March 19, 2024

About the author

Fyodor Tertitskiy

Fyodor Tertitskiy is a leading researcher at Seoul’s Kookmin University. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Seoul National University and is the author of several books on North Korean history and military in English and Korean.

More articles by 'Fyodor Tertitskiy'

North Korean Workers’ Party assembly chair Choe Thae Bok dead at 93

North Korean Workers’ Party assembly chair Choe Thae Bok dead at 93

Kim Jong Un visited official’s funeral bier to pay respects to one of DPRK’s longest-tenured elites

North Korean Workers’ Party assembly chair Choe Thae Bok dead at 93
Fyodor Tertitskiy
Fyodor Tertitskiy January 23, 2024
Why Kim Jong Un has little reason to fear a Wagner-style rebellion

Why Kim Jong Un has little reason to fear a Wagner-style rebellion

North Korea has taken systematic steps to guard against regime change, even at the cost of military effectiveness

Why Kim Jong Un has little reason to fear a Wagner-style rebellion
Fyodor Tertitskiy
Fyodor Tertitskiy June 26, 2023
Why Kim Jong Un is paying unprecedented tribute to a late military official

Why Kim Jong Un is paying unprecedented tribute to a late military official

North Korea has honored Hyon Chol Hae in ways usually reserved for Kim family, with leader even kneeling at his grave

Why Kim Jong Un is paying unprecedented tribute to a late military official
Fyodor Tertitskiy
Fyodor Tertitskiy May 22, 2023
Kim Jong Un’s steady campaign to undercut his father’s legacy

Kim Jong Un’s steady campaign to undercut his father’s legacy

State media promotes ultra-centralized system around leader in what may be effort to step out of Kim Jong Il’s shadow

Kim Jong Un’s steady campaign to undercut his father’s legacy
Fyodor Tertitskiy
Fyodor Tertitskiy April 4, 2023
O Kuk Ryol, North Korean general under 3 generations of Kim leaders, dies at 90

O Kuk Ryol, North Korean general under 3 generations of Kim leaders, dies at 90

Revolutionary family ensured quick rise in Pyongyang, but botched reforms in 1980s set back his political career

O Kuk Ryol, North Korean general under 3 generations of Kim leaders, dies at 90
Fyodor Tertitskiy
Fyodor Tertitskiy February 13, 2023
What the titles of Kim Jong Un’s daughter reveal about his succession plans

What the titles of Kim Jong Un’s daughter reveal about his succession plans

Descriptors like ‘beloved’ and ‘noble’ tie girl to Kim Jong Il, though this doesn’t guarantee she’s heir to the throne

What the titles of Kim Jong Un’s daughter reveal about his succession plans
Fyodor Tertitskiy
Fyodor Tertitskiy January 18, 2023
Suh Dae-sook, pioneering biographer of North Korea’s Kim Il Sung, dies at 90

Suh Dae-sook, pioneering biographer of North Korea’s Kim Il Sung, dies at 90

A major figure in DPRK studies, Suh bridged gaps with scholarship in English and shed light on regime during Cold War

Suh Dae-sook, pioneering biographer of North Korea’s Kim Il Sung, dies at 90
Fyodor Tertitskiy
Fyodor Tertitskiy September 21, 2022
Why North Korea won’t be mourning Mikhail Gorbachev’s death

Why North Korea won’t be mourning Mikhail Gorbachev’s death

Pyongyang views perestroika as lesson against reform, but Soviet leader’s rise shows how change could come even to DPRK

Why North Korea won’t be mourning Mikhail Gorbachev’s death
Fyodor Tertitskiy
Fyodor Tertitskiy August 31, 2022
With military makeover, Kim Jong Un asserts his own power in face of troubles
NK PRO

With military makeover, Kim Jong Un asserts his own power in face of troubles

North Korean leader donning white military garb is gesture that seeks to diminish symbolic standing of his predecessors

With military makeover, Kim Jong Un asserts his own power in face of troubles
Fyodor Tertitskiy
Fyodor Tertitskiy August 15, 2022
Will the real Kim Il Sung please stand up?

Will the real Kim Il Sung please stand up?

Almost three decades after his death, stories claiming the North Korean founder was an imposter live on

Will the real Kim Il Sung please stand up?
Fyodor Tertitskiy
Fyodor Tertitskiy July 18, 2022
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