Shows
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #112 (Literature Series) – Ksenia Chizhova – ‘Women Calligraphers in Late Choson Korea’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Ksenia Chizhova. They speak about the practice of calligraphy in late Choson Korea, the highly aestheticized craft and the social importance attached to it, the differences between traditionally male and female calligraphy, the meticulous training processes involved, the different moral and character insights that the practice was said to offer unto their authors, the male domination of the practice in terms of public presence and prestige, and the niche that women calligraphers claimed for themselves often within the private domain. Ksenia Chizhova...
2021-08-2259 min
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #111 (Literature Series) – Michael Kim – ‘The Trouble with Christian Publishing in Colonial Korea’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Michael Kim. They speak about the history of the Christian Publishing Company (Changmunsa), the difficulties of operating during the Japanese colonial period, the complexities of the colonial publishing market, the movement among Korean Christians to achieve more cultural autonomy from Western missionaries, and the unique insights that can be gained from the diaries and letters of Yun Ch’iho (1864–1945). Michael Kim is a Professor of Korean History at Yonsei University’s Graduate School of International Studies in Seoul, Korea. His research primarily focuse...
2021-08-161h 04
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #110 (Literature Series) – Sixiang Wang – ‘The Politics of Language in Early Choson Korea’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Sixiang Wang. They speak about the exchanges between Choson Korea (1392-1910) and Ming China (1368-1644), the Korean envoys and interpreters who mediated between the two dynasties, the need of these interpreters to master spoken Chinese, the extensive body of language materials that were created for this purpose, and the invention of the Hangul script to systematically represent the phonology of Sino-Korean. Sixiang Wang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at UCLA. He teaches courses in Korea’s...
2021-08-021h 01
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #109 (Literature Series) – Daniel Pieper– ‘Redemption and Regret in the Writings of James Scarth Gale’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Daniel Pieper. They speak about James Scarth Gale and the significance of his translation work, the extraordinary upheaval and change that he witnessed as a missionary in late-Choson Korea, how he saw the changing face of Korea and the importance of Korean literature, the accusations that Gale was a pro-Japanese sympathiser during the colonial period, Gale’s view of the existing religious landscape inside Korea, how he balanced a deep affection for Old Korea whilst also seeking to modernise and convert it to Christianity, an...
2021-07-261h 01
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #108 (Literature Series) – Ross King – ‘Sinographic Cosmopolis’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Ross King. They speak about the landscape of pre-modern Korean literature, the complex ecology of spoken and written language that existed, the broader East Asian cultural formation of which Korea was a part, the problems with descriptors such as ‘diglossia’ and ‘Chinese’ that are often used in Korean literary research today, why the phrase ‘Sinographic Cosmopolis’ is much more appropriate in terms of accuracy and reach, the language based nationalism of modern Korea and how this changes how Korean literary tradition is viewed, and importantly...
2021-06-291h 15
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #107 (Literature Series) – Ross King – ‘James Scarth Gale - Life, Translations, and Lost Works’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Ross King. They speak about the life of James Scarth Gale, the significance of Gale’s translation work and how it fit-in with his missionary duties, the libraries of Korean literature that he amassed, how he saw the changing face of Korea and Korean literature, Gale’s legacy today both inside and outside of Korea, and importantly the extraordinary research that Ross has done tracking down Gale’s lost archives. Ross King is a Professor of Korean language and literature at the Univer...
2021-06-201h 04
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #106 – Hyunhee Park – ‘The History of Soju’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Hyunhee Park. They speak about Hyunhee’s book Soju: A Global History, the Eurasian roots of distilled liquors with arak and shaojiu, the Mongol origins of soju and the technology transfers to Koryo-Korea, how soju was distilled and the early role it played in Koryo, the increased popularity of soju during the Choson dynasty and the rise of its cultural significance, the impact of the Japanese colonial era and how modernisation produced in industrial soju to compete with traditional soju, the international connections that so...
2021-05-201h 30
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #105 – Ben Young – ‘Guns, Guerillas, and the Great Leader’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Ben Young. They speak about Ben’s new book Guns, Guerillas, and the Great Leader: North Korea and the Third World, how and why North Korea sought allies around the Third World during the Cold War period, what these alliances looked like and consisted of, how the changing internal politics of North Korea affected these partnerships, how North Korea saw these international relationships as a means to sell its cult of personality, to acquire hard currency, to cause unrest for America and its allies, an...
2021-04-281h 05
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #104 – Donald Baker – ‘Korean Confucianism’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Donald Baker. They speak about the history of Korean Confucianism, the rise of Confucianism and the ‘privatization’ of Buddhism in the Chosŏn dynasty, what differentiates Korean from Chinese Confucianism, the metaphysical debates between the Toegye and Yulgok factions and how this division defined the course of Korean Confucianism, the emergence of Tasan Chŏng Yagyong and the new reading of Confucianism that he introduced, the Social, political, ethical, and hierarchical structures involved, the transformation of Confucianism in modern-day Korea, and how it has lost m...
2021-04-191h 22
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #103 – Brad Glosserman – ‘The New National Security Economy’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Brad Glosserman. They speak about Brad’s recent and ongoing work on the new national security economy, the changing global realities and how countries will need to adapt, the importance that governments such as South Korea and Japan recognise these new national security economy issues and integrate them into their broader defence policies, how this fits into the new superpower conflict between America and China, the challenges presented to East Asia by the rise of China, the prospects for multilateralism as a means to mi...
2021-03-281h 07
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #102 – Thomas Duvernay – ‘Sinmiyangyo - The 1871 Conflict Between the United States and Korea’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Thomas Duvernay. They speak about Thomas’ new book Sinmiyangyo: The 1871 Conflict Between the United States and Korea, the historical background and context of the battle, the original misunderstandings that sparked the conflict, how the conflict progressed, the nature of the fighting and the military technology involved, how the important historical sites look today, and the long-term impact of the conflict on both Korea and America as well as the broader East Asian region. Thomas Duvernay has a doctorate in Korean studies and is...
2021-01-311h 22
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #101 (Literature Series) – Bruce Fulton and Ju-Chan Fulton – ‘One Left - The Comfort Women Novel’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Bruce and Ju-Chan Fulton. They speak about Bruce and Ju-Chan’s translation of Kim Soom’s novel One Left, the difficult subject matter of Korean comfort women and how the author deals with this, the lingering emotions of guilt and shame, the challenges of dealing with such intense trauma, the failures of Korean society to assist these women, the translation process for the novel and the complications involved in finding a publisher, the creative choices that Kim Soom made and the extraordinary place that this...
