Explore every episode of the podcast The Impossible State

Dr. Victor Cha and Mr. Sydney Seiler discussed the significance of Kim Jong-un’s surprise weekend visit to Dandong, China, via the New Yalu River Bridge, exploring why Kim chose to visit China at this time and what the visit means ahead of President Trump’s upcoming trip to Asia.

Dr. Victor Cha, Mr. Ankit Panda, and Ms. Jenny Town discussed North Korea’s recent missile launches, focusing on what the tests reveal about North Korea's military capabilities and the strategy behind the accelerated pace of launches.

Dr. Victor Cha, Mr. Wonchul Kim, and Ms. Jeehye Yoo discussed President Lee’s North Korea initiative, recent tensions involving the DMZ and North Korean POWs, and the broader outlook for inter-Korean relations. 

Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Bonny Lin, and Mr. Sydney Seiler discussed recent developments in China–North Korea relations and the broader implications of the Trump–Xi summit for regional security and geopolitics in Northeast Asia. 

Dr. Victor Cha, Adam Farrar, Eunjoong Kim, and Wonchul Kim discussed the recent U.S. House Judiciary Committee report on discriminatory practices, expiration of Section 122 tariffs, and the Korean investment deals. 

Dr. Victor Cha, Ms. Kate Bondar, and Mr. Bruce Klingner discussed how the Ukraine war is reshaping warfare, what North Korea may learn from Russia, and the implications for Korean Peninsula security. 

Dr. Victor Cha, Igor Khrestin, Joseph Kim, and Dr. Maria Snegovaya joined host Will Todman to discuss CRINK’s key vulnerabilities and examine U.S. policy recommendations for addressing the challenges the grouping poses to democracy, human rights, economic security, and national security. The discussion will draw on the GWBI’s recent report on CRINK and explore the implications of growing alignment among these authoritarian actors.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Edward Howell, and Mr. Sydney Seiler discussed North Korea's relationships with the CRINK countries and examine Beijing’s priorities heading into an imminent Xi-Kim summit. 

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.

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.

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.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha moderated a discussion with Dr. Zack Cooper 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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

In this episode, Mr. Sydney Seiler moderated a discussion with Dr. Chansong Lee and Dr. Bee Yun Jo of the Sejong Institute on the overall outlook of the U.S.–South Korea alliance leading up to 2026, including extended deterrence, the Nuclear Consultative Group, the OPCON transfer, shipbuilding, and other strategic issues.

On this episode, Dr. Victor Cha moderates a discussion with Amb. Cho Byung Jae and Dr. Jun Bong-geun on North Korea’s nuclear program and the future of diplomacy. The episode explores Pyongyang’s constitutional embrace of nuclear weapons, Seoul’s E.N.D. initiative to revive dialogue, and President Trump’s push for summitry.

Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Zenobia Chan, and Ms. Henrietta Levin discussed whether China is a status quo power with limited global aims, or a revisionist state with goals of expanding power and reshaping the global international order, and more.

Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Kang Choi, and Dr. Beomchul Shin discussed the outcomes of the APEC meetings, South Korea’s nuclear submarine deal with the United States, and potential next steps. 

Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Andrew Yeo, and Mr. Sydney Seiler discussed the future of inter-Korean engagement, the upcoming APEC meetings, and the upcoming summit meeting between Presidents Trump and Lee. 

Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. James Brady, and Mr. Tobias Harris discussed the newly elected leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Sanae Takaichi—who is likely to become the next prime minister following a parliamentary vote in mid-October—as well as trilateral relations among the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Japan, foreign policy views, and more.

Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Jeonghun Min, and Dr. Hanbeom Jeong discussed President Lee’s first 100 days in office, the implications of his foreign policies for extended deterrence, U.S.–ROK and U.S.–North Korea engagement, and more.

Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Patricia Kim, and Dr. Thomas Wright discussed the growing cooperation among the autocratic countries of China, Russia, and North Korea as they push back against U.S. influence and the U.S.-led international order; the strategies the United States might leverage to counter this bloc; the implications for U.S. policy and its allies; and more.

Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Ely Ratner, and Mr. Scott Snyder discussed two of China’s major diplomatic events—the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit and the Victory Day Parade—as well as the Xi-Putin-Kim meeting, Kim Ju Ae's international debut, the growing alignment of hostile actors, and what all these developments mean for the Korean Peninsula, the U.S. and its allies, and more.

This episode is a special crossover with our CSIS sister podcast, State of Play. After a busy month of U.S. diplomacy, Victor Cha and Max Bergmann join Will to discuss what East Asian and European allies are learning about summits with President Trump and what patterns are emerging about how President Trump engages with autocrats. "⁠Statesmen’s Forum: His Excellency Lee Jae Myung, President of the Republic of Korea⁠" CSIS, August 25, 2025. "⁠Max and Maria on the Alaska and White House Peace Summits⁠" Russian Roulette, CSIS, August 21, 2025. Listen to CSIS Podcast State of Play at https://www.csis.org/podcasts/state-play

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha, Ms. Yoojin Kim, Dr. Philip Luck, and Mr. Bill Reinsch discussed the implications of this major trade development, including its impact on U.S.–South Korea economic ties; the outlook for allied investment in critical sectors such as semiconductors, automobiles, steel, and shipbuilding; and the broader geopolitical dynamics shaping the deal.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha and Mr. Sydney Seiler discussed prospects for a U.S.-South Korea trade deal before the end of the August 1 pause on 25 percent tariffs on all goods from Korea, and ways to modernize the 72-year old alliance under the new Lee Jae Myung and Donald Trump administrations, and more.

