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.

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160 episodes
Updated Monday

Episodes160

Newest first

Monday · 47 min
Poisoning the Well: U.S.-Korea Trade Tension
Dr. Victor Cha, Adam Farrar, Eunjoong Kim, and Wonchul Kim discussed the recent U.S. House Judiciary Committee report on discriminatory practices, expiration of Section 122 tariffs, and the Korean investment deals.
July 1 · 50 min
What is North Korea learning from Russia's war in Ukraine?
Dr. Victor Cha, Ms. Kate Bondar, and Mr. Bruce Klingner discussed how the Ukraine war is reshaping warfare, what North Korea may learn from Russia, and the implications for Korean Peninsula security.
June 12 · 46 min
How Should the United States Counter the CRINK Axis?
Dr. Victor Cha, Igor Khrestin, Joseph Kim, and Dr. Maria Snegovaya joined host Will Todman to discuss CRINK’s key vulnerabilities and examine U.S. policy recommendations for addressing the challenges the grouping poses to democracy, human rights, economic security, and national security. The discussion will draw on the GWBI’s recent report on CRINK and explore the implications of growing alignment among these authoritarian actors.
June 10 · 47 min
The CRINK Challenge: Implications for North Korea and Global Security
In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Edward Howell, and Mr. Sydney Seiler discussed North Korea's relationships with the CRINK countries and examine Beijing’s priorities heading into an imminent Xi-Kim summit.
May 27 · 45 min
Cold Peace: Engaging DPRK to Reduce Risk and Threat
In this episode, Mr. Sydney Seiler moderated a discussion with Ambassador Joseph Yun and Mr. Adam Farrar to examine the new frameworks proposed in Dr. Victor Cha’s recent Foreign Affairs article, “North Korea as It Is: The Case for a Cold Peace,” and to explore how the international community might engage North Korea, acknowledge the reality of its nuclear status, mitigate and reduce risks, and potentially establish a peaceful environment that could eventually lead to some form of denuclearizati
May 13 · 35 min
Privileged But Powerless
In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha and Dr. Jieun Baek discussed her new book, Privileged but Powerless: How North Korean Elite Grievances Reveal the Regime’s Greatest Weakness, and examined how grievances among North Korea’s elites may shape the regime’s future stability and security, while also exploring new approaches to addressing the North Korean threat.
May 5 · 37 min
Korean Messiah
In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha moderated a discussion with Jonathan Cheng on how the surprising ties between the Kim dynasty and American Christianity shaped North Korea’s leadership, and how power, belief, and narrative intersect in the hermit kingdom, influencing dynamics in Northeast Asia and the broader international landscape.
April 23 · 39 min
Is the Pivot to Asia Dead?
In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha moderated a discussion with Dr. Tom Wright and Dr. Kristi Govella on examining Washington’s failed pivot to Asia, expectations for Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi’s visit to Washington, and its potential impact on the Korean Peninsula, the Indo-Pacific region, and broader regional dynamics.
April 8 · 29 min
The BTS Homecoming: Does Korea's Soft Power Work?
In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha moderated a discussion with Dr. Jinaeng Choi and Timothy Martin to discuss the recent BTS comeback concert, how Korean culture around the world can impact Korea's soft power, how it may influence global audiences, and more.
March 2 · 40 min
The Four Talent Giants
In this episode, Mr. Sydney Seiler moderated a discussion with Stanford University Professor Gi-Wook Shin on his recent book, The Four Talent Giants, and how these four “talent giants” countries achieved economic power and sustained momentum by responding to risks and challenges such as demographic crises, brain drain, and geopolitical tensions, drawing on his Four Bs theory—brain train, brain gain, brain circulation, and brain linkage—to explain national strength and success.
February 13 · 40 min
Korea Update: NDS, Coupang and Congress
In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha moderated a discussion with Adam Farrar and Igor Khrestin on the recent Coupang investigation, the key elements of Trump’s National Defense Strategy, what that means for South Korea and for any future response to North Korean threats, and more.
February 2 · 47 min
North Korea in 2026: Intentions, Realities, and Response
Sydney Seiler, Dr. Patrick Cronin, Rachel Minyoung Lee, and Markus Garlauskas discussed North Korea's direction in 2026 and what to expect from Kim Jong Un in terms of the diplomatic front with Moscow, Beijing, the ROK, the U.S., and more.
January 16 · 42 min
Recalibrating U.S.-ROK Alliance: Strategic Priorities for 2026
In this episode, Mr. Sydney Seiler moderated a discussion with Dr. Chansong Lee and Dr. Bee Yun Jo of the Sejong Institute on the overall outlook of the U.S.–South Korea alliance leading up to 2026, including extended deterrence, the Nuclear Consultative Group, the OPCON transfer, shipbuilding, and other strategic issues.
Dec 9, 2025 · 44 min
Is North Korean Denuclearization Dead?
On this episode, Dr. Victor Cha moderates a discussion with Amb. Cho Byung Jae and Dr. Jun Bong-geun on North Korea’s nuclear program and the future of diplomacy. The episode explores Pyongyang’s constitutional embrace of nuclear weapons, Seoul’s E.N.D. initiative to revive dialogue, and President Trump’s push for summitry.
Nov 24, 2025 · 38 min
What Does China Want?
Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Zenobia Chan, and Ms. Henrietta Levin discussed whether China is a status quo power with limited global aims, or a revisionist state with goals of expanding power and reshaping the global international order, and more.
Nov 14, 2025 · 37 min
South Korea’s Nuclear Submarine Deal: What’s Next?
Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Kang Choi, and Dr. Beomchul Shin discussed the outcomes of the APEC meetings, South Korea’s nuclear submarine deal with the United States, and potential next steps.
Oct 22, 2025 · 38 min
Upcoming U.S.-ROK Summit and the Future of Inter-Korean Engagement
Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Andrew Yeo, and Mr. Sydney Seiler discussed the future of inter-Korean engagement, the upcoming APEC meetings, and the upcoming summit meeting between Presidents Trump and Lee.
Oct 15, 2025 · 41 min
What to Expect? New Leadership in Japan
Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. James Brady, and Mr. Tobias Harris discussed the newly elected leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Sanae Takaichi—who is likely to become the next prime minister following a parliamentary vote in mid-October—as well as trilateral relations among the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Japan, foreign policy views, and more.
Oct 6, 2025 · 43 min
President Lee's First 100 Days
Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Jeonghun Min, and Dr. Hanbeom Jeong discussed President Lee’s first 100 days in office, the implications of his foreign policies for extended deterrence, U.S.–ROK and U.S.–North Korea engagement, and more.
Sep 29, 2025 · 45 min
Trump and the Autocratic Axis
Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Patricia Kim, and Dr. Thomas Wright discussed the growing cooperation among the autocratic countries of China, Russia, and North Korea as they push back against U.S. influence and the U.S.-led international order; the strategies the United States might leverage to counter this bloc; the implications for U.S. policy and its allies; and more.