2021-01-121h 23
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #98 – Albert Park – ‘The History and Politics of Agrarian Life in Korea’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Albert Park. They speak about the history of agriculture in Korea, the important place that farmers traditionally held within the economy and the society, what agrarian life in Korea has looked like and how it has changed, the impact of colonial rule and modernisation, the introduction of cooperative models, the role of government and the strained power-dynamic between them and the farming sector, the New Village Movement (NVM, Saemaul undong), Minjung Ideology, and the future of agriculture and environmentalism in Korea. Albert...
2020-12-211h 07
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #97 – Tycho van der Hoog – ‘North Korea’s Presence in Africa’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Tycho van der Hoog. They speak about the National Heroes’ Acre monuments in Namibia and Zimbabwe, how these North Korean-built monuments ended up there, the history and extent of such North Korean influence and presence in southern Africa, the public history and political culture that ties such countries to North Korea, and importantly how (and why) the history of the liberation movements – and how it has been manipulated – in these countries explains their deep international connections to this day. Tycho van der Hoog i...
2020-11-221h 12
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #96 – John Bocskay – ‘A Walking Tour of the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan, Korea’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with John Bocskay. They take a walking tour of the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan while speaking about the construction and maintenance of the cemetery, the design and its purpose, the important landmarks, the unique history of the site as the only United Nations cemetery in the world, and the way in which it honours the history of the Korean War and the memories of the soldiers who fought and died during its battles. John Bocskay hails from Westchester County, New York, and...
2020-11-151h 27
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #95 – Leighanne Yuh – ‘The Opening of the Late-Choson Dynasty – Confucian Traditions, Kabo Reforms, and the Introduction of Western-Style Learning’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Leighanne Yuh. They speak about the tumult and geopolitical pressures within the Late-Choson dynasty, the growing influence of foreign powers, the forced opening of the country to international trade, the tensions between the old Confucian order and the need to rapidly reform, the motivations and concerns that led to the introduction of Western-style education, the reach and impact of the Kabo Reforms, and how deeply this change in education and outlook impacted the country during this period and into the Japanese colonial era.
2020-11-081h 04
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #94 – Sean King – ‘German Lessons for Korean Reunification - 30 Year Anniversary’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Sean King. They speak about the long running analogy and lessons that are drawn between German reunification and the hopes of Korean reunification, the origins and causes of each division, the impact and placements of these countries within the Cold War order, the degrees to which information and outside influence managed to permeate each country, the important geographical and other differences between East Germany and North Korea as well as between West Germany and South Korea, the different outlooks and ways in which they...
2020-10-031h 11
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #92 (Literature Series) – Meredith Shaw – ‘Messages in North Korean Literature’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Meredith Shaw. They speak about how the North Korean regime deals with and re-interprets “messages” from other countries and international institutions, what the state-produced literature that deals with this messaging looks like, the three main types of these foreign messaging interactions: 1. Economic sanctions. 2. Summit diplomacy. 3. Military exercises/fleet movements, how the Korean Writer’s Union (as a part of the Party’s Propaganda and Agitation Department) directs North Korean fiction in this regard, how the North Korean regime uses these messages to their internal advantag...
2020-09-201h 23
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #90 (Literature Series) – Daniel Pieper– ‘Hangul - The History, Evolution and Nationalism of the Korean Language’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Daniel Pieper. They speak about the Korean script ‘Hangul’, its history and development, the terminology and influences from Japan and China, the way in which language became a symbol of national pride and civilizational enlightenment, the structure of Hangul, the power inherent within the use of language and its impact on thought, the way that the Japanese colonial period and the repression of the time helped to turn Hangul into a symbol of national identity, the nationalistic education that evolved to support the language, and...
2020-09-061h 14
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #89 (Literature Series) – Kim Sunghee – ‘The Narrative of Martyrdom - North Korean Literature in the Early Military-First Age’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Kim Sunghee. They speak about North Korea’s ‘military-first’ ideology, the historical period from which it emerged, what the ideology entails, the transformation that took place in the minds of everyday North Koreans, the way that workers and soldiers became indistinguishable, how this ideology was developed through literature, what this literature looked like and the affect that it had, and importantly a close look at Song Sangwŏn’s ‘Taking up bayonets’. Kim Sunghee is a Social Science Korea (SSK) Research Professor at the Univer...
2020-08-301h 09
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #88 (Literature Series) – Bruce Fulton – ‘What Is Korean Literature? Part 2’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Bruce Fulton. They speak about the history of Korean literature, its origins as performative and oral works, the lyrical songs of the Koryo period, an overview of classical Korean literature, how the shift into verse happened and what it looked like, the rise of narrative fiction, the centrality of classical Chinese writing in this early literature, the development of modern literature and how this rapidly changing world was represented, important developments in poetry and drama, how Korean literature has continued to evolve along-side Korean...
2020-08-2355 min
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #87 (Literature Series) – Bruce Fulton – ‘What Is Korean Literature? Part 1’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Bruce Fulton. They speak about the history of Korean literature, its origins as performative and oral works, the lyrical songs of the Koryo period, an overview of classical Korean literature, how the shift into verse happened and what it looked like, the rise of narrative fiction, the centrality of classical Chinese writing in this early literature, the development of modern literature and how this rapidly changing world was represented, important developments in poetry and drama, how Korean literature has continued to evolve along-side Korean...
2020-08-2258 min
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #86 (Literature Series) – Janet Lee – ‘The Tale of Chunhyang - Translated by Western Missionaries’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Janet Yoon-sun Lee. They speak about the Chosŏn-era's ‘Tale of Chunhyang,’ why this story was so popular at the time and why it remains so today, the portrayal of social stratification within this novel, the rebellious message embedded in the text, the various different source texts that exist for this story, the two key English translations that were done by the now-famous Western Missionaries, Horace Allen and James Gale, how these translations changed and reinvented important aspects of the tale in the hopes of en...
2020-08-161h 04
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #85 (Literature Series) – Brother Anthony of Taizé – ‘Korean Poetry’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Brother Anthony of Taizé. They speak about the history and origins of Korean poetry, the imagery that is often used by Korean poets, the structure and form that Korean poetry follows, the difficulties and challenges of translating from Korean to English, how Korean poetry has changed over time, the lives and works of selected Korean poets, and importantly Brother Anthony’s experience within this field and the insights it offers into Korean life and culture. Brother Anthony of Taizé (Professor An Sonjae) was...
2020-08-081h 17
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #84 (Literature Series) – Franklin Rausch – ‘Korean Cinderella - The Story of Changhwa and Hongnyon’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Franklin Rausch. They speak about the Choson dynasty classic tale ‘The Story of Changhwa and Hongnyon’, the origins of this story in the 17th century, its popularity and the subject matter, how the story has changed over time, the earliest English translations, how during the Japanese colonial period the tale revives and becomes central to Korean national identity and a symbol of the daily suffering being felt, the escapist elements of the narrative, the universal aspects of the story that made it so appealing with...
