Cultural Diplomacy
Frozen Spring: Sino-Korean Diplomacy in 2022
Will 2022 bring more extensive diplomacy between China and the Koreas, or a new round of disputes and disconnections? This short essay reviews the terrain.
Yongusil 95: The Korean Wave and Identity in the Land of Liberty
K-pop isn’t just about the music. Summarizing her findings from her recently defended doctoral dissertation, “’Black American, heart American’: Non-Korean identities in U.S. Korean Meetup groups,” Dr. Sherri Ter Molen explains how the Korean wave has changed the everyday lives of ordinary Americans.
North and South Korea Are Talking: Keep Expectations Low
It should have surprised nobody that Pyongyang would seek to capitalize on South Korea’s desire to host a positive, peaceful and perhaps even profitable Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang next month. But how does the South Korean public feel about it?
Korean People’s Army Contacts with the Chinese Military
The perception that China and North Korea no longer have the extensive bilateral contacts that they once did may be broadly speaking correct, but it is by no means the whole story. Here, Adam Cathcart brings to our attention an official event from July 25, 2017.
Spaces of Leisure: The Socialist Modern at Rest and Play
In this final essay of a new triliogy, Robert Winstanley-Chesters traces connections between early repertoires of promenading on the banks of the Taedong and contemporary watery manifestations at Munsu and Rungna.
On Totalitarian Art: Interview with Morten Traavik
Norwegian artist Morten Traavik’s cultural engagement with North Korean, which includes plans to establish an art institute in Pyongyang, has provoked the ire of at least one German journalist. Adam Cathcart recaps and analyzes an interview with Travvik in the Suddeutsche Zeitung.
German Shepherds and German Musical Politics in North Korea
Among the elite music academies of Pyongyang, performances take place of German symphonic literature and avant-garde contemporary music; our editor-in-chief assesses the scene.
Spaces of Leisure: A North Korean (Pre-) History
In the first of three essays, Robert Winstanley-Chesters analyzes the disconnect between North Korea’s revolutionary culture and the existence of consumption space, uncovering a pre-history of leisure and entertainment in North Korea.
Of Eruptions and Men: Science Diplomacy at North Korea’s Active Volcano
Dr. Kayla Iacovino of the US Geological Survey was witness to a fascinating moment of scientific connection between North Korea and the wider world. Recalling her experiences getting to and working from the volcanic frontline at Mt. Baekdu, she considers the broader implications of cooperation and engagement with North Korea.
