On January 9, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held the ‘2026 North Korea Situation Outlook Roundtable’ with North Korea experts from the domestic academic community. The event was chaired by Jeong Yeon-du, Director of the Foreign Strategy Information Bureau, and several experts presented on major trends and the outlook for North Korea in 2026.
Participants included Ko Yoo-hwan, Honorary Professor of North Korean Studies at Dongguk University, Lee Sang-hyun, Honorary Research Fellow at the Sejong Institute, Kim Heung-kyu, Director of the China-US Policy Institute at Ajou University, and Doo Jin-ho, Director of the Eurasia Research Center at the Korea National Strategy Institute. They discussed major trends in North Korea’s relations with South Korea, the US, and other countries, as well as the outlook for 2026.
Attendees assessed the current situation on the Korean Peninsula, where North Korea is not coming to the dialogue table, and exchanged candid opinions on various efforts our government can make to open the door for dialogue between South and North Korea and between North Korea and the US. They also discussed the roles and cooperation plans of relevant countries to promote peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
Going forward, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to exchange situation analyses with domestic and international experts and major countries to ensure that North Korea-related foreign policies are established and implemented based on timely and accurate situation analysis and evaluation.