Peter Ward: Inside North Korea’s expanding crackdown on ‘unsocialist’ behavior

This week, NK News Data Correspondent Anton Sokolin opens the episode with a roundup of recent developments on the Korean Peninsula, including the resumption of China-North Korea passenger rail service and plans to restart flights. He also touches on the DPRK’s weekend test of multiple launch rocket systems, as well as how Russian media is portraying the North’s involvement in the Ukraine war.  missile launches, such as the tests of long-range multiple launch rocket systems, as well as the regime’s growing ties with Russia, including how the DPRK’s involvement in the Ukraine war is being portrayed by Russian media. In the second half of the episode, Peter Ward discusses his latest research on North Korea’s legal system and expanding crackdowns on a range of “unsocialist activities.” He explains how the regime balances enforcement and tolerance in the economic sphere while tightening control over information and ideology. The interview also explores broader trends under leader Kim Jong Un, including shifts in elite politics, the evolution of North Korea’s nuclear strategy and the outcome of the recent Ninth Party Congress. Peter Ward is a research fellow at the Sejong Institute. His work focuses on North Korean politics, the economy and society. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Vienna. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot 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.