How nuclear weapons help North Korea punch above its weight – Ep. 253

North Korea is a small country, with a tiny economy and rigid political system, squeezed between much larger, richer nations. And yet its nuclear weapons allow it to dominate discourse about the region, give it a seat at the table with the U.S. and propel leader Kim Jong Un to front-page headlines.  To Dr. Sung-Yoon Lee, assistant professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, this is particularly chilling because North Korea has used this influence to sponsor terrorism, proliferate weapons and launder money, all while oppressing its own people and depriving them of aid and support from the international community. On this episode of the NK News Podcast, Lee (@sungyoonlee1) discusses why he opposed summits with Kim Jong Un, the struggle for Korean legitimacy between North and South, why the phrase “denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” is fundamentally flawed, how North Korea seeks to change the status quo and his forthcoming book “The Sister,” about Kim Yo Jong. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot (@JaccoZed) exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.