This bonus episode comes from CSIS’s Beyond Parallel Living History video series. In this episode, former U.S. ambassador to South Korea Alexander Vershbow reflects on his work to bolster the U.S.-ROK alliance during his post in South Korea. He shares personal accounts of his experience negotiating key policies like the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and goes on to reveal his “diplomatic secret weapon” to establish rapport with South Korean citizens. Ambassador Vershbow served as U.S. ambassador to South Korea from 2005–2008.

The Impossible State

Bonus Episode: Living History with Ambassador Alexander Vershbow

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha and Andrew Schwartz are joined by Dr. Sue Mi Terry and Mr. Eric Brewer to talk about their op-ed for Foreign Affairs outlining a realistic bargain with North Korea, what we know of the trilateral meeting among U.S.-Japan-Korea national security advisors in Annapolis last week, and what to expect of Biden’s North Korea policy moving forward.

An Engagement Strategy for Hawks

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Dr. Michael Green and Dr. Sue Mi Terry of CSIS to talk about the results of the “2+2” meetings by Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin in Japan and Korea last week, and the path forward for U.S. diplomacy with North Korea.

Parsing “Denuclearization” of North Korea

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha and Andrew Schwartz are joined by Dr. Sue Mi Terry of CSIS and Ms. Jenny Jun of Columbia University to talk about North Korean cyber threats and the upcoming “2+2” meetings in Japan and South Korea this week.

North Korean Cyber Threats and the "2+2"

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha and Andrew Schwartz are joined by Dr. J. Stephen Morrison of CSIS and Dr. Kee Park of Harvard Medical School to talk about Covid-19 in North Korea. They discussed what we know and don't know about the lockdown and the severity of the health situation there, and what to expect moving forward with how the Biden administration and the international community will deal with the pandemic in North Korea.

Covid-19 in North Korea

In this first episode of 2021, Andrew Schwartz, Dr. Victor Cha, and Dr. Sue Mi Terry discuss the new Biden administration’s Korea policy and what to expect from North and South Korea.

Biden’s Korea Policy

On December 1st, the CSIS Korea Chair held a special discussion on the state of North Korea’s economy today and what scenarios could be expected for its economy in the future. The panels examined the impact of sanctions, Covid-19, and natural disasters on North Korea’s trade, industry, markets, and finance sector. The experts also explored potential scenarios for North Korea’s economy in the event of a diplomatic breakthrough on denuclearization. In this episode, we highlight the keynote address that opened up the session from Mr. Alex Wong, deputy assistant secretary for North Korea in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs and deputy special representative for North Korea, U.S. Department of State. Please click here to watch the full online event.

The Outlook for North Korea's Economy Post-Pandemic

In this episode, Andrew and Dr. Victor Cha invite a panel of guests to discuss the state of trilateral relations between Japan, South Korea, and the United States. To analyze what events have shifted the relationships, we are joined by Dr. Michael Green, Dr. Eva Pejsova, and Dr. Ramon Pacheco-Pardo. Dr. Green is senior vice president for Asia and Japan Chair at CSIS, and director of Asian Studies at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Dr. Pejsova is senior japan fellow at the Institute for European Studies of Vrije Universiteit Brussel (IES-VUB), and associate fellow at the French Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS). Dr. Pacheco-Pardo is Korea Chair at the Institute for European Studies of Vrije Universiteit Brussel (IES-VUB) and reader (associate professor) in International Relations at King's College London.

U.S.-Korea-Japan Trilateral Cooperation Under a New Biden Administration

In this episode, Andrew Schwartz, Dr. Victor Cha, and Dr. Sue Mi Terry discuss how President-elect Joe Biden should approach diplomacy with North Korea, as it remains one of the U.S.'s top national security priorities. They expand on Dr. Cha's recent Foreign Affairs article, "Engaging North Korea Anew," to analyze what methods have been unsuccessful in the past and what new strategies could be helpful for the incoming administration.

A New Strategy for North Korea

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Dr. Toby Dalton and Dr. Sue Mi Terry to discuss the U.S.-South Korea alliance and what that could mean for South Korean nuclear proliferation. They draw on Dr. Dalton and Ain Han's article, "Elections, Nukes, and the Future of the South Korea-U.S. Alliance," to unpack South Korean opinions on acquiring nuclear weapons in the Korean Peninsula, as well as how the November 2020 U.S. elections could affect future security relations between the alliances. Dr. Toby Dalton is co-director and a senior fellow of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Previously, he served in a variety of high-level positions at the U.S. Department of Energy, including acting director for the Office of Nuclear Safeguards and Security; and senior policy advisor to the Office of Nonproliferation and International Security.

Nuclear South Korea?

This episode is from the CSIS Korea Chair's live YouTube series, "The Capital Cable." Special guest Ambassador Caroline Kennedy joins Ambassador Mark Lippert, Dr. Victor Cha, and Dr. Sue Mi Terry for a conversation on her time as ambassador to Japan (2013-2017), the U.S.-Korea-Japan trilateral relationship, and the importance of female leadership in national security.

Bonus Episode: The Capital Cable with Caroline Kennedy

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha and Andrew Schwartz are joined by Dr. Gi-Wook Shin to discuss the state of South Korea's democracy. Dr. Shin draws on his recent article "Korean Democracy is Sinking under the Guise of the Rule of Law," to examine signs of democratic backsliding in the Moon administration, and considers it part of a broader trend in a global decline of democracy. Dr. Gi-Wook Shin is director of the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center and the William J. Perry Professor of Contemporary Korea in the Sociology Department and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies; and a professor of sociology, all at Stanford University.

Democratic Erosion

In this episode, Victor Cha and Andrew Schwartz are joined by Dr. Seong-Ho Sheen and Chad O'Carroll to discuss all of the tough issues North Korea is currently facing including concerns over Covid-19, monsoon floods, food shortages, and sanctions. They also think ahead on the U.S. presidential election, and how its outcome could affect relations with North Korea. Dr. Seong-Ho Sheen is a professor of international security and East Asia at the Graduate School of International Studies at Seoul National University. Chad O'Carroll is the CEO and Founder of Korea Risk Group and NK News.

North Korea's Triple Whammy

This episode is from the CSIS Korea Chair's live YouTube series "The Capital Cable". Special guest Honorable Tae Young-ho joins Ambassador Mark Lippert, Dr. Victor Cha, and Dr. Sue Mi Terry for a conversation on North Korea, inter-Korea relations, human rights and life as a National Assemblyman. Hon. Tae Young-ho is currently a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea. He was also formerly the deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the United Kingdom.

Bonus Episode: The Capital Cable with Tae Young-ho

In this episode, host Victor Cha is joined by Sue Mi Terry and Professor John Delury (Yonsei University) to discuss North Korea's current economic situation, how Covid-19 is being approached in the impossible state, as well as various factors affecting China-North Korea relations.

The China Shadow

This bonus episode comes from CSIS’s Beyond Parallel Living History video series. We invite Robert King, former special envoy for North Korea human rights issues, to share his experience leading efforts to advance human rights and humanitarian conditions in North Korea. Ambassador King served as special envoy for North Korea human rights issues at the U.S. Department of State from 2009 – 2017.

Bonus Episode: Living History with Ambassador Robert King

North Korea is the Impossible State. Each week join the people who know the most about North Korea—The Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Victor Cha, Mike Green, and Sue Mi Terry—for an insider's discussion with host H. Andrew Schwartz about the United States’ top national security priority. Email your questions to ImpossibleState@csis.org.

Bonus Episode: Living History with Ambassador Alexander Vers...