Location: Virtual
Language: English
Dates & Times: July 15–16, 2025

• July 15: CEST 13:00–16:30 | Seoul: 20:00–23:30 | NYC: 07:00–10:30
• July 16: CEST 13:00–16:30 | Seoul: 20:00–23:30 | NYC: 07:00–10:30

The workshop is designed to provide a forum for debate and experience-sharing, fostering a constructive dialogue between both junior and senior scholars on critical ethical questions related to research, funding, dissemination, and fieldwork. It comprises four panels. The participation is limited to fellows of our institution. An anonymized summary report of the workshop will be made publicly available. For further information regarding the workshop and registration, please contact us at info@ecnk.eu. The following questions are meant to provide a better understanding of what we aim to cover in these panels:

Panel 1: Researching North Korea

• Research increasingly emphasizes "local" voices—what or who can be considered "local" in North Korea?
• What ethical considerations apply when including North Korean defectors in research?
• How should researchers navigate the lack of reliable data and questions about data quality?
• Should questionable data be used, or is it better to avoid using any data at all?
• How do we evaluate the credibility of sources?
• What are the concerns and experiences regarding AI tools in North Korean research?
• Can we learn from best practices in other academic fields?

Panel 2: Sharing the Results of Our Work

• How do we deal with emotional backlash from our publications?
• How do we navigate the risks of blacklisting by North Korea or other states?
• How do we handle the "Oppenheimer problem"—the unintended consequences of providing crucial insights to actors whose actions we do not support?
• What strategies exist to avoid misrepresentation or misuse of our work?
• If we are misquoted or misrepresented, how should we respond?
• How do we prevent being used to push a political narrative?
• Can experiences from other disciplines help inform our approach?

Panel 3: Funding Our Research

• Where do we draw the line on funding sources? Should funding from media, governments, intelligence agencies, foundations, NGOs, or specific countries be accepted or refused?
• How much funding transparency is necessary?
• Should we publicly disclose our funding sources?
• How should researchers interact with intelligence agencies while maintaining ethical integrity?
• How do we prevent donor interference in our research?
• How can we protect our work from being discredited due to its funding sources?
• What ethical funding practices can we learn from other fields?

Panel 4: Traveling to North Korea

• What are the legal considerations researchers must be aware of?
• Do research visits to North Korea financially support the regime?
• Does traveling there legitimize the North Korean government?
• How can we avoid endangering local contacts?
• How do we ensure that locals involved in our research are not exploited?
• Should we justify and reflect on our travel to North Korea from an ethical standpoint?
• What insights can we gain from other fields regarding ethical fieldwork in restricted environments?