2020-08-011h 07
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #83 (Literature Series) – Immanuel Kim – ‘Friend - A Novel from North Korea’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Immanuel Kim. They speak about his translation and analysis of Nam-Nyong Paek’s Friend, the context in which the novel was first published in North Korea, the change that literature like this was trying to make away from the Socialist Realist tradition, the new subtleties and styles that this new wave of writing embodied, the important ways that the everyday was portrayed in the novel, the undercurrent of moral philosophy, the propaganda still present despite the understated nature of the work, how the novel is...
2020-07-281h 09
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #81 (Literature Series) – Janet Poole – ‘Literature in Late Colonial Korea’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Janet Poole. They speak about Korean literature in the late-colonial period, the unique group of writers that emerged at this time, how they dealt with both censorship and the feeling of inevitability about Japanese rule, what the stories of this period looked like and the themes that tended to emerge, the depictions of the future and the everyday, the place of modernity and nostalgia, what Korean identity looked like and how it was developed through literature, the impact that this period had on Korean...
2020-07-121h 13
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #80 (Literature Series) – Ross King – ‘Korean-to-English Literary Translation - A Critical Examination’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Ross King. They speak about the landscape of Korean-to-English literary translation, the rise in interest over the past few years and support for the practice, how such translation can be taught and the challenges that exist within the field, the organisations that support and fund this translation, the bureaucratic and underlying assumptions behind this funding and support, the misplaced resistance against people studying Korean literature outside of Korea as well as the bias towards outbound translation, the structures and attitudes that are holding back...
2020-07-051h 01
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #79 (Literature Series) – Ayse Naz Bulamur – ‘Love as a Contact Zone - Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s Dictee’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Ayse Naz Bulamur. They speak about Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s Dictee, the different analytical interpretations of the novel, the importance of the text and how people have come to understand it over time, the role that emotion plays in building the characters, the blend between prose, poetry, autobiography, historical text, and story-telling, the experimental nature of the novel, the way that time plays out – both connecting and separating characters, the distance that emerges between the Korean mother and her Korean-American daughter, and importantly how...
2020-06-281h 06
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #78 (Literature Series) – Minsoo Kang – ‘The Story of Hong Gildong’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Minsoo Kang. They speak about The Story of Hong Gildong, the importance of this story in both Korean history and continuing into the present day, the origins of the Hong Gildong character in the Joseon Dynasty, the understanding of this character as a ‘noble robber’ in the same archetype as Robin Hood, the historical myths and scholarly inaccuracies that have changed most peoples’ conceptions of the text, the difficulty in translating the story from the 34 extant versions that survive today, the pseudo-history that has built...
2020-06-211h 36
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #77 – Ben Young – ‘The 1976 DMZ Axe Murder Incident - Emotion, Anger and Fear in American-North Korean Relations’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Ben Young. They speak about the 1976 Axe Murder Incident inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the geopolitical context in which this happened, the history of conflict between America and North Korea, the 1968 capture of the USS Pueblo, how the cutting down of a tree inside the Joint Security Area (JSA) sparked the murders, the crisis that this created on both sides of the border, the very real risk at the time of this developing into nuclear war, the subsequent deployment of Operation Paul Bunyan to...
2020-06-141h 13
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #75 – Stephen Nagy – ‘Coronavirus and East Asia - Investigations, Coercion and Middle Power Alliances’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Stephen Nagy. They speak about the impact of coronavirus on East Asia, how the crisis has affected relationships in the region, the opportunities that it originally presented for deeper cooperation, the failure of leadership from Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, how Japan are dealing with the crisis, the substantive links between China’s response to the current moment and that with recent challenges in Hong Kong and the arrest of a Huawei executive in Canada, the institutional problems inside China that are being exposed, th...
2020-05-311h 24
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #74 – Sandra Fahy – ‘Dying for Rights in North Korea, Part 2 - The Denials’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Sandra Fahy. They speak about the second half of Sandra’s new book ‘Dying for Rights: Putting North Korea’s Human Rights Abuses on the Record’, the response from North Korea to significant human rights accusations such as with the United Nations Commission of Inquiry, how North Korean media reports and deals with accusations of this kind, the specific threat of defector testimony to the regime in Pyongyang and their efforts to discredit or silence the defector community, the language and rhetoric that they use, the...
2020-05-2558 min
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #73 – Sandra Fahy – ‘Dying for Rights in North Korea, Part 1 - The Crimes’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Sandra Fahy. They speak about the first half of Sandra’s new book ‘Dying for Rights: Putting North Korea’s Human Rights Abuses on the Record’, the nature and scope of the human rights abuses in North Korea, the history of these violations, the impact and responsibility for famine and hunger, religious persecution across the country, the control of information, the control of movement and labour, the system of prison camps, torture and execution, and North Korea’s exportation of human rights violations. This is the fir...
2020-05-201h 09
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #71 – Geoffrey Cain – ‘The Republic of Samsung’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Geoffrey Cain. They speak about the origins and foundation of Samsung, its expansion into becoming an international conglomerate, the dynastic planning and building of the ruling family into Korean aristocracy, the explicit patriotic ideology of the company, the alliances and close knit relationships with successive authoritarian and democratic governments, Samsung’s move into semiconductors and eventually the smartphone market, its battles with Sony and later Apple for global market shares, the near-religious corporate culture that exists within the company, the rigid and restrictive hierarchy, th...
2020-04-191h 22
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #70 – Nianshen Song – ‘Between Choson and Qing - Mt Paektu, the Tumen River, and “No Man’s Land”’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Nianshen Song. They speak about the history of the border region between Choson Korea and Qing China, how migrant flows into Manchuria began to raise concerns for these states, the issue of finding the Tumen river and accurately demarcating it, the challenges of cartography at this time, the importance that Imperial Japan saw in this issue, how questions of international law and historical territory played into the decision making, the nature of the relationship between Qing China and Choson Korea, the demarcation and growing...
2020-04-121h 18
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #69 – Anders Riel Müller – ‘The Story of Korean Beef - Nationalism, Myth-Building and Anti-Americanism’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Anders Riel Müller. They speak about the history of beef and cattle on the Korean peninsula, the historical movements and invasions that impacted this diet, the change and re-emergence of the industry during the Japanese colonial period, the role that beef played as a part of the developmental state under successive authoritarian Korean leaders, the central importance of ‘the farmer’ during the democratic movement, the significance of Minjung philosophy, the impact of trade liberalisation, the rebellion against this, the nationalism that formed around the b...
2020-04-061h 26
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #68 – Erwin Tan – ‘Researching North Korea – Source Triangulation Methodology’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Erwin Tan. They speak about how to conduct research in the social sciences, the difficulty of conducting research on North Korea, the sensitivity of data that comes from primary sources, the difficulty of separating facts from analysis, source triangulation as a research strategy, chronological triangulation, perspective-based triangulation, methodological triangulation, the limitations of source triangulation, and importantly advice and guidance for young scholars looking to study North Korea. Erwin Tan is an Associate Professor at the Graduate School of International and Area Studies...
