Research Room
Yongusil 93: Socialism’s Influence on Syngman Rhee and the Founding of the Republic
Was Syngman Rhee as explicitly anti-communist as he is often portrayed? How prominent a role did ideology play in Rhee’s role as a statesman and founding father of the Republic of Korea? Historical documents indicate things are more complicated than commonly assumed. A new working paper in the Cold War International History Project (CWIHP) considers the evidence.
Yongusil 92: A New Perspective on the Evolution of South Korea’s Developmental State
Contrary to extant findings, evidence suggests the origins of South Korea’s industrial and economic transformation predated Park Chung-hee’s rise to power. A forthcoming piece for the Journal of Contemporary Asia argues that sweeping land reforms implemented in South Korea in the post-liberation period laid the foundations of the country’s economic development and industrial transformation.
Yongusil 91: New Frontiers in Korean Studies
The new Institute for Korean Studies at the George Washington University recently hosted a workshop for young researchers, “New Frontiers in Korean Studies: Korea and the World.” 10 young scholars presented their work, each pursuing new directions in understanding Korean history, politics, and society.
Yongusil 90: The Carter-Reagan Transition and the US-South Korea Alliance
A new working paper, “Shifting Hierarchy & Subordinate Sovereignty: The Carter-Reagan Transition and the US-South Korea Alliance” will be presented at a conference at the University of Texas on January 19-21. Author Clint Work explains more.
The Tumen Triangle Project: Focus on the Rajin-Sonbong Economic and Trade Zone
Sino-NK presents issue four of the Tumen Triangle Documentation Project: Sourcing the Chinese-North Korean Border. Written by Théo Clément, this issue focuses on the Rajin-Sonbong Economic and Trade Zone.
Yongusil 89: One River, Three States in Asian Perspective Special Issue
This autumn saw the journal Asian Perspective bring together five authors for a transnational investigation of issues confronting the DPRK-PRC-Russia border region. The journal special issue was guided by guest editor Park Hyun-gwi of Cambridge University. Anthony Rinna takes a look inside.
Yongusil 88: Borders and Belonging at the 2016 Joint East Asian Studies Conference at SOAS
Markus Bell and the Sino-NK team review Korea-focused presentations from the Joint East Asian Studies Conference (JEAS), hosted by the University of London’s SOAS from September 7-9.
Yongusil 87: The National Archives at Kew, London
Benjamin Eckton reflects on his experience at The National Arhives at Kew (Greater London) reading dispatches from British Foreign Correspondents stationed in Northeast Asia during the period of Japanese occupation.
Yongusil 86: AKS Colloquium and Sources of Identity Change in South Korea
On August 26, Steven Denney presents preliminary findings based on his survey research on the sources of national identity change in South Korea at the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS) colloquium for overseas scholars studying Korea.
Reinterpreting the Withdrawal of Chinese Troops from North Korea, 1956-1958
Did Kim Il-sung’s nationalism force the Chinese out of North Korea in the 1950s, or was it an agreed strategy meant to bolster anti-US propaganda? This post reviews new data on a pivotal moment in Chinese-North Korean relations.
Yongusil 85: Alexander Dukalskis on the Political Impacts of the Shadow Market
The role of the shadow economy in North Korean social change is a contested question, one taken up in a new paper for Europe-Asia Studies. Here, the author summarizes his findings for Sino-NK.
