North Korea News Podcast by NK News

NK News
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The NK News Podcast is a weekly program covering all things North Korea: Discussion on the latest news, extended interviews with leading specialists, and insight from our own staff. We welcome both generalist and specialist audiences interested in knowing more about the Korean Peninsula. The full podcast is available to NK News subscribers.Sign up today at NK News

  1. 2d ago

    Carlo Masala on why a Russian victory matters for Korea: North Korea Unpacked

    Editor’s note: This interview was recorded in July 2026. Some references to recent events and political developments reflect the situation at the time of recording and may differ from subsequent developments. German political scientist Carlo Masala joins North Korea Unpacked with Jacco Zwetsloot to discuss his book “If Russia Wins: A Scenario,” why a Korean-style armistice may not provide a lasting solution to the war in Ukraine and what a Russian victory could mean for security on the Korean Peninsula. Masala explains why he believes the U.S. military presence has been central to maintaining deterrence in South Korea and how a withdrawal of American forces could change North Korea’s calculations. He also examines what Pyongyang is learning from Russia’s war in Ukraine, including the continued importance of troop numbers, electronic warfare and the vulnerabilities of technologically advanced militaries. The conversation then turns to the growing connections between European and Asian security, including the possibility of North Korea creating a crisis on the peninsula to divert attention from Russian or Chinese military operations elsewhere. Carlo Masala is a professor of international politics at the Bundeswehr University Munich, specializing in security policy, military strategy and international relations. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Alannah Hill exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.

  2. 3d ago

    How Canada’s top general views North Korean gains from Ukraine war

    NK News Correspondent Joon Ha Park joins the podcast this week to discuss his exclusive interview with Canada’s Chief of the Defense Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan on what North Korea is gaining from its military cooperation with Russia and how Canada could help South Korea prepare for emerging security threats. Park explains why North Korean troops’ growing battlefield experience in Ukraine is raising concerns among Canada and its allies, particularly as Pyongyang gains exposure to drone warfare and electronic warfare tactics. He explains Carignan’s view on how Canada could share lessons learned from training Ukrainian forces since 2015 and expand cooperation with South Korea on drones, automated systems and military exercises. The conversation then turns to North Korea’s cyber operations, including Carignan’s characterization of Pyongyang as effectively “at war” with multiple countries in cyberspace. Park discusses the challenges facing South Korea’s cyber defenses and why closer intelligence sharing between Ottawa and Seoul remains difficult despite recent agreements to strengthen their security partnership. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Alannah Hill exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.

  3. Oct 14

    Edward Goldring on the logic behind North Korea’s elite purges

    Edward Goldring, senior lecturer in political science at the University of Melbourne and author of the new book “Purges: How Dictators Fight to Survive,” joins the podcast to discuss why authoritarian leaders remove senior officials and what those purges can reveal about political survival.  Goldring explains why a purge does not necessarily mean imprisonment or execution, defining it more broadly as the removal of an elite from a dictator’s inner circle. He argues that dictators generally purge elites for three main reasons: to consolidate power, punish disloyalty or scapegoat officials when leaders face pressure from below.  The conversation also looks at the reported execution of economic official Pak Nam Gi after the failed 2009 currency reform and the 2013 purge of Jang Song Thaek. Goldring discusses why dramatic purges are not always signs of strength, arguing that leaders often use them when they are still relatively weak and trying to consolidate power, and explores whether purges can actually prevent coups. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Alannah Hill exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.

  4. Oct 7

    North Korean mine blast, disputed intent and the risk of escalation at the DMZ

    NK News Correspondent Joon Ha Park and Michael Bosack, former deputy secretary of the U.N. Command Military Armistice Commission, join the podcast this week to discuss the Sept. 21 landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), what investigators have established about the North Korean mine involved and why questions remain over how it ended up south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). Park explains how the investigation progressed from an initially unidentified explosion that injured three South Korean soldiers to the discovery of an active North Korean anti-personnel mine south of the MDL and a U.N. Command determination that an Armistice Agreement violation occurred. Bosack explains why the presence of a North Korean mine does not by itself establish an intentional attack, arguing that investigators need to consider motive, timing of emplacement and whether the location was somewhere South Korean troops could reasonably have been expected to patrol. He also discusses the wider risks posed by millions of mines and other unexploded ordnance in the DMZ, the difficulty of identifying the poorly marked MDL on the ground and how repeated North Korean crossings during construction work could lead to accidental violations. The episode concludes with a discussion of North Korea’s response to the incident, the options available to Seoul and the U.N. Command through established armistice mechanisms and the lessons of the 2015 DMZ landmine crisis.  About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Alannah Hill exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.

