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by CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies
North Korea is the Impossible State. Each episode, join the people who know the most about North Korea for an insiders’ discussion with host Victor Cha about one of the United States’ top national security priorities.
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- 1 weeks ago45 min
Cold Peace: Engaging DPRK to Reduce Risk and Threat
In this episode, Mr. Sydney Seiler moderated a discussion with Ambassador Joseph Yun and Mr. Adam Farrar to examine the new frameworks proposed in Dr. Victor Cha’s recent Foreign Affairs article, “North Korea as It Is: The Case for a Cold Peace,” and to explore how the international community might engage North Korea, acknowledge the reality of its nuclear status, mitigate and reduce risks, and potentially establish a peaceful environment that could eventually lead to some form of denuclearization.
- 3 weeks ago35 min
Privileged But Powerless
In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha and Dr. Jieun Baek discussed her new book, Privileged but Powerless: How North Korean Elite Grievances Reveal the Regime’s Greatest Weakness, and examined how grievances among North Korea’s elites may shape the regime’s future stability and security, while also exploring new approaches to addressing the North Korean threat.
- May 5, 202637 min
Korean Messiah
In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha moderated a discussion with Jonathan Cheng on how the surprising ties between the Kim dynasty and American Christianity shaped North Korea’s leadership, and how power, belief, and narrative intersect in the hermit kingdom, influencing dynamics in Northeast Asia and the broader international landscape.
- Apr 8, 202629 min
The BTS Homecoming: Does Korea's Soft Power Work?
In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha moderated a discussion with Dr. Jinaeng Choi and Timothy Martin to discuss the recent BTS comeback concert, how Korean culture around the world can impact Korea's soft power, how it may influence global audiences, and more.
- Mar 20, 202639 min
Is the Pivot to Asia Dead?
In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha moderated a discussion with Dr. Tom Wright and Dr. Kristi Govella on examining Washington’s failed pivot to Asia, expectations for Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi’s visit to Washington, and its potential impact on the Korean Peninsula, the Indo-Pacific region, and broader regional dynamics.
- Mar 2, 202640 min
The Four Talent Giants
In this episode, Mr. Sydney Seiler moderated a discussion with Stanford University Professor Gi-Wook Shin on his recent book, The Four Talent Giants, and how these four “talent giants” countries achieved economic power and sustained momentum by responding to risks and challenges such as demographic crises, brain drain, and geopolitical tensions, drawing on his Four Bs theory—brain train, brain gain, brain circulation, and brain linkage—to explain national strength and success.
- Feb 13, 202640 min
Korea Update: NDS, Coupang and Congress
In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha moderated a discussion with Adam Farrar and Igor Khrestin on the recent Coupang investigation, the key elements of Trump’s National Defense Strategy, what that means for South Korea and for any future response to North Korean threats, and more.
- Feb 2, 202647 min
North Korea in 2026: Intentions, Realities, and Response
Sydney Seiler, Dr. Patrick Cronin, Rachel Minyoung Lee, and Markus Garlauskas discussed North Korea's direction in 2026 and what to expect from Kim Jong Un in terms of the diplomatic front with Moscow, Beijing, the ROK, the U.S., and more.
About The Impossible State
North Korea is the Impossible State. Each episode, join the people who know the most about North Korea for an insiders’ discussion with host Victor Cha about one of the United States’ top national security priorities.
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