Media Contributions

Quoted in Al Jazeera regarding Beijing's unwillingness to play a responsible role on North Korean denuclearization (link):

"In the past, China constructively hosted the Six-party Talks and was willing to join UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes. But now Beijing is hardly pressuring Pyongyang on denuclearization or returning to diplomacy," said Leif-Eric Easley, associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.

Quoted in the Asia Times regarding difficulties coordinating North Korea policy with China (link):

"For China, expanded US military exercises in Asia, improved South Korean missiles, and increased Seoul-Tokyo defense cooperation would be unwelcome developments," said Leif-Eric Easley, who teaches international studies at Seoul's Ewha Womans University. "The incoming Yoon administration is likely to pursue all three if Beijing fails to restrain Pyongyang from further provocations. [But] China's leaders are more focused on rivalry with Washington and willing to support international norm-violators in Russia and North Korea."

Quoted in the Korea Times regarding China and the incoming South Korean administration's policies toward North Korea (link):

"By propping up the Kim regime, China allows North Korea to threaten Seoul and reject offers of engagement," said Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international relations at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. "The incoming Yoon administration is aware of the strategic and economic importance of China, but wants the bilateral relationship to be based on mutual respect and framed by the rules-based international order," Easley said. "Yoon won't seek to escalate tensions but will strengthen deterrence via the U.S. alliance and demand reciprocity from the Kim regime."

Quoted by VOA regarding how a U.S.-Japan-South Korea foreign ministers' joint statement emphasized the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait (link):

Leif-Eric Easley, associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said, "such multilateral efforts aim to reassure Taipei and deter further coercion by Beijing. In order to prevent conflict escalation in Asia, U.S. allies actually need to prepare for contingencies of Chinese aggression."

Quoted by VOA regarding geopolitical rivalries and the Beijing Olympics (link):

"Politics are inevitably involved when athletes compete wearing their national flags," said Leif-Eric Easley, an associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. "But because of China's human rights issues, aggressive foreign policies and the COVID-19 pandemic, an atmosphere of distrust surrounds the Beijing Winter Games." There has also been an outcry in South Korea over what some say is China's "appropriation" of Korean culture, Easley said. "Already there has been controversy over the use of hanbok traditional dress at the opening ceremony, [judging in speed skating] and whether Seoul should have joined other U.S. allies in a diplomatic boycott," Easley said.

Quoted in Al Jazeera regarding China and Russia obstructing even minor strengthening of sanctions on North Korea (link):

"That Pyongyang has violated resolutions the Security Council unanimously approved is not just a matter of American opinion or South Korean intelligence," said Leif-Eric Easley, associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. "North Korean state media has repeatedly provided details and photos of unlawful missile launches and issued threats of future nuclear and long-range missile tests. Beijing and Moscow are allowing Pyongyang to flout international law, essentially welcoming further provocations."

Quoted in the New Straits Times via AFP regarding Pyongyang's political calculations concerning Beijing and Seoul (link):

Pyongyang's recent decision to accept Chinese aid [via cross-border rail] - a first since the beginning of the pandemic - may have motivated the recent military show of force "to avoid looking weak," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Seoul's Ewha University. And with Beijing set to host the Winter Olympics from early February, North Korea has a narrow window for sabre-rattling ahead of South Korea's upcoming election if it doesn't want to anger its sole major ally by raining missiles on their parade. But it's unlikely that the recent string of launches are directly aimed at goading the administration of US President Joe Biden into talks, he said. Pyongyang doesn't "appear interested in negotiations while self-isolating from Covid."

Quoted in the Singapore Straits Times regarding China's relations with North Korea (link):

Associate Professor of International Studies Leif-Eric Easley at Ewha Womans University in South Korea said there is "likely an understanding [between Pyongyang and Beijing] about what scale and timing of tests are acceptable." China has, he said, "continued to enable North Korea throughout the pandemic," first with maritime trade that endured long quarantine at ports, and now, limited shipments by train. Given that China and North Korea share a physical border, war or any crisis within the North will likely spill over to the other side - a situation that Beijing wants to avoid. "That means aid is a tool of influence and preferred to sanctions because sanctions can increase uncertainty and even impinge on China's sovereignty when its domestic firms are implicated," said Prof Easley. "Beijing also provides Pyongyang with diplomatic cover, blocking new sanctions at the United Nations and shifting blame for tensions onto Washington and Seoul." Prof Easley said "a meaningful diplomatic initiative is unlikely, mainly because North Koreans are avoiding external engagements out of fear of Covid-19. It appears that Pyongyang's priority is to survive the pandemic by staying the course - playing up self-isolation as self-reliance, even though this involves dependence on Chinese aid." Growing US-China rivalry also means Beijing will cooperate less with international efforts in dealing with Pyongyang, said Prof Easley. "But more than China using North Korea as a card against Washington, the Kim regime is likely to play its neighbours off each other. North Korean strategy is to exploit other countries for free concessions instead of trading benefits in negotiations."

