The Korean Odyssey

  *South and North Beyond the Fence of the Demilitarized Zone.  @iStock   Il Young Jeong Research Professor_Institute of Social Science_Sogang University Kim Jong-un's statement on the 'hostile two-state relationship' regarding inter-Korean relations is causing controversy. Starting from the end of last year, Kim Jong-un's remarks on the "hostile two states" have shaken not only the academic community but also the political sphere and civil society in South Korea. The unfortunate aspect is that some experts have hastily defined the 'two-state system' on the Korean Peninsula as an irreversible reality and begun to seek alternatives. I believe that we must be cautious of hasty judgments because Kim Jong-un's "hostile two states" argument differs from the process of discourse formation previously shown by North Korea. In this context, I intend to analyze Kim Jong-un's two-state theory and argue that his discourse remains incomplete. Kim ...

: Suspension of the 9.19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement by the Yoon Seok-yeol Administration is a Violation of the Armistice Agreement *The tense atmosphere at Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).  @iStock   Il Young Jeong Research Professor_Institute of Social Sciences_Sogang University Tensions are rising again on the Korean Peninsula. South Korean anti-North Korean groups are sending leaflets criticizing the Kim Jeong-un regime to the North, and in response, North Korea is continuously sending large balloons filled with garbage to the South. In response to North Korea’s garbage balloons, the South Korean government has completely suspended the effect of the 9.19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement and is countering with the operation of loudspeakers towards the North. As inter-Korean dialogue and even communication lines are cut off, hostilities between the two Koreas are escalating, heightening tensions on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea’s Garbage Balloons are a Clear...

*North Korean middle school students are visiting the birthplace of Kim Il-sung.  @iStock   Il Young Jeong Research Professor_Institute of Social Sciences_Sogang University “According to sources”, “according to officials”... These are expressions that commonly appear when watching news about North Korea. Are these "source-based" news reports delivering North Korea to us as it is? This article analyzes the problems of source-based news that refuse verification and raises the necessity of an information verification process. News from “sources” and “officials” that refuse verification On July 10, TV Chosun reported as an “exclusive” that the North Korean authorities had publicly executed more than 30 middle school students last week for watching South Korean dramas stored on USBs from anti-North Korean leaflets. An anonymous "government official" was cited as saying that "more than 30 middle school students who were caught watching dramas from a USB picked up fro...

*North Korean residents are paying their respects at the statue of Kim Il-sung.  @iStock   Il Young Jeong Research Professor_Institute of Social Sciences_Sogang University In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed, "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood." Human rights are recognized as the most important rights for us living in the modern era. However, human rights remain controversial for us. Depending on perspectives and perceptions, human rights can be interpreted differently or even used as political tools. This means that it is not as easy as it seems to view and protect human rights as their intrinsic value. In this article, I aim to reveal how hypocritical and deceptive the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's North Korean human rights policy is. The Strange Concept of Human Rights Under the Yoon Suk-yeol Administration U...