The World On arirang

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledged a “frontal breakthrough” against sanctions on the regime during a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea held at the end of last year. But Pyeongyang has kept a low profile ever since. Experts cite the outbreak of coronavirus in China as one of the possible reasons for the North’s silence. North Korea sealed its border with its biggest trading partner to prevent the spread of the epidemic. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly told his advisers that he doesn’t want another summit with Kim before the U.S. presidential election in Nov. How will the coronavirus outbreak affect North Korea’s “frontal breakthrough” offensive as well as its nuclear negotiations with the U.S.?
To break down the latest developments, we are joined by Chung Ku-youn, Professor at Kangwon National University. To broaden the perspective, we also connect with guest experts on Skype, including Stephen Noerper, Senior Director for Policy at the Korea Society and Benjamin Silberstein, Associate Scholar in the Foreign Policy Research Institute.