Preparing for the Future on the Korean Peninsula: OPCON Transition and Northeast Asia Command
Author: Bruce Klingner
The long-standing bilateral U.S.-South Korean agreement to transition wartime operational control (OPCON) of South Korean forces from Washington to Seoul has been constrained by South Korean nationalism and political factionalism as well as conflicting U.S. desire and reluctance to relinquish primary control. More broadly, the U.S. insists that its Indo-Pacific allies assume greater responsibility for their defense to enable U.S. forces to prioritize defense of the first island chain, including Taiwan. This has triggered conflicting recommendations for reorganizing the U.S. military command structure in the Pacific along with concurrent Korean fears of abandonment and entanglement.
(Pages 1 – 28)
North Korea’s Arming of the Revisionist Middle East: How Effective?
Author: Bruce E. Bechtol, Jr.
Since the United States and Israel went to war with Iran in February 2026, press coverage has largely ignored North Korea’s decades-long role in building the capabilities Iran and its proxies have used against the United States, Israel, and Arab states. This article traces that proliferation. It shows how North Korean Scud, No Dong, and Musudan technology evolved into Iran’s Qiam, Shahab-3, Emad, Ghadr, and Khorramshahr missiles, and how cooperation on an 80-ton rocket booster tied to the Hwasong-12/14/15 likely gave Tehran advanced IRBM and ICBM technology. It also examines North Korean contributions to Iran’s fast attack craft, Ghadir-class mini-submarines, and hardened underground missile and nuclear facilities. The article then follows Pyongyang’s support for Iran’s “encirclement” strategy against Israel: chemical weapons and Scud missiles for Assad’s Syria, tunnel networks for Hezbollah and Hamas, rockets and anti-tank missiles used in the October 7, 2023 attacks, and missiles and conventional arms for the Houthis. It concludes that although the encirclement strategy has proven a military failure, Iran and its surviving proxies will likely turn again to North Korea to rearm, making disruption of Pyongyang’s supply networks essential to stability in the Middle East.
(Pages 29 – 52)
China, the United States, and the Two Koreas
Author: Gordon G. Chang
China, by various stratagems, made sure North Korea developed nuclear weapons, thereby frustrating the United States. President Trump, in his first term, hoped to separate Pyongyang from Beijing but failed. It appears he will try again, perhaps by again offering a nuclear freeze. In the meantime, a bold North Korea has merchandised missiles to Iran, perhaps providing all the components for an intercontinental ballistic missile. South Korea’s leftist president, Lee Jae Myung, has made fresh overtures to Pyongyang, but Kim Jong Un is turning them down. Korean issues will almost certainly be discussed in talks between Trump and Xi Jinping.
(Pages 53 – 67)
North Korea’s Abduction Apparatus: Intelligence Organizations and Institutional Reorganization
Author: Greg Scarlatoiu
North Korea’s abductions of Japanese and South Korean nationals, as well as citizens of other countries, were conducted through an intelligence apparatus involving Workers’ Party organizations, military capabilities, and overseas support networks. Drawing on interviews with former North Korean officials and South Korean and U.S. experts, this article examines the institutional responsibilities, operational coordination, and organizational changes associated with these activities. It traces the role of the Korean Workers’ Party’s Investigations Department, its division into separate intelligence and operational organizations in the mid-1980s, and the incorporation of several intelligence functions into the Reconnaissance General Bureau in 2009. The findings identify distinct but complementary responsibilities for intelligence collection, operational execution, and logistical support, while revealing differences among interviewees regarding military participation and the motivations for institutional reorganization. The article highlights the importance of distinguishing formal organizational structures from effective political control in understanding North Korea’s abduction apparatus.
(Pages 68 – 78)
The (Un)wavering Echo of Patriotism: South Korean Identity and Political Legitimacy in President Yoon’s 69th Memorial Day Speech
Author: Ali Maksum
South Korea’s national identity is closely shaped by historical memory and the unresolved conflict on the Korean Peninsula. Yet, presidential speeches remain underexplored as sites where national identity and political legitimacy are actively constructed. Using discourse analysis, this article examines President Yoon Suk Yeol’s speech at the 69th Memorial Day in 2024. It argues that while Yoon mobilized historical narratives and patriotic rhetoric to reinforce nationalism, his emotive appeal failed to alleviate domestic political criticism. Instead, the speech exposed the limits of nationalist rhetoric, contributing to Yoon’s early transition into a “lame duck” presidency despite substantial remaining time in office.
(Pages 79 – 109)