2020-03-2459 min
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #67 – Kathryn Weathersby – ‘The 1988 Seoul Olympics - Terrorism, Diplomacy and the End of the Cold War’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Kathryn Weathersby. They speak about the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games, its origins and the bidding process, its value as an economic showcase, hopes that the Games would help build diplomatic bridges to communist and non-aligned nations, North Korea’s response to the Games, the nature of the Cold War divide, the challenge for legitimacy on the Korean peninsula, North Korea’s resort to terrorism with the downing of Korean Air flight 858, Pyongyang’s hopes that this would cause a boycott of the Games, the international respon...
2020-02-261h 03
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #66 – Brad Glosserman – ‘Peak Japan’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Brad Glosserman. They speak about Brad’s new book ‘Peak Japan: The End of Great Ambitions’, the history of Japan, the different rises and falls in Japanese ambitions and national trajectories, the unique moment that Japan found themselves in at the end of the Cold War, the economic stagnation that followed, the impact of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, the political landscape inside Japan, the leadership dynamics that have played out over the years, Japan’s foreign policy and particularly how it relates to the rise of...
2020-02-141h 33
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #65 – Emma Campbell – ‘The New Nationalism of South Korea’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Emma Campbell. They speak about frameworks and methodologies for understanding national identity, the history of Korean nationalism, how it has developed overtime, the traditional idea – and importance – of an ethnic centric form of national identity, how polling data is now showing a shift in attitudes away from this framework, the increasing hesitation toward the prospects of reunification within South Korea, the rapidly changing South Korea that young people now find themselves in, the pride that is now felt with the modernity and cosmopolitanism of the...
2020-02-051h 08
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #64 – Andrew Logie – ‘Korean Pseudo-history’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Andrew Logie. They speak about the epidemic of Korean pseudo-history, how Korean history has been co-opted to serve nationalistic purposes, the threat that this field of pseudo-history is presenting to real historians and efforts to construct an evidence-based history of Korea, the methods that pseudo-historians use to manipulate evidence and construct false narratives, specific instances of this relating to the history of Old Choson, the Three Kingdoms, and Tangun (Dangun), amongst others, and importantly, what the historical record actually indicates about such important moments...
2020-01-011h 33
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #63 – Sharon Yoon– ‘Korean Enclaves in China’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Sharon Yoon. They speak about the historical migration of Korean communities into China, how these migrations have formed long-lasting enclaves, reciprocal migrations of Korean-Chinese back into Korea, how Korean identity exists within these enclaves in China, the differences and animosity between the Korean migrants and the Korean-Chinese, why these enclaves form, how they can be understood, the implications for notions of Korean nationalism, and a new cognitive approach to understanding ethnic identity. Sharon Yoon is an Assistant Professor at Ewha Womans University...
2019-12-261h 06
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #62 – Merose Hwang – ‘Shamanism in 1920s Korea - Gender, Transgenderism and Colonial Drag’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Merose Hwang. They speak about the efforts to assimilate Korean Shamanism during the colonial period, the concerns this raised within the Korean public, the challenges this seemed to present to ideas of modernity and Korean identity, the resistance that other religions had to the idea of making Shamanism mainstream, the ways in which scholars and institutes tried to re-gender the history of Shamanism and Korea, the phenomena of transgender Shamans, the incorporation of Shamanism into recognised guilds, the public plays and rituals these guilds...
2019-12-211h 14
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #61 – Merose Hwang – ‘Korean Shamanism in the Colonial Period’*** Correction: In the audio of this podcast I mistakenly referred to Merose Whang as an “Assistant Professor”, it should instead be ‘Associate Professor’; I also mistakenly referred to “Hiram University” when it should be ‘Hiram College’ This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Merose Hwang. They speak about the history of Korean Shamanism (the Mudang), the role they played in people’s lives, how the colonial period changed their place in society, the way they were painted as antithetical to the new ideal of modernisation, Shamanism’s suppression and criminalisation at t...
2019-12-161h 11
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #60 – Vladimir Tikhonov – ‘Korean Ethno-Nationalism’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Vladimir Tikhonov. They speak about Ethno-nationalism in Korea (Minjok), its origins in the pre-colonial period, how this concept is self-dated all the way back to ancient Joseon, the effect that Japanese colonialization had on this idea, how discrimination at this time help to create the perception of Koreanness, the impact that this had on the independence movement, how these notions of nationalism clashed with/were incorporated by Korean Marxism, the attempt by Marxists to also incorporate Korean Confucianism into their worldview, how the idea...
2019-11-211h 27
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #59 – Steven Lee – ‘The Korean Armistice and the Making of War, 1953-1976’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Steven Lee. They speak about the Korean armistice agreement, how the Korean War and its end affected this document, the signatories and absentees, the intention of the armistice, the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC), the central role played by America, how South Korea’s political landscape affected cross-border conflict, the almost immediate violation of the armistice through military build ups, the concerns and limited influence of allied nations, the debates at the United Nations, the attempted assassination of South Korean President Park Chung-hee during th...
2019-11-071h 24
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #57 – Liora Sarfati – ‘Public Dissent, Mass Mobilization and Street Protests in South Korea’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Liora Sarfati. They speak about the protests that arose from the Sewol tragedy, the broader social issues that the tragedy highlighted, the people involved in the protests, the challenges of mass commemoration events, the history of South Korean street protests and mass mobilization, the symbolic links between this history and the Sewol protests, the figure of then-President Park Geun-hye in this tragedy, the way she failed most Koreans expectations of leadership, the non-alignment of legality and morality in this regard, how these events affected...
2019-10-131h 17
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #56 – Joe Phillips – ‘Communities, Rights and Activism - The LGBTQ+ Landscape in South Korea’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Joe Phillips. They speak about the landscape of LGBTQ rights in South Korea, the absence of legal protections for this community, the cultural atmosphere of intolerance and indifference that traditionally has existed in the country towards sexual minorities, the emerging presence of pro-rights movements despite this social and cultural climate, the lack of real political representation for the LGBTQ community, the legal rulings that have affected the realization of full LGBTQ rights, the resistance and counter-activism of evangelical communities, the indicators of demographic change...
2019-10-061h 11
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #55 – Edward Reed – ’25 Years of Food Insecurity - Agricultural Failure in North Korea’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Edward Reed. They speak about the North Korean famine years in the mid-1990s, the conditions that cleaved together to produce this disaster, the failures of the North Korean regime leading up to, and responding to, the famine, the unique and constrained conditions that international aid agencies found themselves dealing with when responding to the crisis, the state control that persisted at the time, the conditions that have led to North Korea still being food insecure 25 years later, the cycles of agricultural boom and...
