One of Korea’s most successful exports is Taekwondo, a martial art practiced by tens of millions around the globe. Yet the story of its founder is as disputed as it is marred in the politics of Korea, and as a discipline Taekwondo is represented by two competing organizations. To learn more, we had the honor of interviewing Dr. George Vitale.
For the past two decades, North Korea has repeatedly caused international concern with its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. To go beyond their political aspects and to gain a realistic picture of the technologies at work, their effectiveness and the actual stockpiles in North Korea, we spoke to Daniel Pinkston.
For defectors, escaping from North Korea is only the beginning of a long and perilous odyssey. Most start their journey by crossing into China, where they risk arrest and repatriation as illegal immigrants. We spoke to Sokeel Park, Director of Research & Strategy at Liberty in North Korea, an organization assisting these refugees.
North Korea and China have a special relationship. But while their cooperation started as an ideological alliance and was forged in blood during the Korean War, it has seemingly become of a more pragmatic nature in recent years. In order to understand the history of Sino-North Korean relations better, we sat down with Professor John Delury.