Quoted in the South China Morning Post regarding reports overestimating public support for nuclear proliferation (link):

Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said while South Korea and Japan had the technology to develop nuclear weapons, domestic support for doing so was only "hypothetical". "[This] would evaporate once the exorbitantly high economic and political costs became clear." [What the polls actually reflect is frustration with China's lack of accountability for North Korea's failure to denuclearize.] Easley said he believed that eventually "international pressure will build for Beijing to join new arms control arrangements."

Quoted in the Wall Street Journal regarding China's role in the security of the Korean Peninsula (link):

With China's top diplomat in town, officials in Seoul should push Beijing to provide greater transparency about China's role in the North Korean nuclear issue, said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. "China's economic aid, diplomatic backing and tolerance of sanctions evasion make it the top enabler of the Kim regime," Prof. Easley said. "Yet Wang Yi acts as if North Korea's missile tests and resumption of nuclear activity at Yongbyon are someone else's problem."

Quoted in the Korea Times regarding Xi Jinping not retuning a state visit by Moon Jae-in (link):

"Xi not making a promised visit to South Korea is ostensibly because of the pandemic, but probably has more to do with a lack of deliverables," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University. "China's leader wants a win on international trade or on geopolitically pulling Seoul away from Washington. The Moon administration wants to put China's economic coercion in the past and to make coordinated progress on North Korea. But Beijing will likely save its leverage as it sees Moon entering the lame-duck period of his presidency."

Quoted in the Korea Times regarding when North Korea will relax pandemic restrictions at its border with China (link):

"Gradually restoring trade with China will hopefully alleviate the plight of the North Korean people, but may detract from sanctions enforcement and give the Kim regime the luxury to continue rejecting aid and assistance from South Korea," said Leif-Eric Easley, associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.

Quoted in the New York Times regarding implications of Washington- Beijing rivalry for dealing with North Korea (link):

"U.S.-China relations have deteriorated to the detriment of U.N. sanctions enforcement," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. "So as the Biden administration comes to office, Kim continues to seek rather than offer external concessions."

Quoted in the Korea Times regarding circumstances around the foreign minister of China visiting Seoul (link):

"Trust in China has plummeted with its crackdown on human rights, Beijing's military assertiveness challenging stability in Asia, and COVID-19 poisoning globalization. Wang's diplomacy tells other countries to stay out of China's domestic affairs, respect Beijing's power and influence, and cooperate economically to recover from the pandemic. Seoul should object to the first two points while agreeing with the third," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha University in Seoul. "The Moon administration also wants to work with China to engage Pyongyang but understands those efforts should not undermine the security provided by the ROK-U.S. alliance. The danger for South Korea is allowing Beijing to use North Korean issues to keep Seoul quiet on China's violations of the rules- based international system."

Quoted in the Korea Times regarding Xi Jinping's speech on the 70th anniversary of China's intervention in the Korean War (link):

"Seoul has a responsibility to defend an accurate historical understanding of the Korean War, not only for the pride of its own people, but also to counter a revisionist narrative that seeks to reshape the rules-based international order," Leif-Eric Easley, associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said. "China is one of only two countries that teach a fake history of the Korean War. The world cannot just ignore this, because the more Chinese public opinion and national power are motivated by nationalist distortions, the more dangerous they become to peace in Asia. Xi's speech shows that Seoul should pay more attention to China's treatment of history and assertive foreign policies."

Quoted in the Korea Times regarding Seoul's middle power diplomacy (link):

"A powerful China will long be a challenge for its neighbors. South Korea will need a robust and principled middle-power diplomacy to avoid becoming the victim of geopolitical coercion," said Leif-Eric Easley, associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University.

Quoted in the Korea Times regarding an upcoming visit to South Korea by China's leading diplomat (link):

Yang Jiechi published an article in the state-run Xinhua News Agency last week, urging the U.S. to respect China and avoid making misjudgments. "He painted China as the responsible party in the face of [what Yang called] the Trump administration's 'erroneous words and moves' and 'interference in China's internal affairs' that have produced the 'most complex and grave situation since the establishment of diplomatic ties,'" said Leif-Eric Easley, an associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University. "Unfortunately for Seoul, while U.S.-China relations are under extreme stress, Beijing is unlikely to pressure Pyongyang to denuclearize or pursue inter-Korean engagement. Moreover, if Beijing shows no improvement in its trade practices, military assertiveness, human rights and investigating the origins of COVID-19, South Korean cooperation with China is likely to raise eyebrows in the United States and allied countries."

