Lesson 10: North Korea

Overview

Introduction/Overview

We hear a lot about North Korea in the news these days, but many people are not really familiar with the history of the “Democratic Republic of North Korea” (DPRK), its government, and especially the everyday lives of its people. This module pulls together resources from a number of places to attempt to fill in the gaps in our knowledge in order to better understand the current geopolitical issues pertaining to North Korea.

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

frame the context of the Korean War and the subsequent creation of North Korea and South Korea;
examine the ways in which the Korean War was an extension of the Cold War;
describe the general timeline of events relating to the development of nuclear arms in North Korea;
describe North Korea’s development of cyber capabilities;
discuss the humanitarian crisis ongoing in North Korea and the potential implications for neighboring countries (China, South Korea) and countries invested in the fall of the North Korean government;
discuss the importance of China for negotiations with North Korea.

Required Readings and Assignments

Please see your Canvas course space for a complete listing of this lesson's required readings, assignments, and due dates.

Questions?

If you have any general course questions, please post them to our Course Questions Discussion located in the General Information Module in Canvas. I will check that discussion forum regularly to respond as appropriate. While you are there, feel free to post your own responses and comments if you are able to help out a classmate.

The Korean War

These resources help us understand that the current manifestation of a North and South Korea date back to the Korean War—an extension of Cold War political struggles that waged war on the Korean Peninsula.

To Watch

Please watch the following video: Korean War Remembered (3:15).

To Read

Please read the following article that provides an overview of the Korean War.

The Korean War [1]

Nuclear North Korea

Despite North Korea’s relative isolation from the global community, it has gained prominence as a geopolitical threat to many in the region and throughout the globe because of its nuclear ambitions. The articles and timelines below discuss North Korea’s military capabilities. The extensive timeline highlights the development of North Korea's military arsenal as well as attempts at negotiations, and economic sanctions, towards a diplomatic solution.

To Read

North Korea’s Military Capabilities [2]. (read the entire page – all sections)

The US and North Korea on the Brink: A Timeline [3]

North Korea profile – Extensive Timeline [4] (including nuclear negotiations)

North Korea’s Cyber War

In addition to North Korea’s nuclear and missile developments, it has also engaged in cyber operations in an effort to disrupt the status quo operations of perceived enemies (whether state or non-state actors, ie/ Sony). Watch and read the resources below to learn more about North Korea’s cyber capabilities.

To Read/Watch

North Korea’s Cyber Capabilities: Assessing the strategic and analytical implications of North Korea's cyber operations capabilities [5] (video, 16 minutes)

Executive Summary: North Korea’s Cyber Operations: Strategy and Responses [6]

North Korea’s Humanitarian Crisis

Lastly, but certainly not least, these aforementioned developments (nuclear/missile and cyber warfare) tend to mask a large-scale humanitarian crisis that has been unfolding in North Korea for quite some time. The articles below highlight the humanitarian crisis ongoing in the DPRK and also posit that any strategy for dealing with the collapse or fall of the North Korean government will need to address a large-scale famine and mass-migration (towards China) in its aftermath.

To Read

Preventing a Post-Collapse Crisis in North Korea: How to Avoid Famine and Mass Migration [7]

Significant Food Shortages Likely in North Korea [8]

Fearing the Worst, China Plans Refugee Camps on North Korean Border [9]

Containing North Korea

Foreign policy/politics are unfolding at a very fast rate, such that previous stakeholder analyses do not always hold up to the quick-changing winds of the current US administration. Nonetheless, there have been key stakeholders on this issue that maintain relevance. The analysis below discusses China’s role in stabilizing Northeast Asia. Indeed, given Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent reception of DPRK Leader Kim Jong-Un, it seems that China will maintain its prominent role in any upcoming negotiations, dialogues or discussions.

To Read

A Sharper Choice on North Korea: Engaging China for a Stable Northeast Asia [10]

Geopolitical Analysis Blog Post 4B

Please visit the Lesson 10 Module in Canvas for a detailed assignment description.

Summary and Final Tasks

Summary

You should now be able to:

frame the context of the Korean War and the subsequent creation of North Korea and South Korea;
examine the ways in which the Korean War was an extension of the Cold War;
describe the general timeline of events relating to the development of Nuclear arms in North Korea;
describe North Korea’s development of cyber capabilities;
discuss the humanitarian crisis ongoing in North Korea and the potential implications for neighboring countries (China, South Korea) and countries invested in the fall of the North Korean government;
discuss the importance of China for negotiations with North Korea.

Reminder - Complete all of the Lesson 10 tasks!

You have reached the end of Lesson 10! Double-check the Lesson 10 module in Canvas to make sure you have completed all of the activities listed there before you begin Lesson 11.