2019-09-291h 11
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #54 – Gregg Brazinsky – ‘Nation Building, America, and Cold War Rivalries’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Gregg Brazinsky. They speak about the Cold War period, the Sino-American rivalry at this time, the competition for allies and friendly regimes across the third world, the history that, in-part, motivated China’s rise, the reasons for American resistance, how these attitudes and this history still animates the behaviour of these two global powers; America’s nation building efforts during the Cold War, the central role that Korea came to hold in these efforts, the reasons for such high-levels of American commitment at the time...
2019-09-081h 09
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #53 – Jeffrey Robertson – ‘Watching the Watchers - Analysing Policy Discourse on North Korea’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Jeffrey Robertson. They speak about the North Korea Watcher community, what they do and how they operate, the various backgrounds from which people join this community, the differences and similarities that exist between Watchers, the nature of their research and the avenues that they use for publication, the developments that have impacted their research, the linguistic and informational challenges involved in studying a country like North Korea, and importantly the differences that have emerged between the English language North Korea Watcher community and the...
2019-09-0456 min
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #52 – Brendan Wright – ‘Memory Politics from the Korean Civil War Period (1948-1960)’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Brendan Wright. They speak about the Korean Civil War period (1948-1960), the government orchestrated massacres of Leftist groups, the significant events that occurred in Jeju, Kyongju and Kochang, the national scale of this violence, its coordination from the Syngman Rhee administration, the silencing and repression of the victims and their families, the fight of victims’ groups to achieve justice, the ways in which the dead have had their identities smeared, the pressure and violence that victims’ groups have had to endure over the years, the...
2019-08-091h 00
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #51 – Albert Park – ‘The Rise of Christianity in Modern Korea’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Albert Park. They speak about the religious landscape in ancient Korea, the places for Buddhism, Neo-Confucianism, Daoism, and Shamanism, the rise and relative falls of these religions/philosophies, the early arrival of Catholicism and the values that it represented for a changing nation, the amalgamation of religions into the popular movement ‘Tonghak’, the crushing of this religion by Japan during the Tonghak Peasant Rebellion (1894), the arrival of Protestantism, the new explanatory role it played in people’s lives, the new ethics and value placed on cap...
2019-07-301h 05
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #50 – Alon Levkowitz – ‘The Two Koreas, Israel and the Middle East’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Alon Levkowitz. They speak about the relationships between the two Koreas and the Middle East, the security, economic and diplomatic motivations behind these relationships, the early economic reasons for South Korean engagement, the shift over time to military involvement, the difficult diplomacy with countries like Syria and Iran, the economic opportunities for the Chaebol, and the ‘neutral’ policy aim toward the region and how it affects South Korea’s relationship with Israel; North Korea’s sale of military hardware to the region, their trade in chemi...
2019-07-221h 07
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #49 – David Tizzard – ‘Nietzsche, Korea, and Social Change’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with David Tizzard. They speak about the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, specific concepts such as the Will to Power, the Death of God, Metamorphosis and Eternal Recurrence, and how this offers insight into Korean society through issues like gay rights, sex, abortion, libel laws, the lingering importance of ‘keeping face’, racism, international reputation, K-pop, religion, capitalism, and the pain of modern history. David Tizzard is a Professor at Seoul Woman's University, a columnist at the Korea Times, and is currently completing research on his P...
2019-07-181h 12
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #48 – Peter Banseok Kwon – ‘Rich Nation, Strong Military - National Development under Park Chung-hee’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Peter Banseok KWON. They speak about the origins of South Korean “self-reliant national defence” under Park Chung-hee, the pressures that forced this change in policy direction, the relative absence of indigenous industry inside the country at this time, the intertwining of defence building with economic development, the role played in this process by the Heavy and Chemical Industrialization Plan (HCIP), the central position that the Chaebol found themselves in during this period, the spin-offs (in both directions) from this dual track of military and econ...
2019-07-101h 01
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #47 – Brad Glosserman – ‘The Future of Japan-Korea-America Trilateralism’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Brad Glosserman. They speak about the history of the South Korea-Japan relationship, how issues of history and identity have sustained and evolved over time, the role that America has played in helping to bridge the divide between these two countries, the shared geographical, economic, cultural and security interests that have allowed deeper cooperation over the years, the changing face of this dynamic under Moon Jae-in, Abe Shinzo and Donald Trump, the continuity of the military alliance, the galvanising effect of threats from North Korea...
2019-06-091h 22
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #46 – Lee Seong-hyon – ‘China's Strategy on the Korean Peninsula’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Lee Seong-hyon. They speak about the history of China’s relationship with the Korean peninsula, how the America-China regional rivalry and trade war is affecting the denuclearisation process, how China sees its current interests affected by the denuclearisation talks, the challenges presented to China’s status and regional control by the recent summit diplomacy, what the regular Xi-Kim summits have been about, how much influence China really has over North Korea, the way China sees the possible signing of an end of war declaration, the...
2019-06-041h 07
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #45 – George Lopez – ‘The Effectiveness of North Korean Sanctions’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with George Lopez. They speak about the theory behind the application of sanctions, the history of sanctions around the world, how sanctions regimes have evolved over time, their effectiveness in achieving desired outcomes, which sanctions – and for which purposes – work best, how sanctions have been applied to North Korea, how North Korea were able to achieve a Nuclear Weapon regardless, how this sanctions regime was tightened in 2016, the ability of North Korea to constantly evade the restrictions, and what sanctions on North Korea should look like...
2019-05-201h 10
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #44 – Jamie Doucette & Seung-Ook Lee – ‘Korean Extra-Territoriality - The Kaesong Industrial Complex and Beyond’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Jamie Doucette and Seung-Ook Lee. They speak about the conceptual ideas behind the Kaesong Industrial Complex, its construction and operation, the way this has altered traditional notions of sovereignty and territoriality, the economic rationale behind Kaesong (from both South Korean and North Korean perspectives), the political motivations, the hopes for reunification, the unique set of risks involved, the two temporary closures of the zone, Kaesong’s permanent shutdown in 2016 under the Park Geun-hye government, the successes and criticisms of the complex, the prospect of it...
2019-04-291h 19
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #43 – Balázs Szalontai – ‘Memory, Responsibility and Reconciliation - From the Korean War to Denuclearization’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Balázs Szalontai. They speak about how memories of the Korean War have changed – or stayed the same – over time, how South Korea and North Korea have respectively examined their own failings, how both parties have approached the issue of responsibility, the willingness – or not – to look critically at history, the value of reconciliation, how all this relates to the denuclearisation issue, international comparisons for dismantling such weapons programs, the example of South Africa, and importantly how this informs the current moment and the prospects...
