Pyongyang

October 6, 2022 | |

North Korea Conducts Provocative Missile Launch

North Korea launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan on October 3 for the first time in five years. Pyongyang has returned to its robust testing pace of 2017. This latest escalation could signal dictator Kim Jong Un’s intention to carry out further provocations, such as an intercontinental ballistic missile launch or a seventh nuclear test. The United States has called for a UN Security Council meeting, but China and Russia will block any serious actions. The Biden administration should reinvigorate America’s once-robust sanctions on North Korea, whose enforcement has atrophied since 2018.

Flash Briefs
September 30, 2022 | Juan C. Zarate |

The North Korean Crypto Threat

Excerpt North Korea (the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea “DPRK”) presents a fundamental and growing international security challenge – and now represents the most serious nation-state risk...

Op-eds
September 7, 2022 | Mark Dubowitz, David Maxwell

How North Korea Taught Iran to Entrap and Threaten Israel

While the West appeases Iran, Israel is now battling Tehran's efforts to engulf the Jewish state in a 'ring of fire' – a strategy the theocracy adopted from its longstanding partner-in-intimidation, North Korea

Op-eds
June 18, 2022 | Anthony Ruggiero |

‘The Lazarus Heist’ Is the Gripping Story of North Korean Cybercrime

Worryingly, Washington’s concern does not rise to the level of the danger.

Op-eds
June 6, 2022 | Jiwon Ma, Trevor Logan

Treasury Sanctions Cryptocurrency Exchange, But International Enforcement Still Lacking

The U.S. Department of the Treasury in May sanctioned a major digital-currency mixer, Blender.io, which North Korea has used to launder $20.5 million in funds stolen from a gaming-focused blockchain project...

Policy Briefs
June 4, 2022 | Anthony Ruggiero |

North Korean Reds Chairing UN Disarmament Conference While Testing Missiles

Biden resists a serious boycott, hoping to reform the UN from within.

Op-eds
May 16, 2022 | David Maxwell |

Recommendations For Yoon-Biden Summit – Must Build On The Strong Alliance Foundation

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol began his five-year term on May 10 with a midnight security briefing from the ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff. This meeting, which precedes a May 21 summit between Yoon...

Op-eds
May 10, 2022 | Anthony Ruggiero |

A New President Faces Familiar Challenges in Seoul

Yoon Suk-yeol wants to remake South Korea as a global player, but first he must contend with challenges from Japan and North Korea.

Op-eds
April 20, 2022 | RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Trevor Logan

North Korean Hackers Stole $620 Million Worth of Cryptocurrency, FBI Finds

The FBI attributed a $620 million cryptocurrency theft to the North Korean hacking group Lazarus last week, while the Treasury Department sanctioned the digital wallet in which Lazarus had stashed the stolen...

Policy Briefs
April 1, 2022 | Anthony Ruggiero, Behnam Ben Taleblu

North Korea Looks to Capitalize on Washington’s Attention Deficit

A serious problem does not go away if you ignore it.

Op-eds
March 19, 2022 | Anthony Ruggiero, Behnam Ben Taleblu

Time to reconstitute pressure on Pyongyang

Excerpt A “saturation attack” describes simultaneous launches aimed at overwhelming an adversary’s defenses and crippling their capability and will to respond. Amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of...

Op-eds
March 13, 2022 | Anthony Ruggiero, Michael Rubin

North Korea Shows How the Iranian Nuclear Deal Will Fail

Nuclear negotiations with North Korea have shown us that limited nuclear deals allow the proliferator the time and space to develop nuclear weapons.

Op-eds
February 25, 2022 | Bradley Bowman, Ryan Brobst, Anthony Ruggiero

Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine May Supercharge Nuclear Proliferation

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine violates the commitments Moscow reaffirmed in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, in which Russia pledged not to threaten or use...

Policy Briefs
January 24, 2022 | Anthony Ruggiero, Matthew Zweig

Biden’s North Korea Policy Needs Rebooting

A series of missile tests make it plain that carrots don’t work without sticks.

Op-eds
November 22, 2021 | Anthony Ruggiero |

Iran nuclear talks are restarting, but they’re pointless: Biden needs a bipartisan strategy

President Joe Biden’s Iran policy is failing, and the indirect negotiations restarting in Vienna Nov. 29 won’t yield a win. Biden assumed that goodwill gestures and proactive concessions would bring...

Op-eds
November 22, 2021 | David Maxwell |

End Of Korean War Declaration: Why Just Words On Paper Won’t Matter

Let me state up front that I want peace on the Korean peninsula, and I think all Koreans and Americans want peace. The question is, will an end of war declaration contribute to peace if there is no change...

Op-eds
November 2, 2021 | Anthony Ruggiero, Andrea Stricker

The Lasting Legacy of A.Q. Khan

His network sold substantial nuclear equipment and assistance to Iran, Libya, and North Korea and contributed to lasting security crises.

Op-eds
October 13, 2021 | Clifford D. May |

Remember Lepanto

A great battle in a war not yet ended

Op-eds
September 17, 2021 | Behnam Ben Taleblu, Bradley Bowman, David Maxwell

New Cruise Missile Gives North Korea Lethal Capability

The long-range weapon could strike South Korea, Japan, and U.S. bases in the region.

Op-eds
September 9, 2021 | Anthony Ruggiero |

Washington is ready to fall into Kim Jong Un’s trap, again

How many times will the United States pay North Korea to shut down the same nuclear reactor? The answer so far is three, although the Biden White House seems increasingly ready to make it four. North Korea...

Op-eds