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 this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Dr. James Brady to discuss the recent earthquake, the political fundraising scandal, and speculation regarding Japan-DPRK relations in 2024.

In this episode, experts discuss the upcoming Trump-Kim summit in Hanoi. CSIS's Korea Chair, Victor Cha, and host H. Andrew Schwartz welcome Dr. Ramon Pacheco Pardo, KF-VUB Korea Chair at the Institute for European Studies and Reader in International Relations at King's College London. Pardo offers the view from Europe.  Download transcript here.

Tom Karako, senior fellow with the International Security Program and director of the Missile Defense Project at CSIS, joins resident Korea expert Victor Cha and host Andrew Schwartz to discuss the 2019 Missile Defense Review. They also discuss the annual Worldwide Threat Assessment and how North Korea’s threat will play out as President Trump is expected to meet with Kim Jong-un next month. Download transcript here.

David Sanger of the New York Times and resident Korea expert Victor Cha weigh in on the recent CSIS findings of 16 hidden missile bases in North Korea. They discuss David Sanger’s article on the matter, and how the Trump administration has responded to these findings. Download transcript here.

Stephen Morrison, the director of CSIS’ Global Health Policy Center and resident Korea expert Victor Cha, discuss Morrison’s documentary about the health crisis in North Korea. The Gathering Health Storm Inside North Korea was presented by CSIS’ Commission on Strengthening America’s Health Security. You can watch the documentary and find out more at https://healthsecurity.csis.org/articles/the-gathering-health-storm-inside-north-korea/. Download transcript here.

On July 16, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging Sue Mi Terry with violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The indictment alleges activities that took place, in part, during a period in which Ms. Terry was employed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. CSIS is not a party to this litigation and takes the allegations seriously. CSIS maintains strict policies to ensure full compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act and the intellectual independence of its scholarship. In light of these serious allegations, CSIS cannot verify the independence of the scholarship of this material containing the views of Ms. Terry and has therefore archived this content pending the resolution of the charges.

David Kang, director of the Korean Studies Institute at the University of Southern California, joins CSIS’s Victor Cha again by phone to discuss the latest Inter-Korean summit, what this means for denuclearization, and what to expect from a potential 2nd Trump-Kim summit. Download full transcript here.

David Kang, director of the Korean Studies Institute at the University of Southern California, joins guest host Victor Cha of CSIS to discuss the second edition of their book, Nuclear North Korea: A Debate on Engagement Strategies from the studio. Originally published in 2003, the new edition—out today—includes updated insights on recent developments.

Dr. Jennie Jin, an anthropologist with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and the lead researcher tasked to identify the recent American POW/MIA remains from North Korea, joins resident expert Victor Cha and host H. Andrew Schwartz by phone from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Download transcript here. 

Motoko Rich, the Tokyo bureau chief for The New York Times, joins CSIS's Victor Cha by phone to discuss the view from Japan. Download transcript here. 

On July 16, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging Sue Mi Terry with violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The indictment alleges activities that took place, in part, during a period in which Ms. Terry was employed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. CSIS is not a party to this litigation and takes the allegations seriously. CSIS maintains strict policies to ensure full compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act and the intellectual independence of its scholarship. In light of these serious allegations, CSIS cannot verify the independence of the scholarship of this material containing the views of Ms. Terry and has therefore archived this content pending the resolution of the charges.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Mr. Scott Snyder to discuss the upcoming external and internal pressures on the U.S.-South Korea alliance and what a second Trump Administration would mean for the Korean peninsula.

On July 16, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging Sue Mi Terry with violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The indictment alleges activities that took place, in part, during a period in which Ms. Terry was employed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. CSIS is not a party to this litigation and takes the allegations seriously. CSIS maintains strict policies to ensure full compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act and the intellectual independence of its scholarship. In light of these serious allegations, CSIS cannot verify the independence of the scholarship of this material containing the views of Ms. Terry and has therefore archived this content pending the resolution of the charges.

Rebecca Hersman, the director of the Project on Nuclear issues at CSIS who is a former WMD non-proliferation expert with the Defense Department, discusses the challenges and mechanics of complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization in North Korea. Download transcript here.

