FROM AMERICA’S PUBLIC BROADCASTING SYSTEM – North Korea has long rallied its people with bombastic threats against the U.S., but lately the evolving war of words has escalated between the two countries. Nick Schifrin speaks with Kathleen Stephens of Stanford University and Balbina Hwang of Georgetown University about President Trump’s rhetoric and its possible real-world effects.
Here is the ten-minute PBS presentation on whether President Donald Trump’s war of words with North Korean President Kim John Un is too risky or in fact helpful.
Kathleen Stephens, a former distinguished career U.S. diplomat, served as ambassador to the Republic of (South) Korea from 2008-2011, among numerous important postings, and currently is the William J. Perry Fellow in the Korea Program at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC). She is chair of the influential Pacific Century Institute, the noted non-profit which is an alliance partner of Asia Media International. She tweets at @AmbStephens.
Dr. Balbina Hwang is Visiting Professor at Georgetown University, and Adjunct Research Associate at IHS Markit. From 2007 to 2009, she served as Senior Special Advisor to Ambassador Christopher Hill, Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, at the U.S. State Department. Prior to joining the State Department in a variety of posts, she was Senior Policy Analyst for Northeast Asia in the Asian Studies Center of The Heritage Foundation, a think tank (2000-2007).