The Black Box

Victor D. Cha is Distinguished University Professor, D.S. Song-KF Endowed Chair, and professor of government in the Walsh School of Foreign Service and the Department of Government at Georgetown University. He serves in senior advisory positions for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Department of Defense Policy Board, and the National Endowment for Democracy. Cha previously served on the National Security Council as director for Asian affairs.

• A Note on the Korean Text1. The Black Box, with Seiyeon Ji2. The United States–Republic of Korea Alliance, with Na Young Lee and Andy Lim3. Technology and Cybersecurity, with Julian Fox, Katelyn Radack, Jae Seung Shim, and Rebecca Spencer4. Markets and Civil Society, with Marie DuMond5. Unification Theories6. Unification Data, with Marie DuMond and Andy Lim7. The Hardest of Hard TargetsAcknowledgmentsAppendix 1. Codebook for Event Data on U.S.-DPRK RelationshipAppendix 2. List of U.S.-ROK Joint Military Exercises, 2005–2015Appendix 3. Microsurveys of DPRK citizens and Sample Answer SheetsNotesBibliographyList of ContributorsIndex

Victor Cha and his team of researchers demand a new mindset. They insist on novel approaches to unveiling the mystery of North Korea. Like the UN Commission of Inquiry, ten years earlier, they call for fidelity to the search for the truth. This is no small task, given the isolation of the country. The COI used transparent public hearings and digital media. This book goes a step further. It employs innovative research methodologies: data scraping, ethnography, and unique micro-surveys of ordinary citizens. It calls on privileged insights into North Korea. Peace, human rights, and change will only come about by adopting fresh approaches of inquiry, to which the authors of this important book summon us.