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North Korea
In-depth analysis and commentary on North Korea from RUSI publications and experts.
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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
Why the UK Needs to be Thinking Now about a Possible Korean War
Newsbrief, 15 August 2017
Malcolm Chalmers
North Korea has not been at the top of the agenda of Whitehall’s key policymakers, focused as so many of them are on the immediate challenges of Brexit. This now needs to change.
Tags: North Korea, UK, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
""To be honest I would be a bit more careful about statements saying the North Koreans cannot do anything themselves. It is an underestimation of their capabilities," he said. "If Soviet scientists could build these types of engines in the 1950s after the Germans showed them how, why couldn't North Koreans educated in the Soviet Union do so 60 years later?" "
Ukraine denies selling North Korea nuclear missile engines
In The News, 14 August 2017 Tags: North Korea, International Security Studies, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
"“If what the US did was to bring down the regime in North Korea there would be the question of who would replace it and who would pay for creating a North Korea that was more linked to the West, more linked to China, less isolationist - that would be very expensive. If you think of what it cost to integrate east Germany into West Germany, North Korea would be even more expensive and difficult than that was because the North Koreans have been so isolated. It would be a tremendous cultural trauma as well as the physical cost." "
'Nobody wants North Korea' Kim Jong-un's fears world trying to overthrow regime UNFOUNDED
In The News, 12 August 2017 Tags: United States, US Defence Policy, Defence, Industries and Society, North Korea, Global Security Issues
"“In relation to that particular U.S. intelligence assessment, the language is always worth paying very close attention to. The assessment states that North Korea has produced nuclear weapons for ballistic missile delivery, to include delivery by ICBM,” he says. “That’s subtly different from saying that those weapons fit in a survivable re-entry vehicle. In casual conversation, it may be natural to make the inference between the two,” he continues. “In an intelligence assessment, it needs to be absolutely explicit.” "
North Korea's Nuclear Threats To U.S.: What Pyongyang Can And Can't Do (Yet)
In The News, 12 August 2017 Tags: North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
"Mr. Plant said he hoped that, behind the scenes, diplomats from the two sides were meeting in private to defuse the crisis.
“There are still very competent people in the State Department and in the White House capable of suggesting and conducting that course of action,” Mr. Plant said, adding that he was not confident that Mr. Trump himself would pursue such a course. "
American Allies and Adversaries Urge Caution on North Korea
In The News, 11 August 2017 Tags: United States, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Dealing with the Latest North Korea Missile Threat
Multimedia, 11 August 2017
Following 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 PolicyPages
The US and South Korea: A Fracturing Alliance?
Commentary, 27 June 2017Cristina Varriale
While there is a strong relationship between the US and South Korea, the new administrations in both capitals face challenges in adopting a common approach to Pyongyang.
North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
Trump’s Response to North Korea’s Latest Missile Test
Commentary, 13 February 2017Emil Dall
US President Donald Trump’s reaction to North Korea’s latest missile launch is consistent with policies pursued by the Obama administration. But the president will need to be better prepared if Pyongyang crosses the red line and successfully develops a long-range missile capability.
US Defence Policy, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
A Quiet Take Off – US Navy Deploys E-2Ds to Japan
Commentary, 24 January 2017Justin Bronk
A recent deployment of new US assets in the Pacific could represent a significant capability boost in countering improving Chinese missile and aircraft technology.
Aerospace, China, United States, US Defence Policy, Japan, North America, North Korea, Maritime Forces, Pacific
Trump and Asia: Tokyo and Seoul Proliferation Prospects
Commentary, 5 December 2016Cristina Varriale
Amid worrying remarks from President-elect Donald Trump and North Korean provocations, there are growing fears that Japan and South Korea might seek to acquire a nuclear capability. However, this anxiety is misplaced, for it does not take into account the political and technical options available to Tokyo and Seoul.
United States, Japan, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
North Korea Tests a Bomb, a Missile, its Ally and its Adversaries
Commentary, 8 February 2016North Korea’s satellite launch is the country’s second major provocation this year. International reactions, including calls for new sanctions and for additional US missile-defence assets in the region, make clear that Pyongyang’s latest steps will test its adversaries and allies.
