave Like A ‘Normal’ Nuclear Power?
RUSI Journal, 19 January 2018Björn Alexander Düben
The nature of North Korea's political system suggests that it might not behave like other nuclear powers.
RUSI Journal, North Korea, Defence Policy, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
Book Review: North Korea and Nuclear Weapons: Entering the New Era of Deterrence
RUSI Journal, 15 December 2017Diana Clark Gill
Diana Clark Gill reviews North Korea and Nuclear Weapons: Entering the New Era of Deterrence, edited by Sung Chull Kim and Michael D Cohen.
RUSI Journal, North Korea, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
Towards an Assessment of North Korea’s Strategic Deterrent
Newsbrief, 12 December 2017Tom Plant
North Korea’s latest ballistic missile test shows that it is determined to create an effective nuclear deterrent. But what is the likelihood of a single North Korean warhead successfully hitting a...
Aerospace, United States, Newsbrief, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Preparing for War in Korea
Whitehall Reports, 27 September 2017Malcolm Chalmers
This report looks at how a war in the Korean Peninsula could start and what might happen should it break out.
US Defence Policy, Whitehall Reports, North Korea, Defence Policy, PacificPages
Preparing for a Second Korean War: RUSI Whitehall Report Launch
Events, 28 September 2017RUSI launched a new report that examines the potential for a second Korean War and the options for the UK to respond to what would be one of the most momentous strategic shocks of the post-Cold War...
North Korea, UK
Professor Liu Ming on Security Challenges of the Korean Peninsula
Events, 20 March 2017Professor Liu Ming will examine what precisely North Korea’s objectives are for its nuclear programme and the options available to the Trump Administration in response.
North Korea, International Security Studies
A New Dimension of UK-Japan Security Cooperation
Conference, 18 March 2016Building on the momentum generated by last year’s UK-Japan Strategic Dialogue, RUSI is delighted to host another conference that will bring together leading British and Japanese defence and security...
China, Third UK-Japan Security Dialogue, Japan, North Korea, International Security Studies, Asia, Global Security Issues, Pacific
Whitehall Paper Launch: Target Markets: North Korea’s Military Customers in the Sanctions Era
Events, 4 February 2016Despite a decade-long UN arms embargo, North Korea continues to export conventional weapons to state and non-state clients around the world, helping sustain its nuclear-weapons and ballistic-missile...
North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
"Singapore is also a "great location" for the reclusive leader from North Korea, according to Tom Plant, a specialist in nuclear and proliferation issues at London's Royal United Services Institute."Kim will be on friendly territory, not hostile territory. But he wouldn't be on home turf," "
It's not home-field advantage, but summit site Singapore offers benefits to both President Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un
In The News, 11 May 2018 Tags: United States, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
"It is naive to believe North Korea will commit to limit or even reverse its nuclear and missile capabilities without gaining something in return."
The devil will be in the detail of a Korean nuclear arms deal
In The News, 2 May 2018 Tags: North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues
"Royal United Services Institute’s director of proliferation and nuclear policy Tom Plant said he “didn’t want to rain on anybody’s parade, but I feel like I have to. I’m hopeful, yes but intensely realistic, bordering on cynical,” he told news.com.au. “Until I see evidence that North Korea are giving something concrete on nuclear weapons, it’s very hard to interpret this as anything other than a North Korean win. But it’s not war, so that’s good.”"
Experts wary over historic agreement between North and South Korea
In The News, 28 April 2018 Tags: North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
"The dynamics of this kind of summit meeting might also work for President Trump. Yes, it seems that he is vulnerable to flattery and the trappings of a head of state meeting, as others have found. But this is an opportunity to make a deal that, unlike the Iran nuclear deal or the Paris climate agreement, he would personally own."
How the Historic North Korea Summit Gave Trump a Path to Create a Lasting Peace
In The News, 28 April 2018 Tags: United States, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues, Pacific
"The worry here is that expectations raised too high are dashed more completely when they fail – and, after all, it isn't so long since the US was 'locked and loaded' for 'fire and fury' in Korea.' "
The first step towards peace? Korea experts warn of caution
In The News, 28 April 2018 Tags: United States, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
India’s Ambiguity and the Chinese Threat
China’s Belt and Road Initiative: A Call for Pragmatism
UN Peacekeeping Cooperation With Regional Organisations: Time for a Frank Debate