Posts Tagged ‘lee myung bak’
South Korea’s Big Dilemma
With the death of Kim Jong Il the hopes of many people—Koreans in both the North and South as well as outside observers—have been suddenly realized, even while the North Korean public and leadership morn for various complex and contradictory reasons. Now the identification of Kim Jong Il with the North Korean system and its deprivations, and [...]
Time For a Bold New Offer from South Korea
The death of Kim Jong Il had often been anticipated in rumors and speculation since his stroke in 2008, but when it finally happened on December 17, 2011, it was nevertheless, quite unexpected. Indeed, in the last weeks and months, with the busy schedule of the North Korean leader including visits to China and Russia, it looked rather more [...]
North Korea After Kim Jong Il
The death of Kim Jong Il marks a watershed moment between distinct epochs in the history of North Korea, prompting intense debate over the multiple scenarios possible for the anticipated transition. The current mass expressions of grief in North Korea may seem shocking to foreigners, but certainly cannot be written off as insincere. It is true [...]
Kim Jong Un’s Power and Policy: Current State and Future Prospects
North Korea’s “Supreme Leader” Kim Jong Il died on December 17, 2011. Kim Jong Il’s era is gone and Kim Jong Un is now the new leader. How solid is Kim Jong Un’s grip on power at the moment? Can Kim Jong Un continue to consolidate his power into the future? And what kinds of policies will the new leader pursue toward the US and South [...]
South Korea on the Fence: Nukes or No Nukes?
South Korea faces a critical decision: whether or not to go nuclear, a decision that has US defense and diplomatic elites on edge. Talk of a nuclear option was anathema in South Korea only a decade ago. Official expression of a desire for nuclear weapons development has, until now, been politically and diplomatically taboo. To date, South Korean [...]
Lee Myung Bak’s Nordpolitik: A U-turn in the Pipeline? (Part II)
So in case you wondered what T.S. Eliot was doing upfront in Part I of this article, the squalid take on all this continues below. It’s a gas, man But it was Russia and gas that clinched it. Take a look at KCNA—except readers in South Korea, because Lee’s benighted government doesn’t trust you to guffaw like the rest of [...]