Special guests Ambassador Robert King, the former special envoy for North Korean human rights issues, and Joseph Kim, a young man who defected from North Korea in 2006, discuss human rights in North Korea and the Trump administration’s position on the issue in the aftermath of the Singapore Summit. Download transcript here.

On July 16, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging Sue Mi Terry with violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The indictment alleges activities that took place, in part, during a period in which Ms. Terry was employed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. CSIS is not a party to this litigation and takes the allegations seriously. CSIS maintains strict policies to ensure full compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act and the intellectual independence of its scholarship. In light of these serious allegations, CSIS cannot verify the independence of the scholarship of this material containing the views of Ms. Terry and has therefore archived this content pending the resolution of the charges.

Victor Cha, the former deputy head of the U.S. delegation to the Six-Party talks during the George W. Bush administration, and Mike Green, the senior director for Asia of the National Security Council of George W. Bush., talk about the outcome of the Singapore Summit. Mike joins us in the studio and Victor by phone in New York. Download transcript here.

On July 16, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging Sue Mi Terry with violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The indictment alleges activities that took place, in part, during a period in which Ms. Terry was employed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. CSIS is not a party to this litigation and takes the allegations seriously. CSIS maintains strict policies to ensure full compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act and the intellectual independence of its scholarship. In light of these serious allegations, CSIS cannot verify the independence of the scholarship of this material containing the views of Ms. Terry and has therefore archived this content pending the resolution of the charges.

On July 16, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging Sue Mi Terry with violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The indictment alleges activities that took place, in part, during a period in which Ms. Terry was employed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. CSIS is not a party to this litigation and takes the allegations seriously. CSIS maintains strict policies to ensure full compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act and the intellectual independence of its scholarship. In light of these serious allegations, CSIS cannot verify the independence of the scholarship of this material containing the views of Ms. Terry and has therefore archived this content pending the resolution of the charges.

Victor Cha, a top Korea expert who was an Asia director in the National Security Council during the George W. Bush administration and deputy head of the U.S. delegation at the Six-Party Talks in Beijing, talks about President Trump’s letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un canceling the June 12 summit in Singapore and where bilateral talks might go from here. Download transcript here. 

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Ms. Yuki Tatsumi to explore Japan's foreign policy outlook for the upcoming year. 

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Dr. Katrin Katz to discuss the US-Japan-ROK trilateral relationship following the Camp David Summit, what to expect moving forward, and the challenges the US-Japan-ROK face in China, North Korea, and Russia.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Ms. Jill Dougherty to discuss the current state of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the motivations of the DPRK following the Kim-Putin summit, and China's support for Russia's war.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Dr. Sung-Yoon Lee to discuss his recent book, The Sister, and Kim Yo Jong's prominent role both inside and outside the state.  

In this episode, Dr. Ellen Kim is joined by Dr. Angela Stent and Dr. Victor Cha to discuss the second summit between Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin, the significance of the meeting at the spaceport, and the reactions of the United States and South Korea to this summit.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Dr. Sungmin Cho to discuss South Korea's role in deterring North Korea's opportunistic aggression in a Taiwan contingency and providing rear area support.

This bonus episode is from the Reviewing the Camp David Trilateral Summit Event on August 29, 2023. Dr. Kurt Campbell, Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs on the National Security Council, Ambassador Cho Hyundong of the Republic of Korea and Ambassador Tomita Koji of Japan discuss the summit and future trilateral relations.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Dr. Andrew Yeo to discuss a U.S. soldier who crossed into North Korea, short-range ballistic missiles conducted by North Korea, and the newly formed NCG between the United States and South Korea.

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. Victor Cha and Andrew Schwartz are joined by Ms. Bonnie Glaser to discuss the relations between South Korea and China, the upcoming NATO summit in July, and the relationship between China and North Korea during the COVID lockdown.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Mr. Ankit Panda to discuss the recent North Korea's military spy satellite launch from the Sohae satellite launch site, North Korea's weapons development, and the 7th nuclear test.

