Category: Geopolitical Affairs

Chad O’Carroll is the founder of NK News/NK Pro and related holding company Korea Risk Group. In addition to being the group’s CEO, O’Carroll is a frequent writer and commentator about the Koreas, having written about the two nations since 2010. He has visited the DPRK multiple times, worked and lived in Washington, D.C. with a focus on peninsula issues, and lived in the ROK since 2016.

Andrei Lankov is a Director at NK News and writes exclusively for the site as one of the world’s leading authorities on North Korea. He has been widely published in English, Russian, and Korean. A graduate of Leningrad State University, he attended Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung University from 1984-85. In addition to his writing, he is also a Professor at Kookmin University.

Jeongmin Kim is the Lead Correspondent at NK News, based in Seoul. Kim covers inter-Korean and DPRK-related foreign, defense and humanitarian affairs, and has covered the 2022 ROK Presidential election on the ground. Prior to joining NK News, she worked for the CSIS Korea Chair in Washington D.C. and Reuters news agency’s Seoul bureau. Follow her on Twitter @jeongminnkim

Colin Zwirko is a Senior Analytic Correspondent for NK News based in Seoul who focuses on a range of subjects including diplomatic affairs, DPRK infrastructure, and trade issues. Furthermore, he is a satellite imagery specialist and produces regular work in this area. Follow him on Twitter @ColinZwirko.

Rachel Minyoung Lee is the Regional Issues Manager and Senior Analyst for Open Nuclear Network (ONN), a programme of One Earth Future. Rachel oversees the creation and development of ONN’s strategic network and works closely with the analytical team to identify strategies and products that can best meet the needs of partners and consumers. Rachel was a North Korea open source collection expert and analyst with the US government from 2000 to 2019. She researched and wrote on the full range of North Korean issues, from leadership, domestic politics and economy, and foreign policy to social and cultural developments, during some of the most momentous years in North Korea that included the transition of power from Kim Jong Il to Kim Jong Un. As Analysis Team Lead, Rachel managed the entire collection-to-analysis cycle, leading a team of analysts in the collection, curating and baselining of data and the analysis of North and South Korean issues with implications for Pyongyang’s regime stability and regional security. She formulated and oversaw the execution of short- to long-term collection and analysis strategies, and devised and delivered various training programs on collection, data tool utilization, and writing. Rachel is also a Nonresident Fellow with the Stimson Center’s 38 North Program, where she is conducting research on North Korea’s economic policy-making. Rachel grew up in San Jose, California. She earned her B.A. in English literature and her M.A. in international law, both at Korea University in Seoul.

Jaewoo Shin is an Analyst for Open Nuclear Network (ONN), a programme of One Earth Future, where he focuses on developments on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia, with particular attention to nuclear risk reduction and regional nuclear and missile programmes. Jaewoo uses open source data analytics and remote sensing techniques to understand relevant trends. Prior to joining ONN, he completed a graduate fellowship at the Nuclear Nonproliferation Education and Research Center at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Daejeon, South Korea. He also worked for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Korea Chair in Washington, DC, and for the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin, Germany. Jaewoo received his BA in International Affairs from the University of St. Gallen, his MA in International Security from Sciences Po Paris and his MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is also in the process of completing a Masters in Nuclear Safeguards from Politecnico di Milano. He speaks English, German, Korean and some French.

Lauren Sukin is an Assistant Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She holds a Ph.D. from the Department of Political Science at Stanford University. Her research focuses on issues of international security, with particular interests in the role of nuclear weapons in international politics, security dynamics on the Korean Peninsula, cybersecurity and the ethics of emerging technology in warfare, and public opinion towards the use of force.

Tianran Xu is an Analyst for Open Nuclear Network (ONN), a programme of One Earth Future. He is an expert on open source analysis and military technology. Mr. Xu focuses on North East Asian security and offensive and defensive missile systems. Tianran uses photo mensuration to measure the size, range and capacity of missiles. He also analyzes photos, videos and satellite imagery to understand nuclear and missile programmes. With a background in media and journalism, Tianran is a regular contributor to Chinese and English open source and science publications. Prior to joining ONN, he worked as a journalist, editor and news assistant at both Chinese and foreign news organizations for 10 years in Beijing. He graduated from Xi’an International Studies University, China. Tianran is fluent in Chinese, English and German.

Jieun Baek is a Fellow with the Korea Project and the Applied History Project at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center where she focuses on North Korea policy. She is the author of North Korea’s Hidden Revolution: How the Information Underground is Transforming a Closed Society, and is the founder and co-director of Lumen, a non-profit organization that works to make information available to all North Koreans. Prior to receiving her doctorate in Public Policy at the University of Oxford, she was a Research Fellow at the Belfer Center, and worked at Google headquarters for several years where, among other roles, she served as Google Ideas’ North Korea expert. Baek received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Harvard. She is a proud Los Angeles native.

Dong Hyuk Lee joined Voice of America (VOA) in May 2006 as Chief of Korean Service with more than 12 years of journalism experience, including two years as managing editor at a Korean newspaper. His experience as a reporter and news manager has proved to be a good asset for the service as it embarked on a major program enhancement. Before joining VOA, Mr. Lee worked for three and half years at Radio Free Asia. As senior editor, he led a news team producing a daily news program at the Korean Service. Since 1992, Mr. Lee has closely followed bilateral relations between the U.S. and North Korea, U.S. policy on North Korea, and inter-Korean politics. He has interviewed key U.S. officials handling security issues around the Korean peninsula and nuclear proliferation, including: Robert Joseph, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, and Stuart Levey,  U.S. Under Secretary of Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. His notable work includes exclusive coverage of Ri Myung Hun, a North Korean basketball player who pursued a career in the NBA from 1997 to 1999, which received nation-wide attention in both South and North Korea. As a veteran journalist specializing in U.S.-North Korea relations, Mr. Lee has appeared on U.S. and South Korean news outlets, including Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria” and KBS. A native of South Korea, Mr. Lee holds a master’s degree in Communication from the University of Illinois at Chicago and has completed a master’s degree program in Applied English Linguistics from University of Wisconsin at Madison.