Busan, South Korea
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”
[During the run-up to the April 10 elections I will be providing occasional commentary, focusing, as always, on matters relevant to North Korea or to inter-Korean relations.– BRM] Why the special treatment, Ignorarium? Of all the left-wing national movements in the OECD, South Korea’s is the least Americanized. I’m not denying that many a Minjoo Party member … Continue reading “On the Assembly Elections
–B.R. Myers”
[In view of recent news developments, I think it’s time to post an excerpt from an off-the-record breakfast talk I gave in Seoul last February. Updates follow. — BRM.] When a ruling elite focuses on one issue above all others, as the Moon Jae-in Blue House focused on North Korea, it’s safe to assume that it … Continue reading “On “Peace System” Perks for South Korea’s Elite — B.R. Myers”
I keep coming across scenarios of North Korean aggression that take no account of the political realities here, so I’m going to complain again. This time I’ll heed Ecclesiastes and let my words be few. First, this is the sort of thing I mean: One analysis previously published by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists estimates … Continue reading “Why Covering for South Korea’s “Liberals” is Unfair to the North –B.R. Myers”
[Note: This is the start of a thread on the race; I will be posting updates until 9 March.] “There’s never been a presidential election like this one,” the newspapers keep saying. Because the two parties are already looking beyond it to “democratic integration,” they’ve been going easy on each other, to the annoyance of their … Continue reading “On the South Korean Presidential Race
— B.R. Myers”
In his latest NK News article Andrei Lankov expresses concern at the prospect of a Yoon Seok-youl presidency. The conservatives will insist on denuclearization, and since this is a non-starter, inter-Korean relations can only get worse, etc. I’m of course familiar with the assumption that if a demand is unacceptable to Pyongyang, the wise thing … Continue reading “On Yoon Seok-youl [Yoon Suk-yeol] — B.R. Myers”
After months of isolation at a riverside house in Gyeonggi Province I now have to return to Busan for face-to-face classes. Yesterday, to ease my way back into society, I went to a Ministry of Unification event in Seoul to which I and a few dozen others, Korean and foreign, had been invited. The occasion … Continue reading “On the South Korean Version of German History
— B.R. Myers”
If my hypothetical daughter made a great show of buying an extra cellphone purely for calling that boyfriend I hated, and then kept announcing, with remarkable equanimity, that he wouldn’t answer because he was angry at her for siding with me, I’d smell a rat. But no sooner was an inter-Korean hotline established with fanfare in … Continue reading “On the Inter-Korean Hotline
[and the Cheongju Spy Case]
— B.R. Myers”
Considering all that has come to light in South Korea since 2019, and the Porsche-bribe allegations that just ruined the special prosecutor who worked up relatively tenuous charges against Park Geun-hye, this is the most scandal-ridden ruling camp in post-democratization history. Yet all will be forgotten if Moon Jae-in himself can retire in peace to … Continue reading “On Lee Jae-myung
— B.R. Myers”
