The Impossible State
North Korea is the Impossible State. Each episode, join the people who know the most about North Korea for an insiders’ discussion with host Victor Cha about one of the United States’ top national security priorities.
CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies
Show overview
The Impossible State has been publishing since 2018, and across the 8 years since has built a catalogue of 155 episodes, alongside 1 trailer or bonus episode. That works out to roughly 80 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a monthly cadence.
Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 24 min and 42 min — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-US-language Government show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 2 days ago, with 8 episodes already out so far this year. Published by CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies.
From the publisher
North Korea is the Impossible State. Each episode, join the people who know the most about North Korea for an insiders’ discussion with host Victor Cha about one of the United States’ top national security priorities.
Latest Episodes
View all 155 episodesPrivileged But Powerless
Korean Messiah
The BTS Homecoming: Does Korea's Soft Power Work?
In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha moderated a discussion with Dr. Jinaeng Choi and Timothy Martin to discuss the recent BTS comeback concert, how Korean culture around the world can impact Korea's soft power, how it may influence global audiences, and more.
Is the Pivot to Asia Dead?
In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha moderated a discussion with Dr. Tom Wright and Dr. Kristi Govella on examining Washington’s failed pivot to Asia, expectations for Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi’s visit to Washington, and its potential impact on the Korean Peninsula, the Indo-Pacific region, and broader regional dynamics.
The Four Talent Giants
In this episode, Mr. Sydney Seiler moderated a discussion with Stanford University Professor Gi-Wook Shin on his recent book, The Four Talent Giants, and how these four “talent giants” countries achieved economic power and sustained momentum by responding to risks and challenges such as demographic crises, brain drain, and geopolitical tensions, drawing on his Four Bs theory—brain train, brain gain, brain circulation, and brain linkage—to explain national strength and success.
Korea Update: NDS, Coupang and Congress
In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha moderated a discussion with Adam Farrar and Igor Khrestin on the recent Coupang investigation, the key elements of Trump’s National Defense Strategy, what that means for South Korea and for any future response to North Korean threats, and more.
North Korea in 2026: Intentions, Realities, and Response
Sydney Seiler, Dr. Patrick Cronin, Rachel Minyoung Lee, and Markus Garlauskas discussed North Korea's direction in 2026 and what to expect from Kim Jong Un in terms of the diplomatic front with Moscow, Beijing, the ROK, the U.S., and more.
Recalibrating U.S.-ROK Alliance: Strategic Priorities for 2026
In this episode, Mr. Sydney Seiler moderated a discussion with Dr. Chansong Lee and Dr. Bee Yun Jo of the Sejong Institute on the overall outlook of the U.S.–South Korea alliance leading up to 2026, including extended deterrence, the Nuclear Consultative Group, the OPCON transfer, shipbuilding, and other strategic issues.
Is North Korean Denuclearization Dead?
On this episode, Dr. Victor Cha moderates a discussion with Amb. Cho Byung Jae and Dr. Jun Bong-geun on North Korea’s nuclear program and the future of diplomacy. The episode explores Pyongyang’s constitutional embrace of nuclear weapons, Seoul’s E.N.D. initiative to revive dialogue, and President Trump’s push for summitry.
What Does China Want?
Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Zenobia Chan, and Ms. Henrietta Levin discussed whether China is a status quo power with limited global aims, or a revisionist state with goals of expanding power and reshaping the global international order, and more.
South Korea’s Nuclear Submarine Deal: What’s Next?
Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Kang Choi, and Dr. Beomchul Shin discussed the outcomes of the APEC meetings, South Korea’s nuclear submarine deal with the United States, and potential next steps.
Upcoming U.S.-ROK Summit and the Future of Inter-Korean Engagement
Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Andrew Yeo, and Mr. Sydney Seiler discussed the future of inter-Korean engagement, the upcoming APEC meetings, and the upcoming summit meeting between Presidents Trump and Lee.
What to Expect? New Leadership in Japan
Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. James Brady, and Mr. Tobias Harris discussed the newly elected leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Sanae Takaichi—who is likely to become the next prime minister following a parliamentary vote in mid-October—as well as trilateral relations among the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Japan, foreign policy views, and more.
President Lee's First 100 Days
Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Jeonghun Min, and Dr. Hanbeom Jeong discussed President Lee’s first 100 days in office, the implications of his foreign policies for extended deterrence, U.S.–ROK and U.S.–North Korea engagement, and more.
Trump and the Autocratic Axis
Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Patricia Kim, and Dr. Thomas Wright discussed the growing cooperation among the autocratic countries of China, Russia, and North Korea as they push back against U.S. influence and the U.S.-led international order; the strategies the United States might leverage to counter this bloc; the implications for U.S. policy and its allies; and more.
Is China Eating Our Lunch?
Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Ely Ratner, and Mr. Scott Snyder discussed two of China’s major diplomatic events—the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit and the Victory Day Parade—as well as the Xi-Putin-Kim meeting, Kim Ju Ae's international debut, the growing alignment of hostile actors, and what all these developments mean for the Korean Peninsula, the U.S. and its allies, and more.
Are allies or autocrats managing Trump better?
This episode is a special crossover with our CSIS sister podcast, State of Play. After a busy month of U.S. diplomacy, Victor Cha and Max Bergmann join Will to discuss what East Asian and European allies are learning about summits with President Trump and what patterns are emerging about how President Trump engages with autocrats. "Statesmen’s Forum: His Excellency Lee Jae Myung, President of the Republic of Korea" CSIS, August 25, 2025. "Max and Maria on the Alaska and White House Peace Summits" Russian Roulette, CSIS, August 21, 2025. Listen to CSIS Podcast State of Play at https://www.csis.org/podcasts/state-play
The Trump-South Korea Trade Deal: Who Wins?
In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha, Ms. Yoojin Kim, Dr. Philip Luck, and Mr. Bill Reinsch discussed the implications of this major trade development, including its impact on U.S.–South Korea economic ties; the outlook for allied investment in critical sectors such as semiconductors, automobiles, steel, and shipbuilding; and the broader geopolitical dynamics shaping the deal.
US-South Korea Trade Deal and Alliance Modernization?
In this episode, Dr. Victor Cha and Mr. Sydney Seiler discussed prospects for a U.S.-South Korea trade deal before the end of the August 1 pause on 25 percent tariffs on all goods from Korea, and ways to modernize the 72-year old alliance under the new Lee Jae Myung and Donald Trump administrations, and more.
Special Conversation with Senator Andy Kim
Join us for a bonus episode of the Impossible State Live podcast, recorded during the Looking Forward: The Future of United States–Japan–Korea Trilateral Relations event on June 18, 2025. Senator Andy Kim engaged in a conversation with Victor Cha to discuss the key challenges and opportunities across various sectors that will shape the future of trilateral relations among U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific.