Filed Under: 38 North, Inter-Korean Politics, North Korea, U.S.-DPRK relations

The U.S.-Korea Institute at SAIS is pleased to announce the launch of 38 North, a website devoted to analysis of North Korea. While this site will strive to break new ground, its main objective is to provide the best possible analysis to all those who work on North Korea for a living—the expert community, government officials and the media—and who are interested in what happens there. Too often analysis of the North is based on inexperience, inaccurate information or just plain bad deductive reasoning. This website will be based on the humble acknowledgement that no one really knows for sure what is going on in North Korea, but we can at least try to understand the possibilities. And anyone who professes certainty should be viewed with the greatest skepticism.

To accomplish these objectives, 38 North will harness the experience of long-time observers of North Korea and others who have dealt directly with North Koreans to produce quality analysis. Moreover, it will also draw on others outside the field who may bring fresh, well, informed insights to those of us who follow North Korea.

It will not just cover North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction, but everything else that’s going on in and around the North that should be of concern. The authors will attempt to dig beneath the surface of political, economic, social and other developments. North Korea is s country that has been in the throws of change, good and bad, for over a decade, and those changes have important implications for the Korean peninsula, the East Asian region and the international community.

In addition to our analytical fare, this site will feature articles by guest commentators, such as James Church, the noted mystery novelist whose main character, Inspector O, has become well known to those of us who follow Korea. It will occasionally run editorials and will strive as much as possible for ideological balance, publishing opposing opinions when possible.

We invite you to visit the site today and to engage in informed dialogue and debate with each of the authors.  www.38north.org.

38 North is a program of the U.S.-Korea Institute at SAIS (USKI), managed by Joel Wit, Visiting Scholar, and Jenny Town, Research Associate. The views and opinions expressed within the site are of the authors and do not necessarily reflect USKI policy or positions. To learn more about this initiative or to pitch story ideas, contact .