Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 19 hours ago
This Lecture of Opportunity took place on October 7, 2024. The views presented by the faculty or other guest speakers do not reflect official positions of the Naval War College, DON or DOD.
Synopsis:
The recent upgrade in relations between Russia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, or North Korea) illustrates the folly of trying to solve the North Korea nuclear issue in isolation of broader global realities. Since Kim Jong Un has come to power, he has time and again shown a willingness to break from tradition and adapt his policies to capitalize on the ever-evolving geopolitical landscape. Examining how these trends have shaped Kim’s calculation of threats and opportunities is crucial to finding a new path forward.
Speaker Bio:
Jenny Town is a Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center and the Director of Stimson’s Korea Program and 38 North. Her areas of expertise include North Korea, US-DPRK relations, US-ROK alliance relations and extended deterrence, and Northeast Asia regional security. She was named one of Worth Magazine’s “Groundbreakers 2020: 50 Women Changing the World” and one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business in 2019 for her role in co-founding and managing 38 North, which provides policy and technical analysis on North Korea.
Ms. Town is also an Associate Fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), a Member of the National Committee on North Korea, and an Associate Member of the Council of Korean Americans. She serves on the Editorial Board for Inkstick, an online foreign policy journal for emerging scholars. She previously served as the Assistant Director of the US-Korea Institute at SAIS (2008-2018) and an expert reviewer for North and South Korea for Freedom House’s Freedom in the World Index (2010-2023), where she previously worked on the Human Rights in North Korea Project.
Ms. Town holds a BA in East Asian Studies and International Relations from Westmar University and a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. She is a frequent commentator for a range of print, radio and television news, including Reuters, BBC, CNN, Financial Times, Deutche Welle, Voice of America, Japan Times, NHK, CGTN, BBC World Radio, and more. And has been featured on a number of podcasts including Asia Matters, The President’s Inbox, the Impossible State, Today Explained, The DSR Daily Brief, and more.
This Lecture of Opportunity took place on October 7, 2024. The views presented by the faculty or other guest speakers do not reflect official positions of the Naval War College, DON or DOD.
Synopsis:
The recent upgrade in relations between Russia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, or North Korea) illustrates the folly of trying to solve the North Korea nuclear issue in isolation of broader global realities. Since Kim Jong Un has come to power, he has time and again shown a willingness to break from tradition and adapt his policies to capitalize on the ever-evolving geopolitical landscape. Examining how these trends have shaped Kim’s calculation of threats and opportunities is crucial to finding a new path forward.
Speaker Bio:
Jenny Town is a Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center and the Director of Stimson’s Korea Program and 38 North. Her areas of expertise include North Korea, US-DPRK relations, US-ROK alliance relations and extended deterrence, and Northeast Asia regional security. She was named one of Worth Magazine’s “Groundbreakers 2020: 50 Women Changing the World” and one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business in 2019 for her role in co-founding and managing 38 North, which provides policy and technical analysis on North Korea.
Ms. Town is also an Associate Fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), a Member of the National Committee on North Korea, and an Associate Member of the Council of Korean Americans. She serves on the Editorial Board for Inkstick, an online foreign policy journal for emerging scholars. She previously served as the Assistant Director of the US-Korea Institute at SAIS (2008-2018) and an expert reviewer for North and South Korea for Freedom House’s Freedom in the World Index (2010-2023), where she previously worked on the Human Rights in North Korea Project.
Ms. Town holds a BA in East Asian Studies and International Relations from Westmar University and a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. She is a frequent commentator for a range of print, radio and television news, including Reuters, BBC, CNN, Financial Times, Deutche Welle, Voice of America, Japan Times, NHK, CGTN, BBC World Radio, and more. And has been featured on a number of podcasts including Asia Matters, The President’s Inbox, the Impossible State, Today Explained, The DSR Daily Brief, and more.
