North Korea may not be saying much publicly about Iran these days, but it surely is watching closely. Vann Van Diepen discusses 8 lessons that Pyongyang is likely learning from the current conflict in the Middle East. www.38north.org/2026/03/eigh...

Don't miss our next event examining how North Korea's internal controls and external repression reinforce one another, and what this means for accountability, protection, and policy responses moving forward. Join us March 18, 10am ET, in person or online! www.38north.org/events/new-f...

Imagery shows construction progress on the traffic bridge connecting Russia and North Korea, with the decking now seemingly complete. www.38north.org/2026/03/russ...

North Korea's cooperation with Russia goes beyond the battlefield. Evidence of alignment in cyberspace is growing, making threat landscapes more intertwined. Pia Husch and Joesph Jarnecki discuss the need for more integrated allied efforts to counter this trend. www.38north.org/2026/03/dprk...

North Korea's KN-23/Hwasong 11A SRBM got battlefield tested in Russia's war in Ukraine. Ralph Savelsberg examines open source data and conducts computer simulations of its trajectories to further assess its maneuverability. www.38north.org/2026/03/asse...

38 North's @martynw.bsky.social and Iliana Ragnone are featured in a new two-part ZDF documentary on North Korea's nuclear weapons program: "Die Waffen des Diktators", now available via ZDF's streaming portal. presseportal.zdf.de/pressemittei...

In case you missed today's discussion of North Korea's 9th Party Congress themes and implications, there's still time! The video can be found archived here: www.38north.org/events/north....

After strong criticism from North Korea re: US/Israeli strikes against Iran, Rachel Minyoung Lee suggests the prospects of North Korean engagement of the US remain dim, despite the soft opening to future diplomacy expressed at the 9th Party Congress. www.38north.org/2026/03/nort...

Reminder: Join us tomorrow (March 3) at 9:30AM ET to examine key themes from North Korea's 9th Party Congress and implications for DPRK priorities going forward. Featuring Rachel Minyoung Lee, Michael Madden & Vann Van Diepen, moderated by @jennytown.bsky.social. www.38north.org/events/north...

Now that the 9th Party Congress has wrapped, the analysis begins. Find some initial assessments from our North Korea Briefing contributors of what we've learned so far about planned foreign policy, military/WMD, politics, economics and leadership goals. www.38north.org/2026/02/expe...

North Korea reiterated its intention to continue expanding its nuclear arsenals at the 9th Party Congress. As such, Tianran Xu reexamines its nuclear testing history and what it has accomplished to date to better anticipate what might come next. www.38north.org/2026/02/revi...

As information trickles out of North Korea's 9th Party Congress, @nkleadershipwatch.wordpress.com.web.brid.gy provides an initial assessment of notable leadership shuffles. www.38north.org/2026/02/quic...

While Trump's State of the Union address provided little insight into US foreign policy strategy, 38 North's Rachel Minyoung Lee discusses how North Korea might have interpreted the references to Iran and Venezuela and the impact that might have on US-DPRK relations. www.stimson.org/2026/trumps-...

Join 38 North on March 3 for an initial assessment of the outcomes of North Korea's Ninth Party Congress. www.38north.org/events/north...

Nightlight imagery provides one way to look at economic activity/electricity provision in North Korea. Brandon Callegari examines pre-, during- and post-pandemic nightlight distribution patterns for insights. www.38north.org/2026/02/a-ne...

North Korea will participate in an “inclusive consultative process” to develop “a Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the XXI Century." This is consistent with Pyongyang's deepening integration in Russian-led networks, says Rachel Minyoung Lee. www.38north.org/2026/02/nort...

North Korea appears to be working up a major title change for Kim Jong Un in the near future. Rachel Minyoung Lee discusses the significance of "head of state" vs "president" in North Korean propaganda. www.38north.org/2026/02/is-k...

Cell phones/smartphones have become staples in North Korea, providing options for payments, services, games and more. As the demand has grown, so has network coverage across the country. @martyn_williams has released an updated cellular coverage map. www.38north.org/2026/01/nort...

