Kevin Gray (new account)
@profkevingray.bsky.social
Professor of International Relations, University of Sussex. Researches on both Koreas, China, political economy.
the night-time satellite image was once ubiquitous in demonstrating the superiority of the South Korea and/or capitalist order. However the most recent images of the peninsula show a rough parity between the two Koreas (taking into account population density differences).
August 10, 2026 at 10:29 AM
the night-time satellite image was once ubiquitous in demonstrating the superiority of the South Korea and/or capitalist order. However the most recent images of the peninsula show a rough parity between the two Koreas (taking into account population density differences).
symbolic that new US ambassador's first official trip is to Yongnak church, a key bastion of far right whose history goes back to landlords who fled the North's land reform. Its congregation was linked to Northwest Youth Association, the fascist paramilitary org involved in Jeju massacre in 1948.
스틸 대사, 남대문시장 ‘호떡샷’·영락교회 예배…친밀감 부각 행보
미셸 스틸 신임 주한미국대사가 부임 뒤 첫 주말을 맞아 서울 중구 남대문시장을 찾고, 교회 예배에 참석했다. 한국민과의 정서적 유대감과 친밀감을 부각하는 행보로 풀이된다. 스틸 대사는 일요일인 2일 남편인 숀 스틸 변호사와 서울 중구 영락교회 예배에 참석했다. 외교관
www.hani.co.kr
August 4, 2026 at 1:43 PM
symbolic that new US ambassador's first official trip is to Yongnak church, a key bastion of far right whose history goes back to landlords who fled the North's land reform. Its congregation was linked to Northwest Youth Association, the fascist paramilitary org involved in Jeju massacre in 1948.
Reposted by Kevin Gray (new account)
China’s Position on the Emerging Russia–North Korea Military Cooperation and Its Implications for the U.S.-ROK Alliance | RAND www.rand.org/pubs/researc...
China’s Position on the Emerging Russia–North Korea Military Cooperation and Its Implications for the U.S.-ROK Alliance
China is watching carefully as Russia and North Korea deepen their military ties. In this report, the authors analyze Beijing’s response and what it means for the future of the U.S.–South Korea allian...
www.rand.org
July 30, 2026 at 8:44 PM
China’s Position on the Emerging Russia–North Korea Military Cooperation and Its Implications for the U.S.-ROK Alliance | RAND www.rand.org/pubs/researc...
Reposted by Kevin Gray (new account)
New article on platforms and webtoon workers in Korea by my excellent colleague Ahlem Faraoun.
Platform Capitalism, Labour, and Social Reproduction in South Korea: Webtoons and Webnovels
Over the past two decades, platform capitalism has become a major driving force in the global restructuring of labour and social relations. While existing scholarship has abundantly examined the te...
www.tandfonline.com
July 30, 2026 at 9:20 AM
New article on platforms and webtoon workers in Korea by my excellent colleague Ahlem Faraoun.
someone should write an opinion piece about how faithful Nolan's The Odyssey is to the original
July 28, 2026 at 6:12 AM
someone should write an opinion piece about how faithful Nolan's The Odyssey is to the original
so we may soon have an elected MP who wears a bin over his face and wants price caps on croissants, the building of one affordable house, nationalisation of the singer Adele, and the return of the text-based news service Ceefax as well as ITV drama The Bill. How did it come to this?
July 8, 2026 at 11:33 AM
so we may soon have an elected MP who wears a bin over his face and wants price caps on croissants, the building of one affordable house, nationalisation of the singer Adele, and the return of the text-based news service Ceefax as well as ITV drama The Bill. How did it come to this?
Lee talks of strategic autonomy and pragmatic pursuit of Korea's interests vis-a-vis China, Rus. and N Korea, but when he meets with Europeans/NATO he firmly situates Korea against those countries to boost defence exports.This contradictory approach is bound to fail defencematters.eu/south-korea-...
