Essays

Wreathes, Smoke, and National Interest: April 15 and Commemoration in Asia

By | April 21, 2017

East Asia’s cemeteries are a reminder that while leaders and rhetoric may change, the structure of the region remains the same. The borders set in 1953 have not moved. But is there something in the air? Steven Denney cogitates on the contingency of Korean War memory and what it may mean in the present.

The Sino-DPRK Split and Origins of US-DPRK Bilateralism

By | February 20, 2017

Using archival material from the Woodrow Wilson Center, Eungseo Kim dissects the politics of Sino-US détente in 1972. He concludes that Pyongyang’s grievance against Beijing for its refusal to push preconditions for Sino-US diplomatic normalization was why Pyongyang decided it needed to deal directly with the United States.

Targeting Northeastern Tigers: Xi Jinping’s Anti-Corruption Campaign in Liaoning

By | February 06, 2017

The Chinese Communist Party is in a state of tremendous ferment on the corruption issue. Surveying the mainland press for clues from Liaoning, Adam Cathcart assesses the campaign’s impact in a key border province.

South Korea’s Identity Gap: Diverging Views on North Korea

By and | January 23, 2017

How close do South Korean youth feel to North Korea vis-a-vis their older compatriots? What do they think about the reunification of a nation long divided? Reviewing the latest survey data and fresh evidence from qualitative interviews, Phillip Lee and Steven Denney confirm what many have long suspected: a growing identity gap.

Foreign Policy Implications of Park’s Impeachment

By | December 09, 2016

Dr. Leif-Eric Easley assesses the ramifications of President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment for the regional order and considers likely foreign policy scenarios should the Constitutional Court uphold the impeachment motion.

In the Cradle of Exile: The National Origins of Communist China and Korea

By | August 09, 2016

In this featured piece on “exilic nationalism,” Benjamin Eckton argues that national and revolutionary origins of the North Korean and Chinese state are found in the rough terrain of the Jinggang Mountains and the hills of Manchuria, where Mao Zedong and Kim Il-sung would develop and nurture their ideas of revolution and national liberation.

North Korean Nationalism: Lessons from Pyongyang

By | June 08, 2016

What is North Korean nationalism? Is it the same as the South Korean variant? In a new essay, Steven Denney pauses to reflect on a recent trip to the DPRK, and considers the answers to both of these questions.

Same Problem, Different Angles: Japan and South Korea’s Divergent Approaches to Cooperation with Russia

By | June 06, 2016

Russia’s comparatively hardline approach to North Korea in 2016 serves to highlight the generally pragmatic nature of interstate relations in Northeast Asia, argues Tony Rinna, Sino-NK’s Russia and Eurasia Analyst.