The Korean Odyssey

  *An academic conference is being held to discuss building peace on the Korean Peninsula.   ⓒ  Il Young Jeong Il Young Jeong Senior Research Fellow_Institute of Social Science_Sogang University Subject phrases such as “North Korea’s,” “North Korea is,” and “As for North Korea … ” are frequently encountered in recent academic conferences and media reports dealing with the Korean Peninsula. These expressions have become familiar, yet they evoke a certain sense of discomfort. At some point, we grew accustomed to understanding the space of “North Korea” as a single, unified actor called “North Korea.” This article criticizes the current tendency to place the space of North Korea into a black box and interpret it as a monolithic entity, and proposes restoring the research ecosystem on North Korea as a way to address this problem.   Two Wings for Understanding North Korea The space we call North Korea is shrouded in secrecy. It is likely one of the most isolated countri...