Academics and the competition for attention
The impeachment of Yoon brought out a new academic phenomenon - the scholarly live report as academics compete with random commentators, acerbic trolls, and journalists for likes and reposts in a race to the bottom.
2024 12 18
Korea watchers and nefarious state actors
If you're a Korea Watcher, you are a target for disinformation, surveillance, espionage, and intimidation. Every second member of the tribe will tell you that North Korea’s cyber capabilities are among the most sophisticated in the world. With thousands of hackers operating under organizations like Bureau 121, the regime targets governments, corporations, and individuals - including Korea watchers. Few however, think about the threats emanating from closer to home.
2024 12 10
South Korea’s conservative party needs a new name
South Korea’s conservatives like to change their party name after a f@*k up - and this time, they’ve really f@*ked up.The public is really pissed. Nobody wants this - and soon the economy will start to feel the effects as general strikes spread and investors say WTF? I’m outta here! What confuses most people, is why the party leader would want this - he’s shooting himself in the foot. He will soon be as unpopular as Yoon.
2024 12 08
Yoon’s foreign policy is dead in the water
I’ve written often about the hollowness of Yoon’s foreign policy and the risks of accepting it at face value. As is often the case in the modern world, any analysis that doesn’t match our own attitudes and opinions is lost in the algorithmic ether as we sit in our own echo chambers.
2024 12 07
Shamanism and Korean politics: Choosing a time for a coup
For those outside Korea, it’s hard to imagine that the country’s politics are influenced by centuries-old mysticism. Shamanism (musok), once a cornerstone of indigenous spirituality, has quietly evolved into a shadowy force in modern politics.
2024 12 05
The wildcard of an incompetent coup
On 3 December South Korea’s president imposed martial law. Within six hours the National Assembly voted to overturn the declaration. While democracy prevailed, the incident exposed entrenched political instability in South Korea.
2024 12 04
Korea’s Gen-Z and comulsory military service
For decades, South Korea's mandatory military service has been viewed as a rite of passage—a moment where young men set aside personal aspirations to serve their country, foster camaraderie, and uphold national security in a region marked by tension.
2024 12 01
North Korea and the suicide drone
Reports in the Western media recently highlighted details of a Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) report on the visit of Kim Jong-un to the Unmanned Aerial Technology Complex (UATC) where he emphasized the need to mass produce drones and update military theory, practice and education to accomodate these changes.
2024 11 28
South Korea the neo-mercantilist
South Korea’s steadfast refusal to export military armaments to Ukraine, even amid intensifying international appeals, is interesting. On the surface, the Yoon Administration purported to be a global pivotal state, and gave rhetorical support to the values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law. Beneath the surface, it continues a long foreign policy tradition...
2024 11 26
Why non-Koreans can’t help but praise South Korea
South Korea comes across as the darling of non-Korean academics. From scholarly articles to international conferences, South Korea’s political and diplomatic maneuvers are showered with glowing accolades. It’s as if every foreign academic is competing in an unspoken game of - Who can praise Seoul the most?
2024 11 24