April 20, 2024

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.

More articles by 'Aidan Foster-Carter'

North Korea’s increasing reliance on China is a dangerous move for Kim Jong Un
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North Korea’s increasing reliance on China is a dangerous move for Kim Jong Un

Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il skilfully balanced themselves between rival powers, but Kim Jong Un now leans on just one

North Korea’s increasing reliance on China is a dangerous move for Kim Jong Un
Aidan Foster-Carter
Aidan Foster-Carter March 1, 2021
With Biden in office, South Korea shouldn’t be the US and North Korea’s mediator
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With Biden in office, South Korea shouldn’t be the US and North Korea’s mediator

Seductive to some, the idea of South Korea as a go-between is deeply flawed

With Biden in office, South Korea shouldn’t be the US and North Korea’s mediator
Aidan Foster-Carter
Aidan Foster-Carter November 30, 2020
Column: At least Moon Jae-in’s North Korea policy is consistent
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Column: At least Moon Jae-in’s North Korea policy is consistent

Moon’s stance is crystal clear. South Korea’s conservative leaders, on the other hand, were zigzaggers.

Column: At least Moon Jae-in’s North Korea policy is consistent
Aidan Foster-Carter
Aidan Foster-Carter October 15, 2020
Kim’s construction project woes reflect his poor economic planning
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Kim’s construction project woes reflect his poor economic planning

The Supreme Leader is now scapegoating others for failing to meet his latest hospital project's unrealistic deadlines

Kim’s construction project woes reflect his poor economic planning
Aidan Foster-Carter
Aidan Foster-Carter July 24, 2020
Dialling up the volume: what is the Kims’ game?
COLUMN

Dialling up the volume: what is the Kims’ game?

North Korean rhetoric is just like a guitar solo: full of sound and fury, yet ultimately dreary and self-indulgent

Dialling up the volume: what is the Kims’ game?
Aidan Foster-Carter
Aidan Foster-Carter June 29, 2020
Leaflets, schmeaflets: Pyongyang’s bogus pretext for escalating tensions
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Leaflets, schmeaflets: Pyongyang’s bogus pretext for escalating tensions

North Korea's purported motive for recent provocations doesn't stand up to scrutiny

Leaflets, schmeaflets: Pyongyang’s bogus pretext for escalating tensions
Aidan Foster-Carter
Aidan Foster-Carter June 26, 2020
“Human scum, mongrel dog”: North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong talks dirty
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“Human scum, mongrel dog”: North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong talks dirty

Was the First Sister’s puzzling outburst over leaflet launches really worth trashing her burgeoning global brand for?

“Human scum, mongrel dog”: North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong talks dirty
Aidan Foster-Carter
Aidan Foster-Carter June 5, 2020
Puppetry of the peninsula: the two Koreas and the pursuit of freedom
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Puppetry of the peninsula: the two Koreas and the pursuit of freedom

The use and abuse of the "puppet" insult in Korea flags up real issues. In a perilous world, what’s a small state to do?

Puppetry of the peninsula: the two Koreas and the pursuit of freedom
Aidan Foster-Carter
Aidan Foster-Carter May 29, 2020
Why Kim Jong Un’s health is a very big deal
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Why Kim Jong Un’s health is a very big deal

The latest flurry of speculation highlights a very real, but too often neglected, aspect of North Korea risk

Why Kim Jong Un’s health is a very big deal
Aidan Foster-Carter
Aidan Foster-Carter April 21, 2020
In her own write: Kim Yo Jong makes her mark
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In her own write: Kim Yo Jong makes her mark

Kim Jong Un’s sister is now issuing her own commentaries in DPRK media. Is she being groomed as a potential successor?

In her own write: Kim Yo Jong makes her mark
Aidan Foster-Carter
Aidan Foster-Carter March 31, 2020
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