Busan, South Korea
I was dining at a European ambassador’s house in 2017 when — ever the life of the party — I raised the possibility that President Moon might someday be prosecuted for abusing power. A younger diplomat there took stiff umbrage at the notion that such a fine man could end up like Park Geunhye. Not … Continue reading “On Moon-Era Preparations
for a Kim Visit — B.R. Myers”
In Asia Times this week Andrew Salmon writes: Ever since 2006, when North Korea first tested a nuclear device, the broad understanding among analysts and observers has been that North Korea’s nuclear arsenal exists to deter an Iraq- or Afghanistan-style attack by nuclear-armed US forces… Of late, cracks have appeared in this long-held belief. This reminds me of … Continue reading “On Domination Scenarios
— B.R. Myers”
A British journalist called me a few years ago with questions about South Korean politics. I told her I’d grown tired of talking for twenty minutes only to see one sentence in print, and suggested she get a soundbite from someone else. “But everyone’s a Pyongyang watcher these days,” she replied goodhumoredly. “Where are the … Continue reading “Where Are the Seoul Watchers?
— B.R. Myers”
NORTH KOREA’S JUCHE MYTH (Sthele Press, 2015) INTRODUCTION With minor variations from writer to writer, the Western version of North Korea’s ideological history goes like this: In 1955, seven years into his rule, Kim Il Sung proclaimed the nationalist ideology that had been guiding him all along. Instead of mimicking the USSR, he said, Korea had to … Continue reading “North Korea’s Juche Myth:
Introduction (2015)
— B.R. Myers”
It was only a year ago that American observers referred to Moon Jae-in as “security-conservative,” and assumed he’d been “blindsided” by Trump’s suspension of war games. Since then it has dawned on almost everyone that the Blue House is well to the soft-line side of the White House. Yet most Korea watchers still believe Moon … Continue reading “South Korea’s Nationalist-Left Front
— B.R. Myers”
For years the American press gave us sporadic reports on how blasé South Koreans were about the threat from the North, and how indifferent they had become to the welfare or human rights of the people up there. Yet early this year the commentariat suddenly had to explain the dramatic change in North-South relations without resorting … Continue reading “Trends in South Korea’s
Nationalist-Left Discourse
— B.R. Myers”
[Below is the text I used for about 90% of my speech on December 19 at the Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch, Seoul. I would like to thank everyone who braved the very cold weather to attend. I also apologize to those in the back of the hall who sometimes had difficulty hearing me.] Ladies and … Continue reading “North Korea’s Unification Drive
— B.R. Myers”
1. Martin Luther said you could show some people the line “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” and they’d take it to mean, “in the beginning the cuckoo ate the hedge-sparrow.” I know the type. Many of our Pyongyang watchers would have us believe that when North Korea says no to … Continue reading “On Experts and Exegetes — B.R. Myers”
Listening to panel discussions and reading articles about the current standoff, I’m struck by the general tendency to regard the South Koreans only as bystanders, or as potential victims of a US-DPRK clash. It is nowhere stronger than in South Korea itself. It’s high time America recognized the key role that its ally has played in … Continue reading “Low-Level Confederation and the
Nuclear Crisis (in 2 parts) — B.R. Myers”
In a recent blog post I mentioned the Great Contradiction in North Korean Studies: the practice of playing up the DPRK’s bold and uncompromising nationalism while at the same time denying its commitment to unifying the nation. The front and back do not match, as Koreans say. The Great Contradiction in South Korean Studies is the … Continue reading “North Korea, Nuclear Armament, and Unification — B.R. Myers”
