Testing North Korean Waters

Donald P. Gregg | September 3, 2010
(Originally published August 31, 2010 in NewYorkTimes.com)

Former President Jimmy Carter deserves great credit for traveling to Pyongyang and securing the release of a U.S. citizen, Aijalon Mahli Gomes, who had been sentenced to eight years in prison for illegally entering North Korea.

The Obama administration had gone out of its way to assert that Mr. Carter was on this mission as a private citizen and that he carried no message from the White House. The North Koreans also made clear to Mr. Carter before his departure that he would not be able to meet the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il. In fact, Mr. Kim left for China shortly after Mr. Carter's arrival.

Still, the Carter visit may help the White House to soften the hostility of its stance toward Pyongyang, especially since the sinking of a South Korea naval ship last March. more >

Sixty Years of Failed Sanctions

KPI Fellows Christine Ahn and Haeyoung Kim | August 21, 2010
(Originally published August 18, 2010 in Foreign Policy in Focus)

In response to the March 26 sinking of the South Korean ship, the Cheonan, allegedly by a North Korean submarine, the United States is poised to adopt even more stringent sanctions against North Korea. Robert Einhorn, the U.S. State Department's special advisor for nonproliferation and arms control, recently announced in Seoul that after legal and other questions were sorted, sanctions would be in place "in the next several weeks."

Contrary to U.S. assurances that the North Korean people will not suffer, U.S. and international sanctions have already taken a toll on the development of the country and the people. Sanctions have already impeded foreign investment into North Korea and adversely affected business and humanitarian aid efforts of those who venture there. Perhaps most alarming to U.S. policymakers is how sanctions have served to push North Korea further under China's influence. more >

Support KPI Today

Most Americans, the media and U.S. policymakers lack even the most basic knowledge about Korea and the role that the United States has played on the peninsula for over 60 years. That's why the Korea Policy Institute was created, and that's the vitally important role we play in educating policymakers and the media. We need your help in setting the record straight. more >