DPRK Foreign Relations
Jang Sung-taek: Chopped Off at the Knees
The purge of Jang Sung-taek has provided the world with a fresh layer of Korean peninsula intrigue, and yet more questions about the nature of Kimist dominance in the era of Jong-un. As the Twittersphere flutters, Nick Miller weighs in. Additional content from Christopher Green.
Is North Korea a Rational Actor? The Wrong and Right Questions to Ask
Is North Korea “Bad or Mad?” In her critique of the securitization paradigm, Morgan Potts claims this is the wrong questions to ask. She suggests different, more empathetic questions that aim at “knowing” rather than “othering.”
Peacemaker or Political Hostage? Prospects for the Moscow-Busan “Iron Silk Road Express”
The promise of profit and increased political stability in Northeast Asia are attractive to Moscow and Seoul, but do the potential benefits of the “Iron Silk Road Express” outweigh the risks that come with investing in North Korea? Sabine van Ameijden evaluates.
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.
“Unification Aesthetics:” A Review of Lee Si-Woo’s Life on the Edge of the DMZ
Can the desolation of the North-South border region be understood as a “huge canvas for a meditation on life itself?” Adam Cathcart explores the relationship between the human condition and the peninsula-as-environment in this review of Lee Si-Woo’s Life on the Edge of the DMZ.
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