After Kim Jong-il: America and the Two Koreas

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“In the Asia Pacific in the 21st century, the United States of America is all in.”

That was President Obama, speaking to the Australian Parliament this past November. As the United States refocuses its foreign policy and sets its sights on Asia, a drama is unfolding in North Korea.

The sudden death of Kim Jong-Il and the succession to power of his young and inexperienced son has raised questions about Korea’s future and put the world on edge. What will the leadership change in North Korea mean for the future of America’s relationship with the two Koreas, for denuclearization or the reunification of the Korean peninsula?

Executive Producer: Aaron Lobel / Produced by: Monica Bushman, Lisa Schroeder, Daniel Shin (News Reporter for TBS eFM News), and Flawn Williams / Additional production assistance from Robert Frazier at Monitor Studios / Web Producer: Javier Barrera / Photo: AP Images / Host: Ray Suarez /Airdate: February 2012 

+ Field Report From South Korea

Daniel Shin reports on how the generational divide between South Koreans impacts their attitudes towards the North.

+ History Of America’s Relationship With The Two Koreas

Ray Suarez looks back at the more than 60 years of American involvement on the Korean peninsula.

+ North Korean Defectors

Lisa Schroeder talks to North Korean defectors living in Seoul to hear their insights into the recent leadership change in North Korea and their hopes for the future of the country they left behind.

Story Transcript: North Korean Defectors.pdf

+ 1994 Negotiations Averting Nuclear Crisis

Clinton Administration officials look back at the negotiations leading to the 1994 nuclear agreement with North Korea.

+ Future Relations With North Korea

Ray Suarez talks to Victor Cha from Georgetown University and Scott Snyder from the Council on Foreign Relations about what Kim Jong-Il’s death will mean for future relations between America and the two Koreas.

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