Quoted in the South China Morning Post regarding the prospects of a G7+ grouping taking a hard line on China (link):

Leif-Eric Easley, an associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said an expanded G7 would be unlikely to emerge as a coalition to challenge China, given its divisions even on how to deal with Russia, which was expelled from the G8 in response to its annexation of Crimea in 2014. "South Korea can safely contribute on shared interests of post-pandemic economic recovery and coordinating high standards of governance," Easley said.

Quoted in the Korea Times regarding effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on international order (link):

Leif-Eric Easley, associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University, said, "The horrible toll that COVID-19 has taken in the U.S., the U.K., Italy and other European countries ― compared to the ability of Korea and Taiwan to flatten their epidemic curves ― has led commentators like Kishore Mahbubani to declare the start of a new era of international politics led by Asian competence and confidence." "It is true that COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, isolation and treatment have produced better results in countries that were quick and effective in their implementation," he added. But Easley warned that it is too soon to extrapolate this to larger trends about good governance and international order. "Some global trends will accelerate, others will be redirected. China's preeminence is not assured, nor is its rise over. Rather, it is increasingly clear how China is an outsized variable for globalization and multilateral cooperation. There is still much to be determined before the world defeats COVID-19, and then in terms of how international relations will proceed in the post-pandemic era."

Quoted in Nikkei regarding the possible timing of North Korea's next provocation in light of China hosting a trilateral summit with South Korea and Japan (link):

Leif-Eric Easley, associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said North Korea will calibrate any military provocations so they do not offend China. "Pyongyang can instead seek headlines with a high-level Workers Party meeting ahead of Kim's New Year announcements," Easley said. "So we can expect more rhetoric and preparation before a major launch."

Quoted in the Atlantic regarding the interaction of U.S.-China relations and the Trump administration's policy toward North Korea (link):

"U.S.-China relations deteriorated over trade, and North Korea won a premature end to maximum pressure" as the Chinese, by far North Korea's largest trading partner, eased up on sanctions enforcement, Leif-Eric Easley, an international-studies professor at Ewha Womans University, in Seoul, told me. "If Pyongyang ever intended to take any denuclearization steps at all, its willingness to do so went down and its price for cooperation went up after Singapore."

Quoted in Nikkei regarding Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to South Korea (link):

"Seoul wants Beijing to end its economic coercion against missile defense deployments, arrange a visit by President Xi to reciprocate Moon's early visit to China, and help find angles to productively engage North Korea," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University. "But Wang is unlikely to deliver anything to Seoul for free," Easley said. "He will instead focus on what can be accomplished during Moon's visit to Chengdu later this month."

Quoted in the Korea Times regarding China's role in the security of the Korean Peninsula (link):

"China prioritizes stability over denuclearization and conflict avoidance over peace building," said Leif-Eric Easley, associate professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. "So Americans see Beijing supporting Pyongyang to prevent the deterioration of the status quo but failing to pressure North Korea enough to improve its behavior."

Quoted by Yonhap regarding the interaction of U.S.-China trade tensions and demonstrations in Hong Kong with China's North Korea diplomacy (link):

"Planning for this trip was likely under way before recent setbacks for Beijing in trade talks with Washington and before mass demonstrations in Hong Kong over the Tiananmen anniversary and the controversial extradition bill," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. "Nonetheless, visiting Pyongyang is a welcome change of subject for Xi, providing him an opportunity to act as a pivotal statesman in East Asia."

Quoted in the Financial Times regarding North Korea diplomacy and U.S.- China relations (link):

Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said Mr Xi's decision to visit Pyongyang this week could "indicate a breakdown in mutual restraint" between Washington and Beijing, ahead of the G20 summit in Japan this month. "It had appeared that Xi was waiting to move on North Korea, and the Trump administration was pulling punches on human rights and on sanctioning new Chinese entities, to allow space to negotiate a ceasefire in the trade war," Mr Easley said. "On the other hand, if Xi is able to leverage his visit to secure new denuclearisation commitments from Kim, the result could be a convenient diplomatic opening for Washington and Beijing as well as Seoul and Pyongyang."

Quoted in the Washington Post regarding President Xi's visit to North Korea (link):

Leif-Eric Easley, an associate professor at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said it is unlikely that Xi's agreement to visit Pyongyang came free. "Kim should show progress on economic reform and denuclearization," he said. "In terms of protocol, China owes North Korea this visit. Its implications will be gauged by how soon afterward Xi meets with Trump and how long he waits to visit South Korea."

Quoted in the Diplomat regarding the significance of North Korea and China resuming cross-border rail shipments (link):

"The bigger story of January 2022 may be the resumption of rail traffic between North Korea and China because it suggests Pyongyang's pandemic policies have entered a new phase," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. "The shipments by train also show that Beijing is supportive of North Korea despite recent provocations and the Kim regime's allocation of resources to nuclear and missile programs at the expense of domestic welfare."