2019-04-201h 30
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #42 – Alexander Dukalskis – ‘From Above and Below - North Korea’s Brand of Authoritarianism’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Alexander Dukalskis. They speak about the nature of authoritarian control inside North Korea, how social life is monitored through community groups, how the North Korean ‘justice’ system enforces social compliance, the role of the marketplace in the now-changing face of this control, the break with government that the famine years provided, and how – if at all – outside information, the new capitalist environment, the presence of corruption, and increasing levels of everyday disobedience are eroding the regime’s authoritarian hold. Alexander Dukalskis is an Assista...
2019-04-121h 08
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #40 – Andrew Scobell – ‘In the Shadow of a Rising China’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Andrew Scobell. They speak about the rise of China, its expanding militarism in Southeast Asia, the Belt and Road Initiative and other aspects of regional economic interdependence, how the changing face of China is affecting North Korea, the history and fraught alliance between the two countries, what China wants from North Korea, how Pyongyang has managed to leverage its weakness against its much stronger neighbour, the risks that North Korea presents to Chinese stability, and the future of the relationship. Andrew Scobell...
2019-03-2847 min
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #39 – Stephen Nagy – ‘Regionalism, Failed Summits and the View from Japan’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Stephen Nagy. They speak about the nature of East-Asian regionalism, the challenges it needs to overcome, the future prospects for deeper cooperation in the region, the changing face of Japan within this environment, the political climate under the Shinzo Abe government, and importantly, the impact that a re-emergent Japan is having on South Korea. Jed and Stephen then shift focus slightly to analyse the theatre, fallout and long-term ramifications of the recent Trump-Kim summit in Hanoi. Stephen Nagy is a Distinguished Fellow...
2019-03-161h 02
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #38 – Bruce Bennett – ‘Pathways to Korean Reunification’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Bruce Bennett. They speak about the various pathways to Korean reunification, the likelihood of this occurring via war, regime collapse or negotiation, the relative steps involving trust-building, low-level confederation, and broader political integration, the security considerations and national interests of China, America and South Korea, how successful these different pathways are likely to be, the various concessions that South Koreans will need to undertake, and the future of the inter-Korean negotiations. In part this discussion revolves around Bruce Bennett’s article, ‘Alternative Paths to Kore...
2019-02-231h 11
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #37 – Boris Kondoch – ‘The Use of Force and North Korea - International Law, Normative Practice and R2P’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Boris Kondoch. They speak about the legal foundations of the use of force in international law, the right to self-defence, the injunction against the use of force, protections against international aggression, the conditions under which such central legal tenets stand-up and when they fail, the place held by human rights law, the right to humanitarian intervention as a form of remedy, how the doctrine of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) has been incorporated into the international order, and importantly how these frameworks apply...
2019-02-161h 10
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #36 – Meredith Shaw – ‘The Strong and Prosperous Nation - Understanding North Korea through its Literature’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Meredith Shaw. They speak about the importance of studying North Korean literature, the insight this gives the reader into North Korean ideology and culture, the trends that are present in recent North Korean literature, the ways in which the slogan of the ‘Strong and Prosperous Nation’ has been re-interpreted/managed since 2012, how this literature is constructing the image and legitimation of Kim Jong-un, and the changes that can be gleaned about North Korean society. Meredith Shaw is an Associate Professor in the Inst...
2019-02-101h 04
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #35 – Terence Roehrig – ‘Nuclear Umbrella - American Military Commitment to the Korean Peninsula’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Terence Roehrig. They speak about the Cold War origins of America’s nuclear umbrella, how this nuclear deterrent relates to South Korea, the history of American nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula, how the nuclear umbrella is seen inside South Korea, the impact it has had on North Korean behaviour, the theory behind such a deterrence mechanism, North Korea’s own military and nuclear capability, the security landscape and calculations concerning the peninsula, and how this nuclear umbrella remains important for the Korean theatre beyo...
2019-01-041h 09
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #34 – Tim Shorrock – ‘Gwangju Declassified - American Involvement in the Uprising’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Tim Shorrock. They speak about the atmosphere leading up to the Gwangju Uprising, how the events unfolded on the ground, the decision making processes of the key actors, the impact the uprising had on democratic formation inside South Korea, the resulting criminal prosecutions, and importantly the role played behind the scenes by the American administration. Tim Shorrock is a Washington-based investigative journalist whose work over the past 35 years has appeared in publications such as The Nation, Salon, Daily Beast, Mother Jones, The...
2018-12-271h 10
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #33 – Joseph Juhn– ‘Exodus, Identity and Revolution - The History of Koreans in Cuba’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Joseph Juhn. They speak about the 1905 migration of Koreans to Mexico, their onward movement to Cuba, the difficulties they experienced in both countries, the challenges of maintaining split identities as a diaspora, how the Japanese annexation and division of the Korean peninsula reshaped these identities, the nature of this community and how it maintains today, and the impact they have had on Cuban society and politics. Joseph Juhn is a former attorney and Intellectual Property Consultant at KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency...
2018-12-151h 09
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #32 – Paul Kyumin Lee – ‘Divided Relatives, Defector Communities and Family Reunions’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Paul Kyumin Lee. They speak about the issues faced by people with family members inside North Korea, the time-sensitive need to secure a formal mechanism for family reunions between America and North Korea, the political and security landscape that such an agreement is being stifled by, the challenges and issues being faced by the North Korean defector community, and primarily the work that is being undertaken by ‘Divided Families USA’ in seeking a solution to these challenges. Paul Kyumin Lee is a grad...
2018-12-0658 min
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #31 – Terence Roehrig – ‘Conflict at Sea - The Korean Northern Limit Line’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Terence Roehrig. They speak about the history of the Northern Limit Line that delineates the ocean boundary between the two Korea’s, the circumstances under which it was created, its standing under international law, the nature of the dispute surrounding it, what is at stake for both countries, and the ongoing skirmishes and naval conflicts concerning the line. As well as being a past president of the Association of Korean Political Studies, Terence Roehrig is a Professor of National Security Affairs and th...
2018-12-021h 06
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #30 – Joseph Wright – ‘The Nature of North Korea’s Autocracy’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Joseph Wright. They speak about the nature of North Korea’s autocratic regime, its unique longevity, the importance of having two significant early international patrons, the control asserted over the military and political institutions by the Kim dynasty, and the highly ‘personalistic’ nature of the regime. Beyond this core structure, they talk through other aspects of Joseph’s research on coups, democratisation, foreign aid, regime change and human rights prosecutions. Joseph Wright is a political scientist and Co-Director of Global and International Studies...
2018-11-251h 04
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #29 – Jieun Baek – ‘Information and Change in North Korea’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Jieun Baek. They speak about the information landscape inside North Korea, the limitations and punishments imposed upon the consumption of outside media, the ways in which knowledge of the outside world has managed to bypass these restrictions since the famine-years, and the impact that such new sources of information is having on both individuals and the broader North Korean society. Jieun Baek is a Ph.D. candidate in Public Policy at the University of Oxford. She has previously held a position as a...
