March 29th, 2011

John Everard, Pantech Fellow, to join UN Security Council Panel of Experts

John Everard, 2010–2011 Pantech Fellow with the Stanford Korean Studies Program at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center and former UK Ambassador to North Korea, left Stanford at the end of March to take up a position with the UN Security Council's Panel of Experts, which advises and assists the UN committee that enforces military and economic sanctions against North Korea. Read more »

March 21st, 2011

Everard discusses social change and reform in North Korea

How is North Korean society changing and what is the potential for an Egypt-style revolution? John Everard, 2010-2011 Pantech Fellow and former U.S. Ambassador to North Korea, addressed this question in a recent Radio Free Asia (RFA) interview, noting that senior government leaders pose the greatest obstacle to reform. Korean-language transcripts of two segments of the interview are available on the RFA website.

• » RFA: Unclear for now what effect will be on North Korea of events in Egypt
• » RFA: Senior leadership, and their fear of loss of legitimacy, is the biggest obstacle to reform in North Korea

February 28th, 2011

Pantech Fellow John Everard discusses North Korea’s markets and ruling elite

As the world continues to wonder about the possibility of a regime change, North Korea, in the grip of a record-breaking harsh winter, has asked for international food aid. Does this spell social and political unrest? John Everard, the 2010-2011 Pantech Fellow at the Stanford Korean Studies Program, was quoted recently in the Washington Post and the New York Times, regarding North Korea’s markets and ruling elite perspectives about food distribution within the context of the current situation.

• » Washington Post: Starving N. Korea begs for food, but U.S. has concerns about resuming aid
• » New York Times: Hardships fail to loosen regime's grip in N. Korea

February 9th, 2011

Pantech Fellow John Everard's observations of markets in North Korea's capital city

During his time as UK Ambassador to North Korea from 2006 to 2008, John Everard frequently studied the bustling official and unofficial markets in the capital city of Pyongyang. The markets are places to purchase everything from food to domestic wares to even luxury goods, and they are probably also centers for the exchange of information. Everard concludes that the North Korean government warily tolerates the markets due to their economic importance, and that they serve as "both an ideological and a political challenge to the regime." He shared his observations at a talk held at the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) on February 2, 2011. Full audio and video recordings of the event are available on the KEI website, as well as a copy of Everard's presentation slides and his paper "The Markets of Pyongyang." Everard is the 2010-2011 Pantech Fellow with the Stanford Korean Studies Program.

• » KEI: The markets of Pyongyang
• » Dong-A Ilbo: Rice aid in North Korea's black markets

October 28th, 2010

Shorenstein APARC experts take part in "North Korea 2010" forum

An international forum on North Korea was held in Palo Alto on October 26, 2010, in an effort to educate the public on reunifying the two Koreas. The San Francisco Chapter of the National Unification Advisory Council organized the forum. Approximately 150 audience members heard panelists speak about the economic, social, and political challenges that face South Korea today in its preparation for a peaceful reunification, as well as about their visions for the future of North Korea. Read more »