The Jangmadang of Sino-NK, emblematic of its North Korean namesake, serves as a marketplace for ideas, representing a distinctive approach towards disseminating scholarly and empirically grounded perspectives on critical issues pertinent to East Asia. Managed by the staff of Sino-NK, this platform offers concise but timely insights into contemporary research debates and news.
Eternal Recurrence: North Korean Iconography
Highlighting continuities and nuclear disjunctures in North Korean depictions of the Kim family, Adam Cathcart glosses a Heonik Kwon essay and tags the Mansudae Art Studios.
6.28 Back on the Docket?: Economic “Improvement” Hints Return
Is economic change on the way, or was it already here, or is the DPRK government spinning yet another yarn? Christopher Green reports on new rhetorical evidence of “improvement” (개선).
Premier Pak Pong-ju: The Helmsman Looks North
If the DPRK’s new Premier is indeed seeking economic reform and outside investment, all roads surely lead north, as Adam Cathcart argues.
Charismatic Politics of Another Sort: Personality Politics in South Korea
In unconsolidated democracies with weak party institutions, charismatic political figures have a disproportionately higher level of influence compared to consolidated democracies. Ahn Cheol-soo is one such figure. Steven Denney explains.
Knives, Lassoes, and Accordions: A Chinese Traditionalist View of the Korean Peninsula
Ding Gang’s recent skepticism about American intentions around the Korean peninsula is the subject of a short investigation by Mycal Ford.
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