South Korea Uses NATO Summit to Pitch a Deeper Defence-Industry Partnership - Defence Matters
defencematters.eu
July 8, 2026 at 9:08 AM
Lee talks of strategic autonomy and pragmatic pursuit of Korea's interests vis-a-vis China, Rus. and N Korea, but when he meets with Europeans/NATO he firmly situates Korea against those countries to boost defence exports.This contradictory approach is bound to fail defencematters.eu/south-korea-...
in the grand scheme of things, this is literally just peanuts
Russia busted a 25-ton North Korean peanut shipment in a rare case of UN sanctions compliance, fining the importer $610u2014only for an appellate court to reduce it to a warning.
https://www.nknews.org/2026/07/russia-busted-north-korean-peanut-delivery-in-rare-sanctions-compliance-records/
https://www.nknews.org/2026/07/russia-busted-north-korean-peanut-delivery-in-rare-sanctions-compliance-records/
www.nknews.org
July 3, 2026 at 6:25 AM
in the grand scheme of things, this is literally just peanuts
this is what they did to catholic homes in 1969, and now they've moved on to foreigners. The extreme bigotry remains the same.
June 12, 2026 at 12:39 AM
this is what they did to catholic homes in 1969, and now they've moved on to foreigners. The extreme bigotry remains the same.
well this is positive news. While North-South dialogue at highest gov. level seems blocked, Jeju provincial government is able to engage in low key exchange, sending relief supplies and agricultural materials to NK www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/2...
Jeju rolls tangerine diplomacy out of deep freeze to engage North Korea - The Korea Times
For two decades, the southern resort island of Jeju bypassed the rigid ideological battles of the Korean Peninsula through a unique brand of soft p...
www.koreatimes.co.kr
June 9, 2026 at 6:12 AM
well this is positive news. While North-South dialogue at highest gov. level seems blocked, Jeju provincial government is able to engage in low key exchange, sending relief supplies and agricultural materials to NK www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/2...
no coincidence that China Daily carries a piece promoting Dandong. Seems there us much expectation around deepening Sino-DPRK economic cooperation www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202606/09/...
Dandong, a city more than a gateway
As dawn breaks over the Yalu River, the Weihao Farmers Market in Dandong, China's largest border city in Liaoning province, is already coming alive with the bustle of early-morning trade.
www.chinadaily.com.cn
June 9, 2026 at 3:08 AM
no coincidence that China Daily carries a piece promoting Dandong. Seems there us much expectation around deepening Sino-DPRK economic cooperation www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202606/09/...
while arms exports have no doubt helped Pyongyang, all of these trends were underway well before the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. And taxis/smartphones were abundant in PY from the mid-2010s, it was not a massive breakthrough to introduce an Uber/Didi-style app.
www.wsj.com/world/asia/n...
www.wsj.com/world/asia/n...
The World’s Most Surprising Economic Success Story Is…North Korea
Arms sales to Russia and goods from China provide a boost, despite sanctions. “The regime is wealthier than ever.”
www.wsj.com
June 9, 2026 at 1:38 AM
while arms exports have no doubt helped Pyongyang, all of these trends were underway well before the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. And taxis/smartphones were abundant in PY from the mid-2010s, it was not a massive breakthrough to introduce an Uber/Didi-style app.
www.wsj.com/world/asia/n...
www.wsj.com/world/asia/n...
Reposted by Kevin Gray (new account)
Amid reports of Xi's potential visit, Singapore's foreign minister is visiting Pyongyang this week.
We've documented on @csis.org Beyond Parallel every high-level China–North Korea visit since 1953. All 185 of them, across five Chinese leaders since Mao, and the three Kims.
🔗 shorturl.at/yBhH1
We've documented on @csis.org Beyond Parallel every high-level China–North Korea visit since 1953. All 185 of them, across five Chinese leaders since Mao, and the three Kims.
🔗 shorturl.at/yBhH1
May 26, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Amid reports of Xi's potential visit, Singapore's foreign minister is visiting Pyongyang this week.
We've documented on @csis.org Beyond Parallel every high-level China–North Korea visit since 1953. All 185 of them, across five Chinese leaders since Mao, and the three Kims.
🔗 shorturl.at/yBhH1
We've documented on @csis.org Beyond Parallel every high-level China–North Korea visit since 1953. All 185 of them, across five Chinese leaders since Mao, and the three Kims.
