The European Centre for North Korean Studies (ECNK) is pleased to announce the publication of the report from our July 2025 online workshop on Ethical Issues in North Korea Research.

The workshop brought together fellows of our network to discuss the challenges that professionals face in this field. How do we conduct research on a country where data are often unavailable or of questionable quality? Should we publish research that could potentially be used to inflict harm on others or to support misguided policies? Should we travel to North Korea or not? Should we accept funding from state institutions? Every researcher working on North Korea will sooner or later encounter these and other ethical questions.

The purpose of this report is to raise awareness of ethical dilemmas and pitfalls, share experiences, and support the development of strategies to address the ethical challenges involved in researching North Korea.

It also outlines the ECNK’s commitment to continuing this conversation and our hopes that this report contributes to the ongoing debates in the field.

You can read the full report by clicking HERE.