Dr. John Merrill is former chief of the Northeast Asia Division in the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research. He has received numerous honors and awards from the Department of State, Director of National Intelligence and Director of Central Intelligence. Merrill has taught at the Foreign Service Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Georgetown University, the George Washington University, and Lafayette College. For many years, he chaired a week-long seminar on North Korean Foreign Policy for mid-career Intelligence Community analysts/managers.

Merrill is the author of Korea: The Peninsular Origins of the War; The Origin and Truth of the Korean War (in Korean); and The Cheju-do Rebellion (in Japanese). He has written numerous journal articles, reviews, and op-eds. His most recent pieces include "Inside the White House: The Future of US-DPRK Policy," Korea Observer, Winter 2016 and several op-eds for Nikkei Asian Review.

Merrill has a Ph.D from the university of Delaware, an M.A from Harvard University, and a B.A from Boston University.