North Korean soldiers at the nighttime military parade on Feb. 8, 2023 | Image: KCTV (Feb. 9, 2023)
Far too many analysts and scholars of the two Koreas don’t speak a word of the Korean language and don’t know their “pajeon” from their Panmunjom. For the uninitiated, the former is a wonderful fritter enjoyed with rice wine, while the latter is a location on the inter-Korean border where Korean leaders meet and bullets occasionally fly.
In fairness, the difficulties of the Korean language are immense, to say nothing of the often dull intricacies of North Korean propaganda.
Far too many analysts and scholars of the two Koreas don’t speak a word of the Korean language and don’t know their “pajeon” from their Panmunjom. For the uninitiated, the former is a wonderful fritter enjoyed with rice wine, while the latter is a location on the inter-Korean border where Korean leaders meet and bullets occasionally fly.
In fairness, the difficulties of the Korean language are immense, to say nothing of the often dull intricacies of North Korean propaganda.
David A. Tizzard (@Hesp365) has a Ph.D. in Korean Studies and lectures at Seoul Women's University and Hanyang University. He is a social and cultural commentator who has lived in Korea for nearly two decades. He is also the host of the Korea Deconstructed podcast.