• Research
  • Politika
  • About
Carnegie Russia Eurasia center logoCarnegie lettermark logo
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Richard Sokolsky",
    "Yuri Lee"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "",
  "programs": [],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America",
    "United States",
    "East Asia",
    "South Korea",
    "North Korea"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Nuclear Policy",
    "Arms Control",
    "Global Governance",
    "Foreign Policy"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media

North Korean Defense Conversion: New Opportunities for Inter-Korean Cooperation?

In the event a peace and security regime for the Korean Peninsula leads to North Korean agreement to reduce its conventional weapons and equipment, Kim may want to convert portions of the North’s defense industries to production of civilian goods.

Link Copied
By Richard Sokolsky and Yuri Lee
Published on Apr 18, 2019

Source: 38 North

Kim Jong Un is committed to North Korea’s economic development and has prioritized this goal over military modernization. In the event a peace and security regime for the Korean Peninsula leads to North Korean agreement to reduce its conventional weapons and equipment, Kim may want to convert portions of the North’s defense industries to production of civilian goods. Re-purposing these facilities for civilian uses could give a boost to North-South normalization and reconciliation as well as present opportunities for closer North-South economic cooperation and possibly multinational participation in the conversion program. To date, Pyongyang and Seoul have not given much thought to cooperative North Korean defense conversion. But if inter-Korean relations move forward this subject could assume greater importance on their agenda for normalization and reconciliation.

Read the Full Text

This article was originally published by 38 North.

About the Authors

Richard Sokolsky

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program

Richard Sokolsky is a nonresident senior fellow in Carnegie’s Russia and Eurasia Program. His work focuses on U.S. policy toward Russia in the wake of the Ukraine crisis.

Yuri Lee

Yuri Lee is a research freelancer supporting 38 North Director Joel Wit. Prior to her freelance work, she was a Research and Program Intern at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. She currently works at Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a legal advocacy nonprofit dedicated to protecting the rights of immigrant communities and communities of color. She holds a B.A. in History from Dartmouth College.

Authors

Richard Sokolsky
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program
Richard Sokolsky
Yuri Lee

Yuri Lee is a research freelancer supporting 38 North Director Joel Wit. Prior to her freelance work, she was a Research and Program Intern at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. She currently works at Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a legal advocacy nonprofit dedicated to protecting the rights of immigrant communities and communities of color. She holds a B.A. in History from Dartmouth College.

Nuclear PolicyArms ControlGlobal GovernanceForeign PolicyNorth AmericaUnited StatesEast AsiaSouth KoreaNorth Korea

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    What’s Having More Impact on Russian Oil Export Revenues: Ukrainian Strikes or Rising Prices?

    Although Ukrainian strikes have led to a noticeable decline in the physical volume of Russian oil exports, the rise in prices has more than made up for it.

      • Sergey Vakulenko

      Sergey Vakulenko

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Russia Is Meddling for Meddling’s Sake in the Middle East

    The Russian leadership wants to avoid a dangerous precedent in which it is squeezed out of Iran by the United States and Israel—and left powerless to respond in any meaningful way.

      Nikita Smagin

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Will Hungary’s New Leader Really Change EU Policy on Russia and Ukraine?

    Orbán created an image for himself as virtually the only opponent of aid to Ukraine in the entire EU. But in reality, he was simply willing to use his veto to absorb all the backlash, allowing other opponents to remain in the shadows.

      Maksim Samorukov

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Is There a Place for Russia in the New Race Back to the Moon?

    Despite having the resources and expertise, the Russian space industry missed the opportunity to offer the United States or China a mutually rewarding partnership in the lunar race.

      Georgy Trishkin

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Power, Pathways, and Policy: Grounding Central Asia’s Digital Ambitions

    Central Asia’s digital ambitions are achievable, but only if policy is aligned with the region’s physical constraints.

      Aruzhan Meirkhanova

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
Carnegie Russia Eurasia logo, white
  • Research
  • Politika
  • About
  • Experts
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • For Media
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.