Xi in Seoul and History Textbook Wars: #Shigak no. 08
The latest issue of Shigak follows several significant developments in South Korea’s foreign and domestic affairs, including Xi’s visit to Seoul and the Abe administration’s reivew of the 1993 “Kono Statement.” Other pertinent issues, including textbook wars and domestic political battles, are covered in this issue.
Kim Ki-nam: North Korea’s Orchestral Politics
Octogenarian propaganda doyen Kim Ki-nam has survived at the top of North Korean politics for decades. Quite apart from all the perks that tend to accrue to such people, the other thing former Rodong Sinmun editor Kim has earned from his exertions is the attention of Adam Cathcart.
Yongusil 41: KCNA Watch, Reboot
For a number of years, the website NK News has been trying to monetize news about North Korea, traditionally an unattractive subject of inquiry. One key plank in their strategy is KCNAWatch, an aggregator and analyzer of North Korean media content. Sino-NK looks at a recent site upgrade.
Smile: You’re on North Korean TV
North Korean television occasionally features political “talk shows.” This essay looks at one example, and analyses how the North Korean state manages to modulate its propaganda message.
Yongusil 40: ASCJ Tokyo, Sophia University Roundup
Research and historical scholarship in Japan is at a wonderful moment of ferment, as Sino-NK reports from the Association of Asian Studies regional conference at Tokyo’s Sophia University. Papers on colonial modernity in Korea as well as Manchukuo are richly considered.





