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Artwork for North Korea News Podcast by NK News

North Korea News Podcast by NK News

NK News
North Korea
South Korea
Russia
Kim Jong Un
United States
Satellite Imagery
Korean Peninsula
OSINT
China
Japan
Nuclear Weapons
Demilitarized Zone
Missile Launches
United Nations Command
Kim Jong-Un
Military Intelligence
Weapons Trade
Choe Son Hui
Us-South Korea Alliance
Satellite Launches

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

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes300Founded8 years ago
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Artwork for North Korea News Podcast by NK News

Latest Episodes

Korea Risk Group Executive Director Jeongmin Kim kicks off the podcast this week by discussing North Korea’s positive response after Seoul expressed regret for past civilian drone incursions, only to quickly undercut hopes for inter-Korean detente wi... more

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NK News founder Chad O’Carroll begins this week’s episode by discussing the death of North Korea’s longtime representative to the International Olympic Committee, a South Korean helicopter’s accidental flight into the demilitarized zone during a fire... more

YouTube

NK News Data Correspondent Anton Sokolin kicks off this week’s episode with a look at Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s visit to Pyongyang for a summit last week, and his potential to serve as an intermediary between Kim Jong Un and Donald ... more

YouTube

NK News Correspondent Joon Ha Park opens this week’s episode by discussing the first session of the new Supreme People’s Assembly, which reappointed Kim Jong Un as North Korea’s head of state and carried out a generational reshuffle of officials. He ... more

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Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Ankit Panda
Stanton Senior Fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Episode: Ankit Panda: How North Korea could take its military modernization to space
Pit Heltmann
Former German ambassador to Pyongyang (2018-2020)
German Foreign Service
Episode: Pit Heltmann: Diplomacy in North Korea before the world shut down
Peter Ward
Research fellow at the Sejong Institute
Sejong Institute
Episode: Peter Ward: Inside North Korea’s expanding crackdown on ‘unsocialist’ behavior
Shreyas Reddy
NK News staffer providing news wrap
NK News
Episode: A canceled Pyongyang marathon, a renamed community and a harsh reality in China
Hanna Song
Researcher at NKDB discussing NKDB report
NKDB
Episode: A canceled Pyongyang marathon, a renamed community and a harsh reality in China
Colin Zwirko
Analyst guest providing North Korea coverage
NK News
Episode: Roundtable: What we learned from North Korea’s Ninth Party Congress
Alec Zubrick
Senior Manager, Global Services APAC at Chainalysis, an expert on North Korea's crypto operations.
Chainalysis
Episode: Alec Zebrick: What 2025 taught us about North Korea’s crypto strategy
Dr. Sang-sin Lee
Senior research fellow and polling expert at the Korea Institute for National Unification
Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU)
Episode: Lee Sang-sin: Why most South Koreans no longer see unification as necessary
Roland de Courson
French journalist and global news editor in Seoul
Agence France-Presse
Episode: Roland de Courson: Photographing the demilitarized zone’s unseen stories

Host

Jacco Zwetsloot
Host of the NK News Podcast, involved in discussions covering the latest news and insights about North Korea.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 588 ratings
  • Jacko is the Best

    This show is unique and the host is excellent at getting fascinating guests and interviewing them. I have learned so much about the DPRK. Love the roundtable of reporters also.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Cesare Beccaria
    United Statesa year ago
  • Jeongmin Kim is fantastic

    The entire podcast is great, but Jeongmin Kim really stands out when she’s on. She is very well spoken and fantastic at explaining things and providing commentary. She would make a great lead host for the podcast.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    amelialanb
    United Statesa year ago
  • Backseat “Journalists”

    Who talk about reports, which are none. Pretty ridiculous stories and conclusions.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    nickhjj
    Germanya year ago
  • I'm always a fan of Kim Jong Un and North Korea -- there is no other credentialed leader of our time.

    Podchaser
    5
    Tara Ray
    2 years ago
  • Such good info, room for sound quality improvement

    I love this show. I’m a lay person who is interested in North Korea and I listen to this show start to finish every week. So well done and a good mix of wonky stuff with super accessible info.

    But can we get Jacko a good mic for when he’s doing interviews from home? They’re not that spendy and the sound quality is so bad when he does interviews outside the studio.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Boo 5769
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Overall, the podcast is viewed as a valuable resource for understanding the complexities of North Korea and related geopolitical themes.
Listeners appreciate the excellent hosts, particularly praising their ability to secure fascinating guests and insightful interviews.
The content is lauded for being thorough and well-researched, providing a unique perspective on North Korea that is not commonly found elsewhere.
Critics point out concerns regarding sound quality and note some episodes could benefit from more structured dialogue.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Pit Heltmann: Diplomacy in North Korea before the world shut down
Q: What concrete practices would you insist on for the next ambassador on day one in Pyongyang?
Prioritize broad outreach to government agencies beyond the foreign ministry, cultivate contacts with parliament and NGOs, and set modest, achievable goals while maintaining long-term persistence despite obstacles.
Pit Heltmann: Diplomacy in North Korea before the world shut down
Q: What did an average day look like in your final months in Pyongyang before the COVID shutdown?
Daily diplomacy involved limited exchange, long formal statements, and attempts to maintain channels through formal meetings, with some informal opportunities for direct conversation when possible, especially later as restrictions began to bite.
Ankit Panda: North Korea’s deterrence calculus after US strikes on Iran
Q: I'd like to ask you, what failed first? Was it the restocking of Iranian missile stocks, the nuclear threshold posture, the diplomacy, or the strategic concept that tied it all together?
The essential failure involved a combination of strategic miscalculations that culminated in deterrence collapse, with the launches of Operation True Promise 1 and 2 removing uncertainty about Iran's capabilities and undermining confidence in deterring actions, which then influenced subsequent dynamics and the broader regional balance.
Lee Sang-sin: Why most South Koreans no longer see unification as necessary
Q: If South and North Korea can peacefully coexist, is unification really necessary?
Our survey suggests that more people prefer the idea of peaceful coexistence over unification.
Lee Sang-sin: Why most South Koreans no longer see unification as necessary
Q: Given the current environment, how does that affect what tasks and roles should KINU prioritize?
We cannot give up the goal of unification, even as public sentiment changes.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About North Korea News Podcast by NK News

What is North Korea News Podcast by NK News about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This podcast offers a comprehensive exploration of topics related to North Korea, featuring in-depth discussions on contemporary news, political developments, and cultural insights. Noteworthy episodes include interviews with experts in diverse fields such as digital technology, cryptocurrency, and South Korean public opinion on unification. The content is likely to attract both general listeners interested in geopolitics and individuals seeking specialized knowledge about North Korea's evolving landscape, making it a unique resource for anyone keen on understanding the complexities of the region's affairs.

The format typically combines informative dialogue with expert guest contributions, presenting a nuanced understanding of North Korean... more

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Which podcasts are similar to North Korea News Podcast by NK News?

These podcasts share a similar audience with North Korea News Podcast by NK News:

1. The Impossible State
2. KOREA PRO Podcast
3. In Moscow's Shadows
4. ChinaPower
5. The Ancients

How many episodes of North Korea News Podcast by NK News are there?

North Korea News Podcast by NK News launched 8 years ago and published 300 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on North Korea News Podcast by NK News?

Recent guests on North Korea News Podcast by NK News include:

1. Ankit Panda
2. Pit Heltmann
3. Peter Ward
4. Shreyas Reddy
5. Hanna Song
6. Colin Zwirko
7. Alec Zubrick
8. Dr. Sang-sin Lee

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