Before she became an expert in all things North Korea, Jenny Town worked in advertising. That background proved remarkably useful years later at 38 North, the influential North Korea web journal she helped launch in 2010. As managing editor of the site (a catch-all title meaning “person who does everything”), Town is responsible for everything from communications and branding to distribution and social media. 38 North, which provides technical analysis on North Korea, was formerly a project of the U.S.-Korea Institute at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, where Town was assistant director of the institute. Last year, it became a program of the Stimson Center. Under Town’s direction, the website has grown into an internationally renowned source of information at a time when U.S. relations with the DPRK are at a crucial turning point. With the specter of some future nuclear conflict ever-present, optimism may be in short supply these days, but Town sees reason to be cautiously hopeful. “In the past, our research has been really focused on what happens in a worst-case scenario,” Town says. “Now our research is focused on what happens in a best-case scenario.”

Political, Government & Political Professionals, Government Foreign Policy, International Relations, North Korea, Media Professionals, Journalism, Political Journalism,