2018-11-201h 02
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #28 – Clint Work – ‘Operational Control (OPCON), Troop Withdrawals and the Carter Years’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Clint Work. They speak about the history of Operational Control (OPCON) between South Korean and American forces, the issue of potential troop withdrawals, the difficulties that have arisen over the years in trying to find a solution to this issue, the inherent risk that such actions might embolden North Korea, and importantly the Presidential years of Jimmy Carter and how they help to contextualize the current debate. Clint Work is an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah's Asia Campus in Incheon...
2018-11-101h 20
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #26 – Daniel Wertz – ‘Talking to North Korea - A History of Nuclear Diplomacy’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Daniel Wertz. They speak about the history of North Korea’s nuclear program, how this program has evolved over the years, North Korea’s motivation in developing a nuclear capability, the challenges of American-North Korean diplomacy over the issue, the reoccurring themes of the negotiations, and the prospects of a peaceful outcome. Daniel Wertz is a foreign policy professional focussing on the issues of sanctions, non-proliferation issues and human rights related to the Korean peninsula. Daniel is currently the Program Manager at the...
2018-10-251h 25
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #25 – Urs Gerber – ‘Monitoring the Peace inside the Korean Demilitarized Zone’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with retired Major-General Urs Gerber. They speak about the Korean Armistice Agreement, how this agreement governs the ceasefire between the two Korea’s, the nature of the Demilitarized Zone, what life is like working in the border village of Panmunjom, how border tensions should be properly contextualized, and the difficulties in monitoring and enforcing the Korean Armistice Agreement. Major-General Urs Gerber has an educational background in history, has served as an intelligence officer under the Swiss Ministry of Defense, was the Head of th...
2018-10-201h 18
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #24 – Ned Forney – ‘Operation Christmas Cargo - The Hungnam Evacuation’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Ned Forney. They speak about the 1950 Hungnam Evacuation, the events leading up to the mission, the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, the long retreat to Hungnam, the overwhelming scope of the evacuation, the constant difficulty of holding Chinese forces at bay, and how the operation morphed into a humanitarian rescue mission for 100,000 North Korean refugees. Ned Forney is a Seoul based writer, with a research focus on the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir and the Hungnam Evacuation. Ned lectures at schools, universities...
2018-10-151h 02
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #23 – Matt VanVolkenburg – ‘1960’s-70’s Youth Culture in South Korea and its Suppression’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Matt VanVolkenburg. They speak about the rise of youth culture in South Korea during the 1960’s and 1970’s, the Western influences behind this movement, the challenge this represented to traditional values and ways of life, the crackdown on this youth culture by the Park Chung-hee government, and the centuries old fear that the import of Western technology might also bring about the end of Korean culture. Matt VanVolkenburg has lived in Korea, on-and-off, since 2001. His research focuses on modern Korean history, through an a...
2018-09-231h 07
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #22 – Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein – ‘Surveillance, Control and Change - The North Korean Economy’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein. They speak about the changing economic landscape within North Korea, the social changes that are visible on the ground, the challenges this poses for the traditional structures of surveillance and control, and the long-term risk that is being confronted by the Kim regime. Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein is the co-editor of North Korean Economy Watch (www.nkeconwatch.com), an associate scholar with the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), and a PhD candidate in the Department of History at the University of...
2018-09-091h 03
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #21 – Michael Kirby – ‘Human Rights in North Korea - Looking Back on the Commission of Inquiry’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Michael Kirby. They speak about the 2014 United Nations Commission of Inquiry report into North Korean human rights abuses, how the inquiry came about, the difficulties involved in collecting evidence for the report, the challenges and opposition to the entire process posed by the North Korean regime, and the impact that the report has had in the years since its publication. Michael Kirby is a former Australian High Court judge, former Deputy President of the Australian Conciliation & Arbitration Commission, former Chairman of the...
2018-08-3042 min
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #20 – Sandra Fahy – ‘The Language of Suffering - Life and Struggle during the North Korean Famine’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Sandra Fahy. They speak about the North Korean famine of the mid-to-late 1990’s, the stories told about this period by defectors, and, importantly, the unique insight that can be gained into their suffering and the social dynamics of North Korea through the censorship, peculiarities and changes in everyday language that occurred at this time. Sandra Fahy completed her doctorate in Anthropology at the School for Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, has held post-doctoral fellowships at the Sejong Society, th...
2018-08-261h 12
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #19 – Scott LaFoy – ‘A Silent Conflict - North Korea’s Cyber Warfare’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Scott LaFoy. They speak about the background of North Korea’s warfighting capabilities, their development of asymmetric threats, the place that cyber-warfare now holds in this regard, the history of North Korea’s cyber-operations, the strategic value of this type of warfare, as well as looking into the different motivations for such conflict through analysing a series of actual North Korean cyber-attacks. Scott LaFoy is a military analyst and researcher focussed on North Korea and its military capabilities. In 2015 he co-wrote a repo...
2018-08-201h 16
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #18 – William Mako – ‘The IMF in Korea - Crash, Crisis and Recovery’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with William Mako. They speak about the impact of the Asian Financial Crisis on South Korea, the structure of the Korean economy leading into the late 1990s, the historical reasons for many of the unsustainable business practices, the role of the Chaebol, the nature of the IMF’s bailout package, the impact on Korean society, and the long-term legacy of the crisis. William Mako advised Korea’s Financial Supervisory Commission during the Asian Financial Crisis, and in its aftermath. Working on Chaebol reform, Will...
2018-08-111h 16
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #17 – Kathryn Weathersby – ‘Dividing Korea - Politics, War and Fear’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Kathryn Weathersby. They speak about the events surrounding the division of the Korean peninsula, the decision-making processes of the key actors, the security considerations of the occupying powers, the impact of the Korean War over the issue, and how this division will continue to look into the future. Kathryn Weathersby is a Visiting Scholar at the US Korea Institute at the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University, and is a Fellow at the Institute for Contemporary Asia Studies (ICAS...
2018-07-281h 17
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #16 – Alexis Dudden – ‘Dokdo or Takeshima - The Ruse of History’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Alexis Dudden. They speak about the ongoing island dispute between Korea and Japan over Dokdo/Takeshima, the validity of each sides claim, the frame this issue now provides for the modern national identity of both countries, and the insight it offers to lingering Japanese-Korean tensions and questions of wartime guilt, apologies and reparations. Alexis Dudden is a Professor of History at the University of Connecticut, and she has been a Fulbright Professor, Faculty Member and/or Visiting Fellow at Yonsei University, Princeton...
