Sung-Yoon Lee is a scholar, policy advisor, and author specialized on North Korea and East Asia.[1][2][3] His written opus has focussed on exposing the wrongdoings of the North Korean regime and advancing policies to curb it. He has contributed to media outlets, published academic papers and a book, and written statements as part of his expert witness advice to the U.S. Congress.[4][5][6][2][3][7] His writing style has been described as exuberant, vivid, and sharp,[8][9][10][6] with a meticulous and insightful analysis.[1][11][12][13]

Books

Lee has profiled Kim Yo Jong, the sister and closest aid to North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong Un. Reviewers of Lee's work noted that despite the at-times gentle demeanor, she is at least as ruthless as his brother, is ready to succeed him if necessary, and she would maintain the nature of the regime.[7][4][11][14] Reviewers both critical and positive coincided in noting the unusual nature of the work, which given the closed nature of the regime had to contend with a dearth of normal biographical sources and lacked direct access to the subject. The author aimed to remedy these limitations by delving deeper into on the broader context of the regime and Kim family history, as well as by conducting a detailed analysis of the subject's public appearances and written public statements. Some critics were unsatisfied with this approach while others were positive.[8][14][13][15]

  • Lee, Sung-Yoon (2023). The Sister: North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, the Most Dangerous Woman in the World. PublicAffairs (Hachette). ISBN 9781529073539. (Also published as: The Sister: The extraordinary story of Kim Yo Jong, the most powerful woman in North Korea. Macmillan)

Academic articles

Lee has notably warned the international community, especially the U.S. and South Korea not to cave-in to the brinksmanship maneuvers by North Korea, nor to fall for false overtures to reconciliation, which in fact only seeks to extract gains for the regime. In his published works Lee has noted that the North has been repeatedly successful at manipulating the South and its allies with these cycles of threats and then diplomacy, which he named the Pyongyang playbook.[16][1][17]

Congressional testimony

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Sung-Yoon Lee

Lee has published written statements as part of his testimony as an expert witness in U.S. Congress hearings.[18][19] In those hearings he notably argued for the strengthening of sanctions against North Korea,[5][20] warned about North Korea's history of brinksmanship,[3] and pointed to the key role of China is facilitating or impeding international pressure on North Korea.[21]

Short essays

Lee has actively advanced his geopolitical analysis and policy recommendations through engagement with mass media, especially by publishing articles in newspapers and other media outlets.[5][6][19]

Lee has often collaborated with Joshua Stanton, a North Korean human rights advocate and a lawyer based in Washington D.C., together co-authoring multiple articles to advance legislation of tougher sanctions.[5][25]

Given the despotic nature of the North Korean regime, its oppression of its own population and the nuclear threats to international security, Lee has proposed a strategy of stern treatment of the North Korean government, while engaging the North Korean people.[26][16][27][28]

The first is primarily to be pursued with sanctions that create economic pressure aimed at the elite; reducing the available resources to the regime, and diminishing the loyalty of the ruling. Lee sees this as the only non-military way to force the regime into a real negotiation on denuclearization and human rights.[16][29][30] Lee has repeatedly further asserted that strong sanctions must not be undermined by false peace overtures by the regime to trick the international community into concessionary diplomacy.[31][32][33][34][18][1] The second is to be pursued as humanitarian aid for the population, increasing efforts to disseminate more information from the outside world into North Korea, facilitating defections, and pressing for a global campaign of human rights.[16][29]

