North Korea Archives - Page 22 of 51 - Foreign Policy In Focus

With a Lot of Help from Our Friends

by John Feffer | Nov 23, 2010

The Pentagon has more on its plate but, because of domestic factors, will have comparatively less money to deal with it all. Washington has concluded that the only way to solve this particular dilemma is to rely more on partners in the region. The United States has always emphasized its partnerships with Japan, South Korea, and (less so) Taiwan. At times of austerity, Washington is putting more emphasis on burden-sharing. Today, however, the United States will be pushing for more than just additional resources from its allies. More and more, these allies will have to do the heavy lifting themselves.

The Cheonan Incident: Skepticism Abounds

by Peter Certo, Greg Chaffin, Hye-Eun Kim | Nov 15, 2010

On the night of March 26, 2010, the South Korean naval vessel ROKS Cheonan split in half and sunk. Forty-six sailors lost their lives. In order to determine the cause, the South Korean government created the Joint Investigation Group (JIG), with representatives from the United States, United Kingdom, and Sweden, among others. The JIG has since issued its findings in stages, culminating with the release of the official report on September 12, 2010, concluding that a torpedo fired by a North Korean submarine sank the Cheonan. Despite the JIG’s goal of providing definitive proof of the cause of the incident, public skepticism has only increased.

It’s “Groundhog Day” All Over Again in Pyongyang

by John Feffer | Sep 9, 2010

Even sending Bill Murray to negotiate with North Korea is preferable to Obama’s Bush-like hard line, complete with sanctions.

The Problem with Lee’s Reunification Plan

by Christine Ahn | Aug 19, 2010

The people of South Korea, North Korea and the United States are already paying a tax, not for reunification, but for preparation for war

North Korea: Why Engagement Now?

by John Feffer | Aug 13, 2010

Relations between the United States and North Korea, never particularly warm, have truly frosted over in recent months. The Obama administration, in the wake of the Cheonan incident, has added financial sanctions to a lengthening list of efforts to box in Pyongyang. In conjunction with Seoul, Washington has ramped up military exercises in the region. Six Party Talks have been suspended since the end of the Bush administration, and there haven’t been bilateral discussions for more than six months. Hillary Clinton has continued to speak of U.S. willingness to sit down and negotiate. But in Washington, engagement with North Korea is about as popular as BP stock. Anti-American rhetoric and threats, meanwhile, remain de rigueur in Pyongyang.

NorK “Coup-Proofed” From Both Within and Without

by Russ Wellen | Jul 30, 2010

Regime change in North Korea not likely due to Kim Jong-il’s ingenuity as well as a lack of international consensus on how to proceed.

Torpedoing Conventional Thinking on the Cheonan

by Conn Hallinan | Jul 17, 2010

Two respected Korean-American researchers cast new doubt on South Korea’s conclusion that North Korea sunk the Cheonan.

Anti-Base Movements in South Korea: Comparative Perspective on the Asia-Pacific

by Andrew Yeo | Jun 23, 2010

Recent scrutiny of U.S.-Japan base realignment and Okinawan anti-base opposition has overshadowed U.S. military issues in South Korea. As others have argued, the struggle in Okinawa represents only one facet of the larger global struggle against U.S. bases.3

Reader Challenge: Do Alternate Cheonan Narratives Ring True?

by Russ Wellen | Jun 2, 2010

Instead of a torpedo, was the Cheonan sinking the result of grounding, a collision, or friendly fire?

The Lasting Significance of Kwangju

by Tim Shorrock | Jun 1, 2010

Last week marked the 30^th anniversary of the Kwangju Citizens’ Uprising in South Korea, a pivotal event that inspired the Korean democratic movement through its ultimate victory in the late 1980s. In Kwangju, where hundreds died in the uprising, the event was marked by solemn remembrances and the presence of political leaders from both left and right, including representatives of President Lee Myung-bak, South Korea’s most conservative leader in over a decade. But the event drew hardly a passing glance in the United States, which is South Korea’s closest ally.