

The Impossible State
CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies
North Korea is the Impossible State. Each episode, join the people who know the most about North Korea for an insiders’ discussion with host Victor Cha about one of the United States’ top national security priorities.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 21, 2020 • 2sec
The China Shadow
On July 16, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging Sue Mi Terry with violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The indictment alleges activities that took place, in part, during a period in which Ms. Terry was employed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. CSIS is not a party to this litigation and takes the allegations seriously. CSIS maintains strict policies to ensure full compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act and the intellectual independence of its scholarship. In light of these serious allegations, CSIS cannot verify the independence of the scholarship of this material containing the views of Ms. Terry and has therefore archived this content pending the resolution of the charges.

Aug 3, 2020 • 24min
Bonus Episode: Living History with Ambassador Robert King
This bonus episode comes from CSIS’s Beyond Parallel Living History video series. We invite Robert King, former special envoy for North Korea human rights issues, to share his experience leading efforts to advance human rights and humanitarian conditions in North Korea. Ambassador King served as special envoy for North Korea human rights issues at the U.S. Department of State from 2009 – 2017.

Aug 3, 2020 • 14min
Bonus Episode: Living History with Ambassador Alexander Vershbow
This bonus episode comes from CSIS’s Beyond Parallel Living History video series. In this episode, former U.S. ambassador to South Korea Alexander Vershbow reflects on his work to bolster the U.S.-ROK alliance during his post in South Korea. He shares personal accounts of his experience negotiating key policies like the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and goes on to reveal his “diplomatic secret weapon” to establish rapport with South Korean citizens. Ambassador Vershbow served as U.S. ambassador to South Korea from 2005–2008.

Aug 3, 2020 • 9min
Bonus Episode: Living History with Ambassador Shin Kak-soo
This bonus episode comes from CSIS’s Beyond Parallel Living History video series. We invite Shin Kak-soo, former South Korean ambassador to Japan, to share his thoughts on the complexities of South Korea’s relations with Japan. Ambassador Shin served as the South Korean ambassador to Japan from 2011–2013.

Jul 9, 2020 • 47min
Batting in America: Korean Baseball
In this special episode, Ambassador Mark Lippert and Victor Cha bring together an all-star cast of Korean baseball experts to talk about the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), its games being broadcast live in America on ESPN, and the importance baseball has played in people-to-people relationships between the U.S. and Korea and their alliance.

Jun 29, 2020 • 1h 1min
ROK-U.S. Strategic Forum: Over-the-Horizon: The Future of U.S.-ROK Alliance
This virtual session, moderated by Dr. Young-kwan Yoon, Professor Emeritus at Seoul National University and Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, features a discussion on opportunities for the future-oriented U.S.-ROK collaboration in new concepts of security including cyber, AI, and outer space. This is Session III of CSIS's three-part ROK-U.S. Strategic Forum 2020, that took place on June 24th and June 25th, 2020.

Jun 29, 2020 • 1h 2min
ROK-U.S. Strategic Forum: Pandemics and the Global Responses
This virtual session, moderated by Ms. Anna Fifield, Beijing Bureau Chief at The Washington Post, features a discussion about the current global health crisis and the comprehensive impact of pandemics on the world. This is Session II of CSIS's three-part ROK-U.S. Strategic Forum 2020, that took place on June 24th and June 25th, 2020.

Jun 25, 2020 • 1h 2min
ROK-U.S. Strategic Forum: Peace on the Korean Peninsula
This virtual session moderated by Ambassador Mark Lippert, Senior Advisor at the CSIS Korea Chair and former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, features a discussion about the status of U.S.-ROK alliance in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Korean War.

Jun 19, 2020 • 2sec
Bolton Book and NK Blow UP
On July 16, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging Sue Mi Terry with violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The indictment alleges activities that took place, in part, during a period in which Ms. Terry was employed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. CSIS is not a party to this litigation and takes the allegations seriously. CSIS maintains strict policies to ensure full compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act and the intellectual independence of its scholarship. In light of these serious allegations, CSIS cannot verify the independence of the scholarship of this material containing the views of Ms. Terry and has therefore archived this content pending the resolution of the charges.

May 8, 2020 • 17min
Kim Jong Un Alive and so is North Korea's Missile Program
In this episode, Victor Cha and Joseph Bermudez discuss the reappearance of Kim Jong Un and the breaking news surrounding satellite images CSIS released this week of a previously undisclosed North Korean missile facility.