Security Nexus paper on Northeast Asia’s Military Tech & South Korean Defense Implications

By |2023-08-18T13:35:24-10:00August 17th, 2023|Categories: Journal, news|Tags: , , , , , |

A recent Security Nexus paper titled “Emerging New Military Technologies in Northeast Asia and Implications for South Korean Defense Strategy” by retired Navy Captain Sukjoon Yoon, ROKN, highlights the escalating pursuit of advanced military technologies in Northeast Asia amid growing military disparities. The implications of new military technologies in Northeast Asia are uncertain. While they might fuel an arms race, the high costs and demographic considerations could push some countries towards arms control. New military technologies are reshaping South Korea’s defense policies. Following the Biden-Moon Summit in 2021, the ROK-US alliance has expanded its focus from North Korea to the [...]

Propellants of DPR Korea’s Arms Buildup

By |2022-06-30T15:41:45-10:00June 29th, 2022|Categories: Minnich, news|Tags: , |

“Propellants of DPR Korea’s Arms Buildup” is the latest article by Dr. James Minnich. It was recently published by the Korea Institute for Military Strategy (KIMS). Is North Korea a small great power? In the article, Minnich reviews the different propellants that are driving North Korea to build up its arms. He presented a three-model framework of neorealist security, domestic politics, and normative symbols. According to Minnich, “If cooperative options remain to arrest Pyongyang’s buildup of strategic and nuclear arms, the requisite will be the task to understand those propellants.” The article is available online in both Korean and English. [...]

North Korea Is Becoming an Asset for China 

By |2022-02-15T08:12:41-10:00February 15th, 2022|Categories: Faculty Articles, External Publications, news, Cho|Tags: , , , , |

“North Korea Is Becoming an Asset for China” is a new article by Dr. Sungmin Cho for Foreign Affairs magazine. Co-authored with Oriana Skylar Mastro, the article discusses the latest round of missile testing by North Korea and its potential impact on US alliances with Japan and the Republic of Korea. According to the authors, "North Korea's missile tests are occurring at a time of stark, rising competition between the United States and the Pacific’s other great power: China... Pyongyang’s weapons program was long seen as a liability for Beijing, given the erratic and unpredictable behavior of North Korea’s leaders. [...]

China and North Korea: A New Peak of Comradeship

By |2022-01-05T13:03:10-10:00January 5th, 2022|Categories: Faculty Articles, External Publications, news, Cho|Tags: , |

"China and North Korea: A New Peak of Comradeship" is Dr. Sungmin Cho’s latest commentary made at the invitation of the Italian Institute for International Political Studies. In July 2021, commemorating the 60th anniversary of mutual defense treaty, Chinese President Xi Jinping said bilateral relations between China and North Korea should “unceasingly rise to new levels” in the world “undergoing profound changes unseen in a century.” How can one explain, in Xi Jinping’s own words, China’s “unswerving support” of North Korea in 2021? What events are likely to impact China-North Korea relations in 2022? Dr.Cho offers his answers to these [...]

How Vessel Identity Laundering Facilitates North Korea’s Maritime Sanctions Evasion

By |2021-12-17T15:09:10-10:00December 17th, 2021|Categories: news, Media|Tags: , , , |

The Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS) and the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Secuirty Studies (DKI APCSS) recently joined forces to create a webinar on "How Vessel Identity Laundering Facilitates North Korea 's Maritime Sanctions Evasion" In the video, C4ADS experts unravel a new and complex scheme named vessel identity laundering that ships are using to create fraudulent ship registrations with the International Maritime Organization (IMO). They explain how vessel identity laundering is a significant evolution from vessel identity tampering, and how this new tactic facilitates illegal activity (to avoid sanctions or engage in smuggling). Law [...]

Arms buildup between two Koreas heightens risk of conventional and nuclear war

By |2021-11-12T10:00:01-10:00November 12th, 2021|Categories: Faculty Articles, External Publications, Minnich, news|Tags: , , |

“Arms buildup between two Koreas heightens risk of conventional and nuclear war” is a new article written by DKI APCSS Professor Dr. James M. Minnich.  The article was published by NK Pro, a professional journal on the topic of North Korea. This in-depth review of military capabilities on the peninsula underscores obstacles to peace and catastrophic costs of war. Read the full article James M. Minnich  is a professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies.  The views expressed in this article are his own and do not reflect those of DKI APCSS, the U.S. Department of [...]

Modernizing US Alliance for Maritime Security in the Indo-Pacific

By |2021-08-02T14:57:29-10:00August 2nd, 2021|Categories: Faculty Articles, Watson, External Publications, news|Tags: , , |

Dr. Virginia Bacay Watson has written a chapter on “Modernizing U.S. Alliances for Maritime Security in the Indo-Pacific” for a new Pacific Forum publication, Issues & Insights Vol. 21, SR 2 — Advancing a Rules-based Maritime Order in the Indo-Pacific, which is now available online. In an excerpt from her chapter, Watson states that: “The U.S. alliance system was a post-World War II ‘strategic innovation’ credited with successfully protecting U.S. global and national interests for over seven decades. Today, however, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the hub-and-spokes system in Asia have lost their edge and are struggling to [...]

Combating Health-Related Cyber Security Threats with Health Systems Approaches

By |2021-07-14T08:48:54-10:00July 12th, 2021|Categories: Canyon, Journal, news, kevany|Tags: , , |

“Combating Health-Related Cyber Security Threats with Health Systems Approaches,” is the title of a paper by Drs. Sebastian Kevany and Deon Canyon, for Security Nexus. This article emphasizes the need for a multi-level approach to cyber security in protecting health care systems and information. Summary Cyber attacks on health systems are generally regarded as one of the most ethically-compromised activities enabled by the dark web and anonymous browsing apps. The risks to not just the health care system but also human lives are significant, and these threats are on the rise. Though only one element of a necessary multi-level effort [...]

Senior Leaders Wargame Insights into the U.S. – North Korea Nuclear Standoff

By |2021-06-22T15:19:50-10:00June 22nd, 2021|Categories: Canyon, Journal, news|Tags: , , |

“Senior Leaders Wargame Insights into the U.S. - North Korea Nuclear Standoff,” is the title of a paper by Dr. Deon Canyon, Jonathan Cham and Jim Potenza for Security Nexus. This article details how DKI APCSS employs wargames in courses to tackle the most complex and difficult regional challenges, and provides statistical results from a recent course. Summary In dealing with complex security issues and imperfect information, decision-makers frequently rely on mental models that limit their capacity to make fully rational decisions. Wargames can provide an innovative option for challenging assumptions based on past experience, exposing unassessed risk, and gaining [...]

How Beijing Sees Korea

By |2021-05-24T16:37:29-10:00May 24th, 2021|Categories: news, Cho, Media|Tags: , , |

Dr.Sungmin Cho recently joined ChinaTalk for a discussion on the dynamics among China, North and South Koreas. ChinaTalk is an interview-based show  sponsored by the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).   In this 40-minute episode, Dr.Cho discusses why North Korea failed to emulate Deng Xiaoping's Opening and reform policies, why China's wealthy and educated youth could be both liberal and nationalistic, and why China used to cooperate with Western organizations that aimed to democratize China." Listen to the Podcast Dr. Cho is a professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS) in Honolulu, [...]

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