🔗 shorturl.at/yBhH1
semiconductor workers are organising, and not just in South Korea www.digitimes.com/news/a202605...
TSMC promises faster bonus growth in 2026 after employees threaten Samsung-style strike
TSMC reportedly cut employee bonuses by 15%, prompting some employees to voice dissatisfaction on social media, threatening to follow Samsung Electronics’ lead and form a union to strike.
www.digitimes.com
May 26, 2026 at 1:41 AM
semiconductor workers are organising, and not just in South Korea www.digitimes.com/news/a202605...
It's South Korean conservatives who are the real tankies
thediplomat.com/2026/05/star...
thediplomat.com/2026/05/star...
Starbucks Korea’s Tank Day Promotion on a Massacre Anniversary Causes a Political Firestorm
The marketing blunder on South Korea’s most solemn democratic anniversary has reignited a decades-old battle over how the country confronts its authoritarian past.
thediplomat.com
May 26, 2026 at 12:48 AM
It's South Korean conservatives who are the real tankies
thediplomat.com/2026/05/star...
thediplomat.com/2026/05/star...
a "mis-step" is when you have a typo or poorly target your audience. Not "oops, I accidentally just glorified a brutal murderous crackdown of a democratisation movement".
Starbucks grapples with backlash in South Korea after ‘Tank Day’ marketing mis-step ft.trib.al/znwV6Nx
Starbucks grapples with backlash in South Korea after ‘Tank Day’ marketing mis-step
Promotion offered discounts on May 18, the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju massacre
ft.trib.al
May 23, 2026 at 1:45 AM
a "mis-step" is when you have a typo or poorly target your audience. Not "oops, I accidentally just glorified a brutal murderous crackdown of a democratisation movement".
incredibly sunny and clear in Beijing over the last couple of days. I didn't even know those mountains were there until now.
May 19, 2026 at 1:10 PM
incredibly sunny and clear in Beijing over the last couple of days. I didn't even know those mountains were there until now.
an important but neglected question is how much emphasis should we put on the DPRK constitution in a leader-centric system? Is the obsession with it not simply a projection of Western-style systems? Is it as important even as other documents such as WPK bylaws? thediplomat.com/2026/05/nort...
North Korea’s Constitutional Amendments Signal a Policy of Assurance Toward South Korea
North Korea wants to assure the South – and Pyongyang’s Russian and Chinese allies – of its intention not to attack Seoul first.
thediplomat.com
May 16, 2026 at 1:11 AM
an important but neglected question is how much emphasis should we put on the DPRK constitution in a leader-centric system? Is the obsession with it not simply a projection of Western-style systems? Is it as important even as other documents such as WPK bylaws? thediplomat.com/2026/05/nort...
South Korean conservatives do not seem to have paid any attention to the what the Trump administration is doing to their beloved 'alliance' www.koreaherald.com/article/1073...
PPP leader claims Lee government’s foreign policy could weaken US alliance
South Korea’s main opposition leader said Friday that many South Koreans were concerned that the Lee Jae Myung government’s foreign and security policy could we
www.koreaherald.com
May 9, 2026 at 6:28 AM
South Korean conservatives do not seem to have paid any attention to the what the Trump administration is doing to their beloved 'alliance' www.koreaherald.com/article/1073...
At last, an actual definition of what 'woke' means. It's beavers.
May 8, 2026 at 9:40 PM
At last, an actual definition of what 'woke' means. It's beavers.
Reposted by Kevin Gray (new account)
The conservative PPP is boycotting an amendment to the Korean constitution that would strengthen the countries identity as a democracy and put limits on presidential authority to declare martial law. 1/
www.koreaherald.com/article/1073...
www.koreaherald.com/article/1073...
Opposition boycotts 'indisputable' amendment to Constitution
The vote on the motion to amend the Constitution was rendered invalid on Thursday after the main opposition People Power Party boycotted the National Assembly's
www.koreaherald.com
May 8, 2026 at 1:24 AM
The conservative PPP is boycotting an amendment to the Korean constitution that would strengthen the countries identity as a democracy and put limits on presidential authority to declare martial law. 1/
www.koreaherald.com/article/1073...
www.koreaherald.com/article/1073...