Nuclear Issues
It’s Not About the Moon: The Military and Economic Logics to South Korean Space Exploration
The University of Washington’s Clint Work and Kim Seon-hee pen a critical overview of recent developments in South Korea’s space program, highlighting the military and economic logics behind the country’s interest in tackling humanity’s last frontier.
A Roundtable Review of Il Hyun Cho’s Global Rogues and Regional Orders: The Multidimensional Challenge of North Korea and Iran
Il Hyun Cho argues that the “rogue state” narrative is not wholly global, but is largely a creation of US security concerns in tandem with the role conceptions of regional actors. Van Jackson and Daniel Wertz consider the proposition in this roundtable review.
Taming the Tiger: China Checks South Korean Adventurism
Inho Choi outlines the recent Sino-South Korean debate over THAAD and evaluates its implications for Chinese views (and possible revisions) of the Northeast Asian security order.
Rumblings from Dandong: Banks and Bayonets
To understand politics in East Asia it is vital to keep a close eye on events in state capitols. However, it is also necessary to know what is going on at ground level – in Rason, Yanji, Hyesan, Ji’an, Sinuiju, Jilin, and of course right here in Dandong.
Wang Haiyun and China’s North Korean Contingency Scenarios
An op-ed by a retired PLA General in Shanghai urges preparation for all-out war around Korea. What signals does this send? Also, reflections on Xi Jinping’s heavy hand and the North Korea discourse.