Other

Judicial expert witness work

Book chapter

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Beaumont, Peter (April 6, 2013). "Is North Korea's threat more than posturing this time? - It's wise to look at North Korea's strategy over the past 50 years to understand the present crisis". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2021-05-11. Among the most insightful and prescient chroniclers of what he called the "Pyongyang playbook" in an essay three years ago for Foreign Affairs has been Sung-Yoon Lee, a professor of Korean studies (...)
  2. 1 2 "Obama Signs New Sanctions Aimed at Stopping North Korea's Atomic Program". Radio Free Asia. Broadcasting Board of Governors (U.S. Government). February 19, 2016. Archived from the original on 2017-07-02. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Russel, Daniel R. (April 2019). "What to expect from a Nuclear North Korea". Asia Society Policy Institute - Issue Paper: 8, 17.
  4. 1 2 Aspden, Rachel (June 10, 2023). "The Sister by Sung-Yoon Lee review – North Korea's propaganda queen - A biography of Kim Yo-jong goes beyond personalities to examine the Kim dynasty's roots and its possible future". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2023-06-10.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Interview: China's 'Sanctions Non-enforcement Is Too Extensive to Be Mere Negligence'". Radio Free Asia. Broadcasting Board of Governors (U.S. Government). February 16, 2016. Archived from the original on July 2, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Ed Royce (March 5, 2013). US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hearing: North Korean Nuclear Program (Television broadcast). Washington DC: C-SPAN. 11:05 minutes in. Retrieved July 6, 2013. This morning we are joined by a distinguished panel of experts. (...) Dr. Sung-Yoon Lee, is a Professor at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Known for his ability to turn a phrase, he has written extensively on the Korean peninsula, including a recent piece entitled "Don't engage Kim Jong-un, bankrupt him", which appeared in Foreign Policy magazine.
  7. 1 2 Monk, Paul (May 18, 2023). "Twisted sister: inside Pyongyang's house of horrors". The Australian.
  8. 1 2 "Is North Korea's propagandist-in-chief also its dictator-in-waiting? - As Sung-Yoon Lee explains in "The Sister", Kim Yo Jong is not merely Kim Jong Un's sibling". The Economist. June 22, 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-06-22.
  9. ↑ "The Sister - A vivid portrait of a ruthless, egocentric woman driven by an unrelenting sense of entitlement and destiny". Kirkus Reviews. June 15, 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-05-24.
  10. ↑ "The Sister (interview)". The Korea Society. September 15, 2023.
  11. 1 2 Ruggiero, Anthony (October 7, 2023). "Kim Yo Jong Is the World's Most Dangerous Woman – A new book profiles the possible future leader of North Korea". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 2023-10-08.
  12. ↑ Haggas, Carol (August 2023). "The Sister: North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, the Most Dangerous Woman in the World, by By Sung-Yoon Lee". Booklist. American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2023-08-12.
  13. 1 2 DeTrani, Joseph R. (September 12, 2023). "Why Kim Yo Jong is the Most Dangerous Woman in the World". thecipherbrief.com. Archived from the original on 2023-09-12.
  14. 1 2 Kirkpatrick, Melanie (September 8, 2023). "'The Sister' Review: North Korea's Sibling Dynasty - Kim Jong Un was not the only member of his family raised to rule. His sister Kim Yo Jong displays an instinct for power". The Wall Street Journal.
  15. ↑ Fifield, Anna (June 2, 2023). "Review: Kim Jong Un's mysterious little sister - The enigmatic Kim Yo Jong may become the dictatorship's first female Supreme Leader, but 'The Sister' tells us nothing new about her, writes Anna Fifield". Chatham House. Archived from the original on 2023-06-03.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 Daniel Blumenthal (February 12, 2013). "North Korea is a nuclear criminal enterprise". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on February 19, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  17. 1 2 Lim, Louisa (April 8, 2013). "Inside North Korea, No Obvious Signs Of Crisis". National Public Radio (NPR).
  18. 1 2 Chandran, Nyshka (August 14, 2017). "The worse North Korea acts, the more cash aid it gets". CNBC. USA. Archived from the original on 2018-01-25. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  19. 1 2 Gibson, Nevil (June 25, 2023). "North Korea's sinister sister lies in waiting - Kims' dynastic double act exploits West's kow-tow". National Business Review. New Zealand. Archived from the original on 2023-06-24.
  20. ↑ "US lawmakers push for tougher North Korea sanctions". Fox News. Associated Press. March 5, 2013. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  21. 1 2 Buchman, Brandi (March 21, 2017). "Experts Say Chinese Sanctions Could Influence North Korea". Courthouse News Service. California, USA. Archived from the original on March 22, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  22. ↑ Ed Royce (March 5, 2013). North Korea's Criminal Activities: Financing the Regime (PDF). Expert witnesses: ASHER, David L.; LEE, Sung-Yoon; DTRANI, Joseph R. (CIS Number: 2013-H381-20; Sudoc Number: Y4.F76/1:113-4; Serial No. 113-4 ed.). Washington DC: Committee on Foreign Affairs. House. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 18, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  23. ↑ Chang, Jae-soon (March 22, 2017). "(LEAD) U.S. House subcommittee chairman calls for 'secondary sanctions' on China to rein in N. Korea". Yonhap News Agency. ROK. Archived from the original on March 22, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Pressuring North Korea: Evaluating Options". Washington, D.C, USA: U.S. Congress, House of Representatives, Foreign Affairs Committee, Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee. Archived from the original on March 23, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  25. ↑ Moore, Evan (2016). "Responding to North Korea's Nuclear Test". FPI Bulletin. Foreign Policy Initiative.
  26. ↑ Pyon, Changsop (August 26, 2015). "Interview: Korean Accord to 'Increase the Illusion of a Reasonable North Korea". Radio Free Asia. Archived from the original on May 28, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  27. ↑ Penny Spiller (December 15, 2006). "Low hopes for North Korea talks". BBC News. Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  28. ↑ Tom Evans (February 22, 2010). "U.N. official: North Korea should get food aid". CNN. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  29. 1 2 Amanpour, Christiane (February 22, 2010). "What is Happening Inside North Korea?". CNN. Archived from the original on June 1, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  30. ↑ Samuelson, Tracey (January 6, 2016). "North Korea: isolated but staying afloat". Marketplace. Archived from the original on February 20, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  31. ↑ Lee Kwang-ho; Tony Chang; Cinjeon Gauh; Han Hye-won; Bae Jin-hwa (January 2011). Kim, Sung-so; Moon, Jeong-sik; Kwak, Seung-ji (eds.). "Why Does Pyongyang Repeatedly Make Aggressive Provocations?" (PDF). Vantage Point. Seoul, South Korea: Yonhap News Agency. 36 (1): 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 16, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  32. ↑ Choe Sang-Hun (December 6, 2012). "North Korea Gets Ready for Launching". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 23, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  33. ↑ Kate Woodsome (October 5, 2012). "North Korean Media Urge 'Great War' Ahead of South Korean, US Elections". Voice of America. Archived from the original on April 5, 2013. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  34. ↑ Tan, Huileng (August 29, 2017). "Crank up the sanctions and forget talking with North Korea, experts tell the US". CNBC. USA. Archived from the original on 2017-09-03. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
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