North Korea's health sector has come greater into focus in recent years. This has manifest as new urban and rural hospitals, even within the 20x10 plan, but also as a concerted move away from universal healthcare. Analysis by Joon Hee Han and Yo Han Lee. www.38north.org/2026/01/nort...

As North Korea prepares for the Ninth Party Congress, Vann Van Diepen assesses progress made against the 13 new WMD systems mandated at the Eighth Party Congress. While significant progress has been made, the status of four systems remains unknown. www.38north.org/2026/01/asse...

Training is underway at the Mirim Parade Training ground ahead of the much anticipated Ninth Party Congress, although the Congress date remains elusive. A quick take by @martynw.bsky.social and Rachel Minyoung Lee. www.38north.org/2026/02/part...

The omission of DPRK from the US NSS comes as Pyongyang has proven itself a capable military partner to Russia. Hans Horan discusses how might other countries assess DPRK's potential in this capacity, especially those targeted in shifting US foreign policy. www.38north.org/2026/01/asse...

The omission of DPRK denuclearization from the US NSS may have intended to leave room for US-DPRK negotiations, but seems to have conveyed the burden of deterrence is shifting to regional allies. Sangsoo Lee discusses the impact of this perceived shift. www.38north.org/2026/01/the-...

The latest edition of "North Korea Briefing" is now available on 38 North, providing insights and analysis on key developments in DPRK's internal affairs from October 1 to December 31, 2025, across politics, leadership, economy, WMD and foreign policy. www.38north.org/nk-briefing/...

Traditional methods to evaluate North Korea's economic performance and responses to external shocks (such as sanctions) underestimate the impact of its extreme extractive model. Chan Yong Bang suggests why a new evaluative framework is needed. www.38north.org/2026/01/how-...

All four of North Korea's state run television channels are now, for the first time, available via satellite. This demonstrates further Russian-DPRK cooperation in the communications sector. @martynw.bsky.social discusses the expanded coverage area. www.38north.org/articles/aff...

North Korea's turn toward cybercrime and cryptocurrency theft may have started as a sanctions evasion strategy, but its successes have essentially created a de-facto sovereign wealth fund. Perry Choi outlines this evolution and the policy implications. www.38north.org/2026/01/from...

North Korea issued an early statement about US interventions in Venezuela, although only to external audiences and without much detail about the nature of the operations. 38 North's Rachel Minyoung Lee discusses potential motivations for this approach: www.38north.org/2026/01/nort...

While KCTV is North Korea's main TV channel, our Senior Fellow @martynw.bsky.social recently spent a weekend watching the "other" TV channels that North Koreans have access to: Mansudae TV, Sport TV and Ryongnamsan TV. This is what he learned: www.38north.org/2025/12/nort...

Drones have become critical in modern warfare, a lesson Pyongyang has learned well. Thousands of DPRK workers are reportedly heading to the drone manufacturing hub: Alabuga SEZ. DailyNK's Rose Adams discusses the mutual Russia-DPRK benefits of this cooperation. www.38north.org/2025/12/alab...

Kim Ju Ae's growing public profile has stirred debate over whether we're seeing early signs of a succession process in North Korea, but there is reason to reserve judgement. @hcss.bsky.social' Hans Horan looks at past precedents and factors shaping future scenarios. www.38north.org/2025/12/succ...

North Korea's Ninth Party Congress seems to be still weeks away based on remarks during the recent Party Plenary and the timeline of Eighth Party Congress planning. Rachel Minyoung Lee walks through what we know/don't know, and why the Congress is important. bit.ly/48ZXhiN

North Korea's military airfield modernization campaign continues with new construction observed at Uiju Airfield. Once used as a quarantine center, preparations are underway to extend the length of the runway. Analysis by @martyn_williams www.38north.org/2025/12/mili...

