[Assessment of North Korea's Five-Year Economic Plan] ① The 2021–2025 Economic Crisis and North Korea’s Response

Ji-young Choi (Research Fellow, KINU) provides an in-depth analysis of the economic crisis North Korea faced from 2021 to 2025 and the regime's policy responses to these challenges. The author highlights that while the current crisis resembles the shocks of the 1990s, the regime employed differentiated strategies this time: responding immediately and intensively to the food crisis, while adopting a gradual and multi-faceted approach to the fiscal crisis. Furthermore, Dr. Choi examines the achievements and limitations of the partial economic recovery driven by strengthened state control and Nor...

Special Report
  • Ji-young CHOI
  • December 31, 2025
[Assessment of North Korea's Five-Year Economic Plan] ② Policy Adjustment of North Korea’s 'Five-Year Plan for Economic Development': An Analysis Based on Plenary Meetings of the Worker’s Party Central Committee

Sung-ho Jung (Professor, Incheon National University) provides an in-depth analysis of how North Korea's 'Five-Year Plan for National Economic Development as revealed through the decisions of the Plenary Meetings of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. The author traces the dynamic evolution of policy stances by categorizing the timeframe into three phases. Furthermore, Professor Jung forecasts the direction of future economic strategies, notably the 'Regional Development 20×10' policy, at a critical juncture where the opportunity arising from closer North Korea-Russia ties i...

Special Report
  • Seung-ho JUNG
  • December 31, 2025
[Assessment of North Korea's Five-Year Economic Plan] ③ Economic Cooperation Between North Korea and Russia Since the Russia-Ukraine War

Kyoochul Kim, Fellow at the Korea Development Institute (KDI), analyzes the economic cooperation between North Korea and Russia following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine War. The author observes that while the scale of economic collaboration between the two nations has increased, its overall volume and effectiveness remain limited. Additionally, Dr. Kim proposes policy options to induce North Korea’s return to dialogue by restructuring the framework of inter-Korean-Russian economic cooperation upon the cessation of the war.

Special Report
  • Kyoochul KIM
  • December 31, 2025
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PUBLICATIONS

SPECIAL REPORT
[Assessment of North Korea's Five-Year Economic Plan] ④ Assessment of North Korea’s 5-Year Plan and the Quest for a New Diplomatic Strategy: The 9th Party Congress Outlook and the 'Gyeongju Initiative'

Jung-jin Park (Professor, Tsuda University) addresses North Korea's economic and security achievements and limitations as its 'Five-Year National Economic Development Plan' concludes in 2025, while forecasting the new foreign policy directions to be unveiled at the 9th Party Congress in 2026. In par...

  • Jung-jin PARK
  • December 31, 2025
COMMENTARY
From "Our Country" to "My Country"

Seunghee Ha, Professor at Dongguk University, has analyzed that the lyrics of recent North Korean songs have shifted from 'our country' to 'my country'. She interprets this as a result of a change in strategy by the North Korean authorities, who now appeal to individuals' emotions rather than to the...

  • Seunghee HA
  • December 24, 2025
COMMENTARY
Crisis Management and Peace Creation through the ROK-U.S. Alliance

Kyung-young Chung, Professor at Hanyang University, assesses that while the ROK–U.S. alliance has contributed to deterring war, it has revealed limitations in deterring North Korea’s repeated local provocations. To overcome these shortcomings, he proposes unifying crisis-management authority thr...

  • Kyung-young CHUNG
  • December 19, 2025
VIDEO COMMENTARY
Future of North Korea-Russia Ties Amid End-of-War Sentiments

Won Gon Park, Chair of the North Korea Research Center at EAI (and Professor at Ewha Womans University), analyzes the military and diplomatic benefits that the Russia-Ukraine war has provided for North Korea-Russia cooperation, along with the underlying structural constraints. Chair Park notes that ...

  • Won Gon PARK
  • December 31, 2025
VIDEO COMMENTARY
The Meeting that Fell Through: Hidden Meanings behind the Messages Exchanged between North Korea and the U.S.

Won Gon Park, Director of EAI's North Korea Research Center (Professor of North Korean Studies at Ewha Womans University), analyzes the background and implications of the meeting that didn’t materialize between President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un during the APEC summit. Director Park points o...

  • Won Gon PARK
  • November 20, 2025

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