Author Archive
Forget about the “Trustpolitik,” Let’s Talk Won
Trust can come in many forms, but in Korea there is a serious lack of it. According to Professor Jin Jingyi of Peking University, the key is to transit away from futile attempts to foster political trust, and onto an “economics-first,” or “trusteconomik” if you prefer, approach. Steven Denney explains.
The Strength to Concede in Developmental Asia
Do autocrats cede power to democracy when in fear of the alternative, or is there an alternative hypothesis: that strength increases the likelihood of democratization? East Asian case studies give food for thought. Let Steven Denney be your guide.
History, Textbooks, and “Truth” in South Korea
National histories are far too contentious as it is, without entrusting their construction to the forces of state authority. In South Korea, where ideological and intellectual freedom are highly contingent, the latest episode in a recurrent controversy over school textbooks makes the point.
Yongusil 14: “War of Words” at Leiden University: Manchuria and Historiography in Modern South Korea
The last in our triology focused on Professor Remco Breuker’s “War of Words” project at the University of Leiden, Steven Denney considers the bounds and binding of Manchuria/Manchukuo to current South Korean politics.
Defector Testimonies in a Polarized Society: From Implausible Story to Political Controversy
Nothing looms larger in the rear view mirror of South Korea’s democratic legacy than the South Jeolla Province city of Gwangju and the events that took place there in May 1980. That same democratization narrative was again abused in May 2013, this time along with some defector testimony of a most curious disposition.
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