Time is on their side: Thinking long-term about North Korea



Columns Time is on their side: Thinking long-term about North Korea How can Kim Jong Un trust Seoul to keep its promises when the president resets every five years? Aidan Foster-Carter June 1, 2021 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON NK News (file photo) \| A mural depiction of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, Sep. 8, 2015 The following article is a column by Aidan Foster-Carter, an honorary senior research fellow in Sociology and Modern Korea at Leeds University in England. The electoral clock is ticking for South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The country’s constitution is quite clear: Five years, and you’re out. No second term is allowed, unlike in many other democracies. When Kim and Moon met in 2018, they were 34 and 65, respectively. Yet the much younger man had already been in charge longer (six years) than the older would ever be. By the time Moon exits the Blue House next May, Kim will have © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update & Podcast Updates Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

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Time is on their side: Thinking long-term about North Korea

How can Kim Jong Un trust Seoul to keep its promises when the president resets every five years?

Aidan Foster-Carter June 1, 2021

Time is on their side: Thinking long-term about North Korea

NK News (file photo) | A mural depiction of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, Sep. 8, 2015

The following article is a column by Aidan Foster-Carter, an honorary senior research fellow in Sociology and Modern Korea at Leeds University in England.

The electoral clock is ticking for South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The country’s constitution is quite clear: Five years, and you’re out. No second term is allowed, unlike in many other democracies.

When Kim and Moon met in 2018, they were 34 and 65, respectively. Yet the much younger man had already been in charge longer (six years) than the older would ever be. By the time Moon exits the Blue House next May, Kim will have

About the Author

Aidan Foster-Carter

Aidan Foster-Carter is Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Sociology and Modern Korea at Leeds University in England. Educated at Eton and Oxford, he taught sociology at the Universities of Hull, Dar es Salaam and Leeds from 1971 to 1997. Having followed Korean affairs since 1968, since 1997 he has been a full-time analyst and consultant on Korea: writing, lecturing and broadcasting for academic, business and policy audiences in the UK and worldwide.

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