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How dangerous is North Korea?

As the country marks the 75th anniversary of the Workers' Party, is there any hope for engagement with the rest of the world - or are we seeing a return to past behaviour?

This week North Korea celebrated 75 years of communism with a military parade at which it unveiled an giant intercontinental missile. The heavily choreographed event featured all the pomp and circumstance the world has come to expect from North Korea's mass human performances. It also contained a surprisingly emotional speech from Chairman Kim Jong-Un, who at times wept as he spoke about the country's struggles. The country’s first military parade in two years signalled a shift back to the more aggressive stance it used to adopt before the now stalled nuclear talks with the Trump administration. So is there any hope that temporary thaw created enduring opportunities for engagement with the rest of the world - or are we seeing a return to past behaviour? Ritula Shah and a panel of expert guests discuss - how dangerous is North Korea?

Available now

53 minutes

Last on

Sat 17 Oct 2020 03:06GMT

Contributors

Kathleen Stephens - former US Ambassador to South Korea; now head of the Korea Economic Institute

Jean Lee - former AP bureau chief in North Korea; now the director of the Korea programme at the Wilson Centre in Washington DC

Tong Zhao - Senior Fellow, Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy in Beijing

Also featuring

Melissa Hanham - expert on weapons of mass destruction with the Open Nuclear Network

Moon Chung-in - special foreign affairs advisor to South Korean President Moon Jae-in

Picture

Military vehicles are seen during a parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. Image released by North Korea"s Central News Agency KCNA via REUTERS

Broadcasts

  • Fri 16 Oct 2020 09:06GMT
  • Fri 16 Oct 2020 23:06GMT
  • Sat 17 Oct 2020 03:06GMT

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