  5. Oct 1

    Russia envoy arrives, DPRK hackers strike and North Korean POWs reach ROK

    NK News Data Correspondent Anton Sokolin and Lead Correspondent Shreyas Reddy join the podcast this week to discuss Russia’s new ambassador to North Korea, Pyongyang’s latest cyber operations and the growing dispute between Seoul and Kyiv over two North Korean prisoners of war.  Anton explains what the arrival of veteran diplomat Andrei Podelyshev signals about Moscow’s priorities in Pyongyang, how his lower-profile style may differ from longtime predecessor and why his first visits to Soviet and DPRK war memorials underscore the increasingly institutionalized relationship between the two countries. Shreyas then breaks down North Korea’s suspected role in the year’s largest cryptocurrency heist so far, which saw roughly $352 million stolen from exchange Bitget and pushed estimated DPRK-linked crypto theft above $1 billion in 2026.  The episode concludes with a discussion on Ukraine’s transfer of two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea and the diplomatic fallout after President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly revealed the move at the U.N. General Assembly. They also discuss what intelligence the soldiers can provide about North Korea’s deployment to Russia and what their resettlement in South Korea could look like after an unprecedented journey from the battlefield in Kursk. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Alannah Hill exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.

  6. Sep 24

    Kenneth Bae on surviving North Korean detention: North Korea Unpacked

    This month, Kenneth Bae joins North Korea Unpacked with Jacco Zwetsloot to discuss the 735 days he spent detained in North Korea, how repeated visits to the country shaped his understanding of ordinary North Koreans and what his imprisonment revealed about the state’s security system. He recounts how he traveled to North Korea 17 times before being arrested on his 18th trip in 2012, after border officials discovered a hard drive containing foreign documentaries about the country. Bae describes the months of interrogation that followed, the threats of execution, the confession he says he was pressured to sign and his eventual sentence of 15 years of hard labor. The conversation then turns to his work today, including New Korea Hope Broadcasting, which uses shortwave radio to send news, information and messages of encouragement into North Korea. Kenneth Bae is a Korean-American missionary and businessman who was detained in North Korea from 2012 to 2014. He is the author of Not Forgotten: The True Story of My Imprisonment in North Korea and founder of New Korea Foundation International. In 2026, he launched New Korea Hope Broadcasting, a radio service aimed at providing North Koreans with outside information and messages of hope. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Alannah Hill exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.

  7. Sep 23

    Joseph Kim on why North Korea is changing beyond Kim Jong Un

    North Korean defector and George W. Bush Institute program manager Joseph Kim joins the podcast to discuss his recent NK News opinion column arguing that analysts and policymakers focus too heavily on Kim Jong Un while overlooking the role ordinary North Koreans could play in shaping the country’s future.  He explains why he believes North Korea should be understood as a country experiencing profound social change rather than simply a nuclear-armed state controlled from the top. The conversation also explores how the growth of informal markets has changed both the economic lives and thinking of North Koreans, creating spaces to exchange information and reducing dependence on the state. Joseph reflects on his own experience surviving around the jangmadang, the impact of the failed 2009 currency reform and whether marketization could ultimately strengthen the regime as well as weaken it.  He also discusses the role of foreign media, arguing that increasingly harsh punishments for consuming outside information reveal how seriously Pyongyang views the threat it poses to state propaganda. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Alannah Hill exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.

  8. Sep 16

    North Korea’s attack drill, Wonsan Kalma slowdown and Google’s blurry maps

    This week, NK News Senior Analytical Correspondent Colin Zwirko joins the podcast to break down North Korea’s latest missile drill, which combined ballistic missiles, 600mm multiple rocket launchers, cruise missiles and attack drones in a coordinated strike on a single target. Colin explains what the exercise reveals about Pyongyang’s growing ability to integrate different weapons systems, why North Korea may be testing South Korea’s detection capabilities and what satellite imagery tells us about where the missiles were launched and how far they traveled. The conversation then turns to the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Area, where satellite imagery suggests North Korea has wrapped up another summer season. Colin discusses why the massive resort appears to operate at peak capacity for only around 50 days each year, how access is being used as a reward for high-performing workers and what the limited number of foreign visitors means for a project originally expected to generate tourism revenue. Finally, Colin explains why Google Maps and Google Earth have begun obscuring satellite imagery of South Korean military bases and the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone. He discusses what the change means for journalists and open-source researchers, how it could complicate efforts to track military activity and why selectively blurring sensitive sites may inadvertently reveal which locations Seoul considers most important. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Alannah Hill exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.

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The NK News Podcast is a weekly program covering all things North Korea: Discussion on the latest news, extended interviews with leading specialists, and insight from our own staff. We welcome both generalist and specialist audiences interested in knowing more about the Korean Peninsula. The full podcast is available to NK News subscribers.Sign up today at NK News

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