Join us for a bonus episode of the Impossible State Live podcast, recorded during the Looking Forward: The Future of United States–Japan–Korea Trilateral Relations event on June 18, 2025. Senator Andy Kim engaged in a conversation with Victor Cha to discuss the key challenges and opportunities across various sectors that will shape the future of trilateral relations among U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha, Mr. Jake Kwon, and Mr. Wonchul Kim discussed recent political developments under President Lee’s administration, outcomes of the G7 Summit, and the future direction of U.S.–ROK and U.S.–ROK–Japan relations. 

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Pacheco Pardo, and Mr. Sydney Seiler discussed South Korea’s new president, the foreign policy challenges facing the incoming administration, and the implications of the election for U.S.–ROK relations and the broader Indo-Pacific region.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha, Ms. Henrietta Levin, and Dr. Luis Simón discussed the Trump administration’s policy toward China, U.S.–China trade relations, the future of U.S. and NATO engagement with China, and more.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha, Mr. Sydney Seiler, and Ms. Yuki Tatsumi discussed the Trump administration’s policy toward North Korea, the possibility of a second Trump–Kim summit, its future direction in relation to the United States, South Korea, and Japan, and more.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Kristi Govella, and Mr. William Reinsch discussed the tariff war, its potential impact on Korea, Japan, and other countries around the world, and more.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha and Dr. Michael Green discussed U.S.-ROK-Japan trilateral cooperation, the Trump administration’s strategy for the Indo-Pacific, and more.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha, Yoojin Kim, Andrew Yeo, and Darcie Draudt-Véjares discussed the analysis of the Constitutional Court's unanimous decision on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha and Dr. Hyo-young Lee discussed Korea’s economic security issues, supply chain challenges, the future of U.S.-ROK economic cooperation under the new Trump administration, and more.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha, Ms. Yoojin Kim, and Mr. Eunjoong Kim discussed South Korea's ongoing political crisis, the future direction of President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment, the possibility of a new South Korean government, and more.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha, Ambassador Kathleen Stephens, and Dr. Kang Choi discussed how South Korea's current political crisis will impact its foreign policy and its relations with the United States, its neighbors, and more.

In this episode, Mr. Sydney Seiler and Dr. Seth Jones discussed North Korea and Russia's cooperation for the war in Ukraine, North Korea's deployment of soldiers to support Russia, the Trump Administration's policy to weaken North Korea-Russia cooperation, and more. 

In this episode, Dr. Ellen Kim and Mr. Sydney Seiler discuss the DPRK's recent and anticipated actions, the potential for exploitation of ROK political developments, US policy toward the North under a second Trump administration, and more. 

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Darcie Draudt-Véjares, and Mr. Bruce Klingner discuss the current political situation in South Korea. Topics will include updates on President Yoon's martial law, his impeachment, what's next for the Korean peninsula and US-ROK alliance, and more. 

In this episode, Mr. Sydney Seiler and Secretary General Yongho Tae discuss the latest developments in North Korea. Topics will include updates on North Korean human rights issues, South Korea's policy toward North Korea, and the current situation in North Korea.

In this episode, Andrew Schwartz, Victor Cha, and distinguished guests discuss the Kremlin's motivations, the potential impacts on the battlefield in Ukraine, what North Korea is likely to receive in return, how Beijing may perceive this development, and more.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Duyeon Kim, and Mr. Sydney Seiler discuss recent developments regarding North Korea's sending troops to Russia, North Korea blows up inter-Korean roads near the border, North Korea's new constitution, and more.

In this episode, Andrew Schwartz and Victor Cha discuss Dr. Victor Cha's new book, The Black Box: Demystifying the Study of Korean Unification and North Korea.

In this episode, Dr. Cha and Mr. Bruce Klingner discuss recent developments regarding North Korea's missile deployment, successor plan, garbage-filled balloons, and more. 

In this episode, Dr. Cha and distinguished speakers discuss the significance of the Putin-Kim summit, the strengthening Russia-North Korea alliance, the implications of this alliance for regional and global security and why the Russia-North Korea alliance is a threat like no other.

In a crossover episode with CSIS's The Truth of the Matter, Dr. Victor Cha discusses Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang and why he believes the “Mutual Defense Treaty” agreed to by Russia and North Korea is the greatest threat to U.S. national security since the Korean War. Also discussed—what this means for the U.S. and its allies and how it impacts China.  

In this episode, Dr. Cha and Ambassador Philip Goldberg explore the latest developments on the Korean peninsula and the U.S.-ROK alliance. Topics will include Korea's unique aspects as seen by Ambassador Goldberg; his priorities for U.S.-Korea relations; and the significance of recent regional developments, including the U.S.-Japan-ROK trilateral meeting, the Japan-ROK-China trilateral dialogue, and North Korea's recent provocations and ties with Russia.