ISDP Voices

China’s ban on coal imports in the latest round of sanctions on North Korea does not equate to it turning its back on its neighbor, argue Eleonora Rossi and Sangsoo Lee. Last month was a busy period for North Korea watchers. On February 12, Pyongyang successfully conducted its first missile test of 2017, and on the following […]

While China is actively seeking to diversify energy routes to reduce its dependence on the Straits of Malacca, the strategic waterway still remains a safer bet than other untested alternatives, argues B.A. Hamzah. The Straits of Malacca and Singapore are one of the most vital sea lines of communication in the world, constituting the principal […]

A Chinese researcher once resignedly confided in me that he thought a future war between China and Japan to be inevitable. According to such a view, the arc of history amid longstanding grievances and territorial disputes narrows the odds on this eventuality. And although Northeast Asia has “enjoyed” a hard peace since the end of […]

In 2012 ‘Womenomics’ was introduced in Japan in order to increase female employment by supporting women in the workplace. In addition to the obvious benefits of gender equality, the policies would help to ease Japan’s decades long trend of economic decline. Indeed, empirical evidence shows that boosting female employment could lead to a significant rise in Japanese […]

Dr Ildo Hwang explains the scandal that has led to the impeachment of South Korean President Park Geun-hye. The smoke has nearly cleared. On December 9th, the formal impeachment vote for President Park Geun-hye was passed: 234 voted for impeachment, 56 against, two abstained, seven votes were deemed invalid and one member left before the vote. As a percentage, […]

Steps in the right direction When President Obama became the first American president to visit Hiroshima in May this year, some thought that the gesture should be reciprocated. Now, this  has materialized with Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzô stating that he will visit Pearl Harbor together with Obama on December 27. Although it has been […]

Nobody knew. Just like everyone else around the globe, the situation was exactly same in South Korea. Frustration, panic and anxiety were the initial reactions just after the US presidential elections, but, as time went on more delicate predictions began to emerge. The question is pretty simple: “What will the Trump administration’s new world order […]

Although many have cried foul over human rights abuses in North Korea, few took up the cause when its citizens suffered from a natural disaster earlier this year. After a devastating flood at the end of August, the provision of disaster relief was made difficult due to increasingly tough UN sanctions not to mention a flagrant […]

In grasping for solutions, the North Korea policy debate in the U.S. is stuck between calls for renewed diplomatic efforts towards a peace treaty at one end of the spectrum and regime change on the other. Both are unrealistic argue James Przystup and Robert Manning. Pyongyang’s recent nuclear and missile tests have reignited the North […]

In light of North Korea’s fifth nuclear test, Dr. Sangsoo Lee delves into Pyongyang’s greater strategy. Late last week, the US Geological Survey detected a 5.3-magnitude earthquake in the area of North Korea’s Punggye-ri underground test site at about 9 a.m. local time on the 9th of September. Four hours later, North Korean state television announced […]