REGISTER
As the Hermit Kingdom slowly reopens, a new class of diplomats will soon be arriving in Pyongyang. Diplomacy in North Korea has historically taken alternative routes, but in light of recent events - including the North's prolonged border shutdown, nuclear advancement, and growing ties with Russia - the usual playbooks may need to be completely rewritten. What can arriving diplomats anticipate in today's North Korea? How should they navigate the complex intricacies of a posting in Pyongyang?
NCNK is honored to be joined by speakers Ambassador Alastair Morgan and Ambassador Thomas Schäfer and moderator Ambassador Kathy Stephens. Ambassadors Morgan and Schäfer will reflect on their time stationed in Pyongyang on behalf of the United Kingdom and Germany, respectively, and offer insight to the next generation of diplomats, as well as others interested in diplomacy with the DPRK.
About the Speakers
Mr. Alastair Morgan CMG served as a British civil servant and diplomat from 1983 to 2019. His diplomat postings were in Japan, China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, where he was Ambassador from December 2015 to December 2018. From 2019 to 2021 Alastair was Coordinator and Regional Security Expert of the UN 1874 Panel of Experts on DPRK sanctions. He is currently a Tokyo College Ushioda Fellow of the University of Tokyo. He is a Visiting Senior Fellow, War Studies Department, King's College London.
Ambassador Thomas Schäfer was born in Oldenburg, Germany in 1952 and attended high school in Kiel and Kansas City. He earned a degree in History and Romance Studies in Kiel and Lyon and received a PhD in German history from the University of Kiel in 1985. During his time with the German Foreign Office, Amb. Schäfer held several diplomatic postings: Beijing (1984-1987), San Salvador (1987-1989), Hong Kong (1992-1994), Guatemala (1997-2000), Caracas (2000-2003), Seoul (2006-2007). From 2007-2010 and again from 2013-2018, Mr. Schäfer served as the German Ambassador to North Korea. He also served as Germany’s ambassador to Guatemala from 2010-2013. He has been retired since 2018 and is the author of From Kim Jong Il to Kim Jong Un: How the Hardliners Prevailed: On the Political History of North Korea (2007 - 2020).
About the Moderator
Kathleen Stephens is a former American diplomat. She was U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea 2008-2011, the first woman and first Korean-speaker in that position. Other overseas assignments included postings to Trinidad and Tobago, China, Korea, former Yugoslavia, Portugal, Northern Ireland, and India. In Washington, Ambassador Stephens served in senior policy positions at the Department of State and the White House, including acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (2012), Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (2005-2007), Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs (2003-2005), and National Security Council Director for European Affairs at the Clinton White House. She served as President and CEO of the Korea Economic Institute of American (KEI) from 2018 to 2023. She is Pacific Century Institute board chairman, and vice-chair of the board of trustees for The Asia Foundation. Stephens studied at Prescott College, University of Hong Kong and Oxford University, and holds a BA Honors from Prescott. She holds a Master’s degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School.