This bonus episode is from Georgetown University's Asian Studies Program Event on May 5th. Dr. Victor Cha is joined by special guest Mark B. Lambert, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Department of State for a debrief on President Yoon’s State Visit to Washington and related policy discussion.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Dr. Ramon Pacheco Pardo to discuss the recent Biden-Yoon Summit from the European perspective, Yoon's policy regarding China, economic coercion, and North Korea. 

In this episode, Victor Cha is joined by Jinmyung Kim, Washington correspondent for the Chosun Ilbo, to discuss the significance of Yoon's state visit and the takeaways on North Korean denuclearization and trilateral relations with the United States, Korea, and Japan.

In a crossover episode with CSIS's The CommonHealth, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by J. Stephen Morrison, Senior Vice President and Director, Global Health Policy Center at CSIS, to discuss an update on what we know, suspect, and do not know about North Korea still in extreme isolation from the rest of the world; the status of its Covid outbreak and response; the heightened risk of famine; and the burgeoning exchange of North Korean weapons and ammunition in return for Russian food and energy.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Ms. Jenny Town and Mr. Frank Aum to discuss the incentives versus pressure debate, rethink working theories around sanctions and China’s role in negotiations, and explore how North Korea is affected by its changing external security environment.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Dr. Soo Kim and Mr. Anthony Ruggiero to discuss sanctions on North Korea, the history of sanctions, how to measure its effectiveness, China’s reaction to sanctions and ultimately answer the question of whether sanctions really works on North Korea.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Ambassador Robert Joseph and Greg Scarlatoiu to discuss their recently released report for the National Institute for Public Policy regarding North Korea's current human rights situation, the Kim family regime, and the North Korean human rights movement ten years after the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the DPRK.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Mr. Christopher B. Johnstone to discuss the implications of Japan’s new National Defense Strategy for the United States and Korea, the Biden-Kishida Summit, and ROK-Japan bilateral relation.

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.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha discusses his new Foreign Affairs essay on what the U.S. and allies should do to counter Chinese economic coercion, plus a discussion of North Korea’s latest ICBM engine test.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha and Andrew Schwartz are joined by Dr. Chung Min Lee, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) and Professor at the Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology (KAIST), to discuss his recent report on South Korea’s national security and defense review, and the relationship between ROK-Japan, DPRK, and China under the Yoon administration.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha and Andrew Schwartz are joined by Professor Yasuyo Sakata, professor of international relations at Kanda University of International Studies in Japan to discuss bilateral Korea-Japan relations, trilateral U.S.-Korea-Japan cooperation and the North Korean growing threat.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha and Andrew Schwartz are joined by Mr. Christian Davies, Seoul bureau chief of the Financial Times, to discuss the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the Korean context, North Korea's nuclear tensions, and the 2022 National Defense Strategy report on North Korea.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha and Andrew Schwartz are joined by Dr. Ramon Pacheco Pardo, professor at King's College London and KF-VUB Korea Chair at the Brussels School of Governance of Vrije Universiteit Brussel, to discuss his recently published book, Shrimp to Whale: South Korea from the Forgotten War to K-Pop, North Korea's recent missile tests and military capabilities, as well as South Korea's response to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Ms. Jenny Town, Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center and Director of Stimson's 38 North Program, to discuss Vice President Harris' visit to Korea on September 29th, the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and how the war in Ukraine and the situation in Taiwan Strait affect Korean policy and North Korean calculations.

In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha is joined by Mr. Nicholas Szechenyi, Senior Fellow with the Japan Chair and Deputy Director for Asia at CSIS, to discuss Abe's death, the implications of the Liberal Democratic Party, Japanese defense security reform under Prime Minister Kishida, as well as trilateral cooperation between the United States, Japan, and Korea.

In Session 2, " Normalization of Korea-Japan Relations," of the ROK-U.S. Strategic Forum 2022, speakers Dr. Choi Eunbong, Dr. Ellen Kim, Dr. Sheila Smith, Dr. Sohn Yul, and Dr. Yoon Young-kwan discussed ways to improve the bilateral relationship between South Korea and Japan.