Newsletter by SAND
2024. 11. 8 Number 38 | publisher Kyong-hui Choi
South And North Development
www. sand.or.kr
Just as Sand means sand in English, the SAND Research Institute will fill the empty space in inter-Korean relations and North Korea research amid the social focus, and communicate with society with a confident attitude and innovative research results. The SAND Research Institute, comprised of researchers from North and South Korea, will play its role as the main material to build a new 'house of unification' and pave the 'path to unification', just as sand is used as a key material for semiconductors in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Interview
Lee Jae-choon
former South Korean Ambassador to Russia
Former South Korean Ambassador to Russia Lee Jae-choon Predicts Russia-Ukraine War Will...
Lee Jae-choon, former South Korean Ambassador to Russia, predicts that the Russia-Ukraine conflict will mark the end of the Vladimir Putin era. In a recent interview with the SAND Newsletter team, conducted on the 4th at The North Korean Human Rights Museum in Seoul’s Sinyeong Building, Lee remarked, “Over the past two years and eight months, hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers have perished. Putin is struggling to handle the rising public frustration.”
kim Myong-sung's Inside North Korea
Kim Myong-sung
Secretary General of the SAND Institute
Ministry of National Defense: “Over 10,000 North Korean Troops Deployed to Russia...
Defectors' Podium
Lee Nam-su
Former North Korean Soldier Dispatched to Russia
Dear North Korean Soldiers Deployed to Russia, at the Crossroads of Life and Death
My Fellow Korean People's Army Soldiers, Likely Longing for Home from the Battlefields of Russia
I never imagined I’d be reaching out to you like this. I hope you’re all managing as best you can. With the weather turning colder, I worry if you’re able to stay warm. Russia’s climate is much harsher than back home in North Korea, and I know adjusting can’t be easy—it must be challenging for many...
Analysis of issues
Kim Kang-suk
Assistant Professor, Department of Arabic, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
Israel-Hamas and Israel-Hezbollah Conflicts, with Alleged North Korean Support for Tunnel Networks
The Israel-Hamas war, triggered by a surprise Hamas assault on October 7, 2023, has continued despite global diplomatic efforts. Israel has weakened Hamas’s military presence in southern Gaza, targeting figures like Yahya Sinwar, and has expanded its operations northward against Hezbollah. On September 17, 2024, Prime Minister Netanyahu broadened Israel’s objectives to include the return of residents from its northern border with Lebanon, alongside neutralizing Hamas, securing hostages, and...
News&Issue
Lee Seung-hyun
Research Fellow at SAND Institute
North Korean Activities in September and October
- Kim Jong-un Intensifies Focus in September...
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un focused on military affairs in September and October. North Korean media reported 21 public activities during these months (10 in September, 11 in October), with military engagements comprising 14 of them (7 in each month). In September, Kim Jong-un conducted 10 public activities, categorized as 2 in politics, 7 in military, and 1 in social/economic affairs, heavily skewed toward military engagements. His military inspections primarily focused on strategic assets such as nuclear...
NK Focus
North Korean Doctor, Inspired by Hallyu, Forms Anti-Regime Group and Recruits Followers to Spread...
A report reveals that a North Korean doctor, inspired by Hallyu (the Korean Wave), pledged in blood to form an anti-regime group, involving other people to spread religion and cultural beliefs. Analysts suggest that Hallyu's spread is shifting public consciousness and fueling anti-regime sentiment, which may explain Kim Jong-un's recent push for the "Two Korea Policy" to curb its influence. An internal North Korean educational video obtained by the SAND Team features a speaker discussing Dr. Choi: “A doctor named...
Kang In-deok's North Korean History
Kang In-deok
Former Minister of Unification of the Republic of Korea
North Korea 30 Years After Kim Il-sung's Death: Past, Present, and Future (8) - The Hereditary, Feudal Monarchy Is Bound to...
What about today’s successor, Kim Jong-un? On April 6, 2012, five months after Kim Jong-il’s death, Kim Jong-un delivered his first speech to key officials of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. He proclaimed, “The Kim Il-sung-Kim Jong-il ideology is a fully integrated Juche system of thought, theory, and methods, guiding our Juche generation. With it as our compass, we will drive forward party-building, revolutionary work, and...
Feature Article Series
Jeon Byung-kil
Senior Consultant of YESInnovation
former of Secretary General of UniKorea Foundation
Marketing In North Korea (10)
- How Jangmadang works behind the scenes
The first legal marketplace in North Korea was established in 1958 as a “farmers’ market” that provided daily necessities. The farmers’ market allowed limited transactions of agricultural and livestock products, excluding staple foods like rice and corn. Farmers from collective farms bartered items such as homegrown vegetables and chickens. During the years when North Korea’s economy functioned smoothly, these markets remained relatively unnoticed.
SAND Research Institute, 34 Sajik-ro 8-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
TEL: 82-70.8702.9077 | FAX: 82-70.8615.9077 | Email: sand.kp.2020@gmail.com
Sponsorship account: Woori Bank 1005-103-395698 (Account holder: Sand Corporation)