2018-07-151h 20
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #15 – Robert Boynton – ‘State Sponsored Kidnapping - The Story of North Korea’s Abduction Project’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Robert Boynton. They speak about the North Korean abduction of Japanese citizens beginning in the late 1970s, the lives these abductees were forced to live in Pyongyang, the devastation for the families left behind who never stopped searching, the deep wounds of Japanese nationalism and identity that were pulled open by the issue, and the reasons for the abduction project itself. Robert Boynton directs the Literary Reportage program as a Professor of Journalism at New York University, and has a long career...
2018-07-061h 23
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #14 – David Mason – ‘The Origins and Ends of Korean Buddhism’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with David Mason. They speak about David’s work on the distinctive nature of Korean Buddhism, its origins in Korea with the Three Kingdoms, the impact it had over the peninsula, its downfall under the early Choson dynasty, and the place it has found for itself in post-independent and contemporary Korean society. David Mason has been a Professor of Cultural Tourism Studies at Gyeonghui University in Seoul, a Professor in the Public Service Department at Chung-Ang University, and is currently serving as a Profess...
2018-06-301h 13
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #13 – Laurel Kendall – ‘Korean Shamans – Supernatural Capitalism’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Laurel Kendall. They speak about Laurel’s anthropological field work since the late 1970’s with Korean Shamans, the shifting dynamics of the religion in a rapidly changing nation, and the impact that capitalism and intense market competition has had on its practice. Laurel Kendall is the Curator of Asian Ethnology and Division Chair at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), as well as a Professor of Anthropology at the Richard Gilder Graduate School. With nearly four decades of working experience with Kore...
2018-06-251h 02
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #12 – Jonson Porteux – ‘The Korean Mafia – Violent State Builders’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Jonson Porteux. They speak about the spectrum of organised crime in South Korea, its ancient origins, its development through time, the important role mafia-type groups have played in the state building efforts of modern Korea, and importantly, the current structure, reach and activities of the Korean mafia. Jonson Porteux is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan, and specializes in East Asia, Comparative Politics, and International Relations. As part of his PhD dissertation, Jonson spent a...
2018-06-221h 03
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #11 – Bruce Bennett – ‘Getting Ready for Unification – The Problem of the North Korean Elite’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Bruce Bennett. They speak about the prospect of Korean reunification, the scenarios under which this might occur, the various concessions that South Koreans will need to undertake, and importantly the degree to which North Korean elites will need to be appeased in order to make it a success. In part this discussion revolves around Bruce Bennett’s article, ‘Preparing North Korean Elites for Unification’ (https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1985.html). Bruce Bennett is a Senior Researcher at the RAND Corpor...
2018-06-021h 02
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #10 – Ben Young – ‘Friends in Strange Places - Cold War Allies’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Ben Young. They speak about North Korea’s outreach efforts to the Third World, and other small non-state actors, during the Cold War. Touching on various case studies – from Puerto Rican independence activists, to the Black Panthers, Fidel Castro in Cuba, German Neo-Nazi’s, Grenada, and large sections of the African continent – a picture comes together of North Korea selling its cult of personality, acquiring hard currency, seeking to cause unrest for America and its allies, and competing against South Korea for United Nations votes an...
2018-05-111h 07
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #9 – David Fields – Activism, Diplomacy and Division - The Early Years of Syngman Rhee (Pre-1945)’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with David Fields. Discussing the lesser known, but foundational early period of Syngman Rhee’s life – South Korea’s first President – they walk through his childhood influences, independence activism, imprisonment, exile and education in the United States, his position as President of the Korean Provisional Government, international diplomacy, and the unintended impact he had on the eventual division of the Korean peninsula. David Fields earnt his PhD from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2017, is a Fulbright scholar at Yonsei University, and editor of the Jou...
2018-05-081h 11
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #8 – Daniel Sneider – ‘Summit Talks – A Peace That Leads To War’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Daniel Sneider. In the wake of the Inter-Korean summit, they speak about the dangers inherent in such high-level talks, the strategic risk of jumping straight to a meeting of heads-of-state, and the very real prospect that these talks, despite lofty declarations, will lead to war. Daniel Sneider is a visiting scholar at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center at Stanford University, where he directs a comparative study of historical memory and nationalism in East Asia. Working on security and policy issues...
2018-04-291h 04
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #7 – Steven Borowiec – ‘The Sewol Disaster – Exposing the Cracks in Korean Society’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Steven Borowiec. On the four year anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster, they speak about the events on the day, the expanding chain of calamities that deepened the crisis, and importantly the sharp divisions, contradictions and societal hangovers that were pulled to the surface by the tragedy. Steven Borowiec is a Seoul based journalist, who has worked for The Guardian, The Toronto Star, GlobalPost, South China Morning Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The Chicago Tribune; and is currently the deputy editor...
2018-04-211h 01
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #6 – Leszek Buszynski – ‘Negotiating with North Korea – The Six Party Talks’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Leszek Buszynski. They speak about the history of North Korea’s nuclear program and the collapse of the 1994 Agreed Framework; all leading into the events of the Six Party Talks. This is an in-depth look at the various actors, domestic influences, evolving positions, and importantly the failures of these tense multilateral negotiations. Leszek Buszynski has been a Visiting Fellow at the Strategic & Defence Studies Centre, a Professor of International Relations at the International University of Japan, and the Director of the Research In...
2018-04-161h 06
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #5 – Steven Denney – ‘Korean Nationalism’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Steven Denney. They speak about the evolving face of Korean national identity, its historical roots, the factors that have influenced its development, and the place for North Korean migrants within a new South Korean nationalism. Steven Denney is a doctoral candidate at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, a Fellow of the Asian Institute, a senior editor at SinoNK.com, and regular contributor to The Diplomat, as well as various other platforms. His research is focussed on...
2018-04-011h 01
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #4 – Mitchell Lerner – ‘Capturing the Pueblo’This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Mitchell Lerner. They speak about the 1968 capture of the USS Pueblo, an American spy ship, in international waters by North Korea. Walking through the details of the attack, the North Korean motivations, the failures of planning by the US Navy, as well as the broader historical and political significance of the incident, a fascinating story of both farce and tragedy develops Mitchell Lerner is an Associate Professor at the Department of History and the director of the Institute for Korean Studies at...
2018-03-1659 min
The Korea Now PodcastThe Korea Now Podcast #1 – Blaine Harden – ‘Spies, Pilots and Gulags’ This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Blaine Harden. They speak about Blaine’s three books on North Korea: ‘Escape From Camp 14’, ‘The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot’, and ‘King of Spies’; as well as broader issues concerning human rights and the Korean War. Blaine Harden is an American journalist with over 30 years’ experience writing for The Washington Post, The New York Times and Time Magazine, amongst others. He is also a bestselling author, with books on North Korea, Africa and Columbia. He lives in Seattle. Donate at Patreo...
2018-03-141h 02