Parallel Thoughts

A group of children pose for a group photo under the statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on the 75th anniversary of the birth of Kim Jong Il, at Mansudae hill in Pyongyang, Feb. 16, 2017.

North Korea Controls Its People by Keeping Them in The Dark About The Country's History

Much of the secretive nation's early history has been airbrushed to serve the regime's current propaganda and control needs.

The North Korean Policy Changes That Dare Not Speak Their Name

The reluctance of Kim Jong Un's nervous regime to acknowledge it is adopting a market economy frustrates the legal changes needed to sustain nascent growth.

North Korea May be Mistaken in Thinking Novice Trump Will Let it Off the Hook

Candidate Trump's isolationism might be welcome to Pyongyang, but no Republican administration will overlook North Korea's missile and nuclear programs.

North Korean Land Reform Softens Impact of Floods

A veteran North Korea watcher says that changes introduced three year ago are moving the country toward self-sufficiency in food.

North Korea Needs Foreign Investment, But Has Done Little to Attract It

Beyond nuclear sabre-rattling, North Korea spooks investors with its attitudes toward profit repatriation and managerial flexibility.

North Korea's Uncomfortable Acceptance of Markets

Kim Jong Un's government understands that markets are politically dangerous, but can do little about them.

'Developmental Dictatorship' Could be North Korea's Most Hopeful Future

Veteran North Korea watcher suggests democracy is a bridge too far and China's path might appeal to Pyongyang rulers.

North Korea's Infrastructure Neglected in Favor of 'Real' Industry

Roads, power, and phone lines take second place to heavy industry and weapons programs in North Korea, a noted expert says.

North Korea's Kim Largely Ignores Economy at 7th Party Congress

Lack of interest in economy, condemnation of Chinese reforms, are troubling omens for the country's future.

Familiarity Breeds South Korean Indifference to the North's Threats

Younger South Koreans do not see unification with destitute North as the only future outcome.

View older stories »

Andrei Lankov

By Andrei Lankov

Andrei Lankov, a professor at Kookmin University in Seoul, is a Russian scholar and expert in Korean studies. He lived as an exchange student in North Korea in the 1980's. He graduated from Leningrad State University with a PhD in Far Eastern history and China, with emphasis on Korea. Lankov’s books include From Stalin to Kim Il Sung, North of the DMZ, and The Real North Korea.