Junotane

My name is Jeffrey Robertson, aka Junotane. On this site, I write on foreign policy, diplomacy and the Korean Peninsula.

As an advisory warning, it’s direct, no holds barred, cutting commentary from in-country. It may offend. There’s no government baloney, no corporate cream, and no thinktank spruiking. Just free-thinking insight - commentary, analysis and fiction.

From here you can head on over to read About Junotane, including subscriptions and contact details; or you can head straight to the Writing section where you will find Analysis, Commentary, and Fiction on the Korean Peninsula and the the region.

Thanks for visiting and remember: be thankful, be nice, and help people - life is short :)

South Korea’s proposed foreign agents registration act
South Korea’s proposed foreign agents registration act

The proposal for a South Korean version of the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) has sparked significant debate. The legislative move aims to monitor foreign influence by requiring registration of entities acting on behalf of foreign principals, similar to U.S. practices.

2024 11 01

The semiotics of foreign policy and diplomacy
The semiotics of foreign policy and diplomacy

While foreign policy and diplomacy are often used interchangeably (particularly in America), they refer to distinct processes.

2024 10 31

South Korea’s defense-industrial sites face sabotage risk
South Korea’s defense-industrial sites face sabotage risk

Event or Trend: Following the 30 October nuclear submarine shipyard fire in Barrow-in-Furness, UK, concerns over foreign sabotage by Russian agents have intensified.

2024 10 30

AI redefines international relations teaching
AI redefines international relations teaching

How many International Relations (IR) professors have used Google’s new AI tool NotebookkLM? Just wondering, because it basically makes what you do everyday, absolutely pointless!

2024 10 29

Time to roll out the North Korea coup speculation?
Time to roll out the North Korea coup speculation?

When you’re sending 12,000 troops to battle in support of a side not exactly known for its kind treatment of conscripts, you’ve got to be thinking twice about the soldiers you’re threatening to send and the soldiers coming back.

2024 10 27

Reverse migration to impact politics
Reverse migration to impact politics

Event or Trend: A growing trend of Korean expatriates living in the West are returning to South Korea, driven by economic, social, and personal factors.

2024 10 26

What does Kim Jong-un read at night?
What does Kim Jong-un read at night?

It’s a strange but irresistible question: What books occupy the nights of North Korea’s supreme leader, Kim Jong-un?

2024 10 25

Korea’s folktale foreign policy
Korea’s folktale foreign policy

Folktales might seem like relics of childhood, full of fantastical elements far removed from the real world but these stories also carry tradition, cultural values, and societal norms that subtly influence the way we think.

2024 10 25

Yoon’s foreign policy failure with Ukraine
Yoon’s foreign policy failure with Ukraine

North Korea has increased its cooperation with Russia and will now potentially either directly or indirectly support Russia’s war in the Ukraine.

2024 10 24

South Korea’s academic kompromat
South Korea’s academic kompromat

In South Korea, academics are recruited into government service for both their knowledge, and as could be expected, their connections and influence.

2024 10 23