Is North Korea’s ultimate goal to conquer the South? – NKNews Podcast Ep. 226

North Korea News Podcast

Journalists, experts and pundits have devoted significant time and energy to deciphering Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine in late February, with many seeing the Russian leader as motivated by a desire to rebuild the Soviet Union and correct the historical mistake of its dissolution. The war has raised parallels with the situation on the Korean Peninsula, where for more than 70 years North Korean leaders have resolved to achieve the “final victory” of reunification, with some arguing that the DPRK could even leverage nationalistic propaganda and nuclear blackmail to force the South’s capitulation. This week, four North Korea experts join the podcast to discuss what Pyongyang really means by “final victory” and how it might go about achieving its long-term goals on the peninsula. Building on an NK News article making the case that Kim Jong Un seeks regime survival through unification and a rebuttal arguing that the DPRK is too aware of its weaknesses to risk war, the experts draw comparisons to other countries’ situations, analyze North Korea’s words and actions and consider whether Seoul would go along with what Pyongyang wants. This week’s debate features the following participants: Benjamin R. Young (@DubstepInDPRK), assistant professor of homeland security and emergency preparedness at Virginia Commonwealth University Jean Do, assistant professor in the Institute of Humanities for Unification at Konkuk University Joshua Stanton (@freekorea_us), founder of the blog OneFreeKorea Glyn Ford, a former member of the European Parliament and the director of Track2Asia About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot (@JaccoZed) 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.