You are cordially invited to attend a lecture on the topic of
The Evolution of North Korean Espionage
with
Dr. Amanda J. Won
Director, IWP China/Asia Program
This event is part of the Asia Initiative Lecture Series and is the Inaugural lecture of the China/Asia Program.
Thursday, October 13, 2022
4:30-6:00 PM EDT
The Institute of World Politics
1521 16th St. NW
Washington D.C. 20036
Marlatt Mansion, Commodore Barry Room
Getting to campus
***The lecture will be livestreamed HERE***
About the Lecture: In the world of espionage, North Korea remains one of the hardest targets as it remains the most reclusive and enigmatic communist regime on the planet. The question remains, then, how did North Korea develop its Modus Operandi (M.O.) in order to achieve its ultimate foreign policy goal? – which is the “revolutionization” of South Korea through reunification under Kim Jong Un.
In this lecture, first, North Korea’s exploitation of its unique Juche ideology as a tool of indoctrination will be discussed – specifically, North Korea’s totalitarian and monolithic dictatorial system, known as suryong, meaning Supreme Leader, will be assessed. Second, the evolution of North Korea’s conduct of espionage during and after the Cold-War will be highlighted, including traditional espionage operations – recruitment of South Koreans – as well as special operations, such as terrorist attacks. Third, several cases of North Korea’s exploitation of its intelligence officers will be addressed – those who were brainwashed to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the regime until their defection to the U.S. or South Korea to pursue their life of freedom.
About the Speaker: Amanda Jihyun Won recently graduated from The Institute of World Politics’ (IWP) Doctor of Statecraft and National Security (DSNS) program, and beginning in September 2022, she will be serving as Director of the China Asia Program at IWP. Amanda is also the founder of IWP’s Asia Initiative Lecture Series (AILS) through which diverse scholar-practitioners have presented their expertise on Asia.
Amanda holds an M.P.S. in Arts and Cultural Management from the Pratt Institute in New York and an M.A. in Government (with a specialization in National Security Studies) from Johns Hopkins University. Her professional experience includes having worked in both the NGO and government sectors, serving as a legislative assistant at the New York City Council and as a Diplomatic & Consular Affairs and Partnership intern at the New York City Mayor’s Office for International Affairs. She has also worked at the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) where she was a contributor to that organization’s publication: The Parallel Gulag: North Korea’s “An-Jeon-Bu” Prison Camps.
Dr. Won will also be teaching a course at IWP on the topic of North Korean Espionage starting in the Spring Semester of 2023.
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