Team

Anar Shaikenova
Director / Assistant-Professor
Ms. Anar Shaikenova is a well-established professional in public administration and public policy. She defended her doctoral thesis in regulation and governance, focusing on policy learning and policy capacities in Kazakhstan, Georgia, and Russia. Her other research areas include strategic trade controls (STCs), economic sanctions, compliance, and the role of Central Asian states in nuclear non-proliferation and international security, given her nine years of work experience with the US Department of State Export Control and Border Security Program. She also possesses a wide network of professional and personal contacts due to her outstanding communication and relationship management skills.
Education:
- – Ph.D. in Public Policy, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan
- – M.A. in Public Administration, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- – B.A. in International Relations and Economics, University of Minnesota, MN, USA.

James De-La-Haye
Research Assistant
James De-La-Haye is a Research Assistant at KIMEP University’s DPRK Strategic Research Center. His work focuses on international relations, economic and social development, public policy, and project governance, shaped by his experience in academia, NGOs, and EU-funded projects.
Education:
- – Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science, Northumbria University, U.K.

Jeremy Lonjon
Communications & Research Director
Jeremy Lonjon is the Communications & Research Director at the Office of the President and contributes to the work of the DPRK Strategic Research Center at KIMEP University. He holds a BBA in Marketing from the ICN Business School in Nancy, France, and from the Russian Academy of Economics named after Plekhanov in Moscow, Russia. He also holds an M.A. in International Relations and European Studies from the University of Strasbourg in France. His research interests include the post-Soviet space with a focus on Central Asia.

Dr. Jungho Baek
Non-Resident Research Fellow
Ph.D in Resource Economics (Michigan State University, USA)
Dr. Jungho Baek is a Ladessa Hall Nordale Professor of Economics in the College of Business and Security Management (CBSM) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a non-resident research fellow at the DPRK Strategic Research Center at KIMEP University. His primary research areas include international trade, energy economics, resource economics, environmental economics, and econometric modeling. He has published extensively in these fields, with over 130 articles in international refereed journals. His current research on North Korea examines economic development strategies and the optimal allocation of development funds to support sustainable growth. He previously served as the inaugural endowed chair in Korea Economic Studies at the East-West Center and is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Commodities.
My current research explores how North Korea can lay the foundation for sustained economic modernization by optimizing development fund allocation over the next decade. Despite abundant natural resources and a relatively skilled workforce, North Korea’s rigid centrally planned economy, limited trade, and chronic inefficiencies have hindered growth. The study integrates two methodologies: (1) a cross-country econometric analysis to assess the roles of trade openness, FDI, and institutional quality in driving medium-term growth under different reform scenarios; and (2) a comparative modeling framework to estimate sector-specific capital needs for infrastructure, human capital, and industrial modernization, drawing lessons from South Korea, China, Vietnam, and Germany. By focusing on long-term structural transformation rather than short-term GDP gains, this research offers a strategic, evidence-based roadmap for achieving a resilient, self-sustaining economy in North Korea.