Just as Sand means sand in English, the SAND Research Institute will fill the empty space in inter-Korean relations and North Korea research amid the social focus, and communicate with society with a confident attitude and innovative research results. The SAND Research Institute, comprised of researchers from North and South Korea, will play its role as the main material to build a new 'house of unification' and pave the 'path to unification', just as sand is used as a key material for semiconductors in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Current Affairs Review
Lee Soo-hyung
Senior Research Fellow at INSS Institute for National Security Strategy
Key Takeaways and Strategic Implications from the 2024 NATO summit in Washington
The NATO summit, held in Washington, D.C., USA, from July 9 to 11, 2024, commemorated NATO’s 75th anniversary. This summit occurred amidst significant internal and external challenges. Key issues included the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, the debate over Western support for Ukraine...
Issue Brief
Dr. Taewoo Kim
Head of Nuclear Security Study, Korea Institute for Military Affairs (KIMA)
ROK-U.S. Nuclear Policy after the New Russia-DPRK Alliance Treaty
The North Korea-Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty signed by President Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un on 19 June was, as feared, a revival of an alliance. Through 23 articles, the treaty agrees on a wide range of cooperation in military, economic, technological, and other fields.
NK Focus
Cho Yui-haeng
Professor at Seoul Theological University
Tensions Grow in North Korea-China Relations Amid Closer North Korea-Russia Ties
The growing closeness between North Korea and Russia is causing political tension in North Korea-China relations, now in their 75th year. This has become evident recently. On July 11, North Korea and China marked the 63rd anniversary of their Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation...
Analysis
Lee Seung-hyun
Research Fellow at SAND Institute
The Hidden Message Behind Putin's Gifts to Kim Jong-un: An 'Aurus' Car with '7.27.1953' Engraved
Last month, President Vladimir Putin presented North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with a luxury Russian-made ‘Aurus’ limousine during his visit to Pyongyang. The car's license plate bore the date ‘7.27.1953,’ marking the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement on July 27, 1953.
Feature Article
Kim Yeoul-soo
Director of Security Strategy at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs
The United Nations Command: Its Role in the Korean Armistice and Peace Declaration
It has been 71 years since the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed. Despite this, there is little to celebrate. We should be disappointed at our failure to achieve peaceful reunification beyond the armistice system. If North Korea had honored the agreement, reunification through peace declarations...
Feature Article Series
Kang In-deok
Former Minister of Unification of the Republic of Korea
North Korea 30 Years After Kim Il-sung's Death: Past, Present, and Future (2)
The Korean War...
In February 1948, the United Nations held a...
Feature Article Series
Jeon Byung-kil
Senior Consultant of YESInnovation former of Secretary General of UniKorea Foundation
Marketing In North Korea (5)
- Dental care as clean as a white crane
Defectors' Podium
Kim Byung-wook
Director of the North Korea Development Institute (NKDI)
From the Sorrows of the First Generation to Vision and Hope: The Journey of North Korean Defectors
According to the Ministry of Unification, as of December 2023, there are...
Dental health has a lot to do with our body. In order to be healthy, it need to eat well and well balanced. If teeth or gums hurt, it's hard to eat well. A malnourished body is more susceptible to illness, and passing food without chewing it properly can lead to indigestion. That's why most countries teach oral health education from a young age.
According to a 2016 survey by the Korea Institute of Health and Social Affairs, the percentage of North Korean refugees entering South Korea with missing teeth is 35.1%. That's 1 in 3. More than 70% of North Korean defectors were younger than 40 years old when they entered South Korea. Given this, the dental health of North Koreans, especially the elderly, is likely to be worse.
The percentage of South Koreans under 40 who have lost some teeth and have prosthetics is 8.4%. North Korean refugees often lack access to proper dental care...
kim Myong-sung's North Korea
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