North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear PolicyPages
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, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, UK Project on Nuclear Issues
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, Pacific
North Korea's Latest Failed Missile Tests Escalates Tensions
Multimedia, 21 April 2017Cristina Varriale, Research Analyst in Nuclear and Proliferation analyses the implications of North Korea's latest missile test.
Tags: North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
Jennifer Cole on the Use of VX Nerve Agent Against Kim Jong-Nam
Multimedia, 24 February 2017RUSI Senior Research Fellow Jennifer Cole examines the implications of the alleged use of VX Nerve agent against North Korean figure Kim Jong-Nam in Malaysia.
Tags: National Security and Resilience Studies, North Korea, Resilience, PacificPages
Countering Proliferation Finance: Implementation Guide and Model Law for Governments
Other Publications, 21 July 2017Andrea Berger and Anagha Joshi
This is the second of two guidance papers produced by RUSI on countering proliferation finance. It aims to assist governments seeking to strengthen their legal and institutional frameworks to counter...
Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies, Sanctions, United Nations, North Korea, Other Publications, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Pacific
A House Without Foundations: The North Korea Sanctions Regime and its Implementation
Whitehall Reports, 9 June 2017Andrea Berger
This report identifies the challenges of implementing sanctions on North Korea.
United Nations, Whitehall Reports, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, International Institutions, Pacific
Target Markets: North Korea’s Military Customers in the Sanctions Era (WHP 84)
Whitehall Papers, 8 December 2015Andrea Berger
Despite a decade-long UN arms embargo, North Korea continues to export conventional weapons to state and non-state clients around the world. Understanding the drivers of this trade is essential if...
Whitehall Papers, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
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, Asia, North Korea, International Security Studies, 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
""To be honest I would be a bit more careful about statements saying the North Koreans cannot do anything themselves. It is an underestimation of their capabilities," he said. "If Soviet scientists could build these types of engines in the 1950s after the Germans showed them how, why couldn't North Koreans educated in the Soviet Union do so 60 years later?" "
Ukraine denies selling North Korea nuclear missile engines
In The News, 14 August 2017 Tags: North Korea, International Security Studies, Global Security Issues, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
"“In relation to that particular U.S. intelligence assessment, the language is always worth paying very close attention to. The assessment states that North Korea has produced nuclear weapons for ballistic missile delivery, to include delivery by ICBM,” he says. “That’s subtly different from saying that those weapons fit in a survivable re-entry vehicle. In casual conversation, it may be natural to make the inference between the two,” he continues. “In an intelligence assessment, it needs to be absolutely explicit.”"
North Korea's Nuclear Threats To U.S.: What Pyongyang Can And Can't Do (Yet)
In The News, 12 August 2017 Tags: North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
"“If what the US did was to bring down the regime in North Korea there would be the question of who would replace it and who would pay for creating a North Korea that was more linked to the West, more linked to China, less isolationist - that would be very expensive. If you think of what it cost to integrate east Germany into West Germany, North Korea would be even more expensive and difficult than that was because the North Koreans have been so isolated. It would be a tremendous cultural trauma as well as the physical cost." "
'Nobody wants North Korea' Kim Jong-un's fears world trying to overthrow regime UNFOUNDED
In The News, 12 August 2017 Tags: United States, US Defence Policy, Defence, Industries and Society, North Korea, Global Security Issues
"Mr. Plant said he hoped that, behind the scenes, diplomats from the two sides were meeting in private to defuse the crisis. “There are still very competent people in the State Department and in the White House capable of suggesting and conducting that course of action,” Mr. Plant said, adding that he was not confident that Mr. Trump himself would pursue such a course."
American Allies and Adversaries Urge Caution on North Korea
In The News, 11 August 2017 Tags: United States, North Korea, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, Proliferation and Nuclear Policy
"The US and China has a professional relationship and can get better over a common challenge like this. "
North Korea Missile - How Coherent is the US Approach?
In The News, 10 August 2017 Tags: United States, North Korea
Brexit and Sanctions: Can the UK Lead From Behind?
Can Bulgaria Make Macedonia’s EU and NATO Dreams Come True?
Dealing with the Latest North Korea Missile Threat