The recent MSMT report on DPRK sanctions provided one of the most comprehensive overviews of the DPRK remote IT worker ecosystem, but failed to recognize this as a distinct economic activity. Chandana Seshadri discusses why this is a miscalculation. www.38north.org/2025/12/asse...

The Lee administration is debating how it labels its NK policy, but should it be more concerned about building mutual understanding of core interests with Washington? 38 North Director @j3nnyt0wn discusses on Korea On Point. koreaonpoint.org/articles/art...

As North Korea rejects negotiations about its nuclear program, key countries are slowly changing their public narratives about their North Korea strategies and goals. A quick look at where the narrative is heading by Rachel Minyoung Lee www.38north.org/2025/12/quic...

Russian media is playing an important role in socializing North Korea to Russian audiences as cooperation expands. This trend began as far back as 2017, using a narrative of shared resistance to sanctions, and has intensified since 2022, writes Nika Pasko. www.38north.org/2025/12/the-...

Koryo Medicine (traditional medicine) features prominently on North Korea's mobile medicine delivery app, providing low cost medicinal options for North Korean citizens. Analysis by Heeje Lee and Myung Sun Kim. www.38north.org/2025/12/kory...

Lee Jae-myung's END policy toward North Korea mirrors past progressive approaches to reviving inter-Korean relations. But the rules of the game have fundamentally changed since the last diplomatic round. George Hutchinson examines Lee's prospects for success. www.38north.org/2025/12/lee-...

North Korea is certainly following the diplomatic spat between China and Japan, but seems rather reluctant to offer support for Beijing's position than one would expect after recent China-North Korea warming, explains Rachel Minyoung Lee. www.38north.org/2025/12/nort...

While the US and South Korea seek to restart dialogue with North Korea, Europe's re-engagement has been slow. Given Pyongyang's growing cooperation with Russia, this trend seems unlikely to change any time soon, but risks Europe being sidelined in a future diplomatic process. bit.ly/4oAvCKT

As President Lee adjusts his North Korea policy, questions about Korean identity, unification and ROK constitutional claims are quickly rising to the surface. @dangudg.bsky.social examines the interplay of these factors in peacebuilding on the Korean Peninsula. bit.ly/4oxQUsK

North Korea's efforts to modernize and expand its Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center have made significant progress in 2025, helping enable the country grow its nuclear material production for its weapons program. www.38north.org/2025/11/yong...

North Korea is watching US escalation toward Venezuela, notes Rachel Minyoung Lee. This kind of "interference" echoes previous US regime change operations toward Iraq and Libya, reinforcing North Korea's conviction about its own nuclear deterrent. www.38north.org/2025/11/quic...

Questions abound about how US-ROK cooperation will look on South Korea's pursuit of nuclear-powered subs and how China and other regional actors might respond. Yun Sun explains the mild reaction from Beijing so far, but with caveats. www.38north.org/2025/11/sout...

South Korea's concept of deterrence may be cautiously shifting in potentially transformative ways. Perry Choi discusses two Korean-language-only volumes that reveal how Seoul is redefining deterrence and testing the limits of America’s nuclear assurances. www.38north.org/2025/11/seou...

Amid allegations Russia has supplied North Korea with nuclear propulsion technology, @covertshores.bsky.social points to satellite imagery that may support these claims and discusses how this tech transfer could advance and accelerate Pyongyang's submarine program. www.38north.org/2025/11/russ...

North Korea's messaging in Russia and Belarus last week tells us more than strong relations, but a growing embrace of a Eurasian narrative, Rachel Minyoung Lee explains. www.38north.org/2025/11/nort...

North Korea continues to reveal new weapons systems, but the impact they have on the country's overall force capabilities is incremental at best. Vann Van Diepen discusses the latest developments. www.38north.org/2025/11/it-i...

If/when US-DPRK talks resume, there are looming questions about what "peace" on the Korean Peninsula actually looks like. General (ret.) Dan "Fig" Leaf offers some insights on the various considerations for ending the Korean War in a 38 North interview. www.38north.org/2025/10/endi...