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September 17, 2026Sep 17, 2026

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Fyodor Tertitskiy

Fyodor Tertitskiy

Fyodor Tertitskiy is a lecturer at Seoul’s Korea University. He is the author of "Accidental Tyrant: The Life of Kim Il-sung" and several other books on North Korean history and military.

More articles by 'Fyodor Tertitskiy'

How small changes in North Korea’s upcoming election could signal bigger moves

How small changes in North Korea’s upcoming election could signal bigger moves

Choreographed parliamentary poll offers voters no real choice but can still reveal regime’s shifting priorities

How small changes in North Korea’s upcoming election could signal bigger moves
Fyodor Tertitskiy
Fyodor Tertitskiy March 13, 2026
How the Party Congress became North Korea’s biggest political event

How the Party Congress became North Korea’s biggest political event

A look back show how the Ninth Congress could announce policies, purge officials, herald a successor and more

How the Party Congress became North Korea’s biggest political event
Fyodor Tertitskiy
Fyodor Tertitskiy February 17, 2026
Busting the many myths of North Korea, from Juche to Kim Jong Il’s Russian name

Busting the many myths of North Korea, from Juche to Kim Jong Il’s Russian name

Seeing the DPRK clearly requires unearthing the fictions of state propaganda, including those recycled by scholars

Busting the many myths of North Korea, from Juche to Kim Jong Il’s Russian name
Fyodor Tertitskiy
Fyodor Tertitskiy January 28, 2026
Kim Yong Nam was a rare survivor in the cutthroat world of North Korean politics

Kim Yong Nam was a rare survivor in the cutthroat world of North Korean politics

Longtime No. 2 official overcame a suspicious resume to win Kim family’s trust, surviving purges with diplomatic skill

Kim Yong Nam was a rare survivor in the cutthroat world of North Korean politics
Fyodor Tertitskiy
Fyodor Tertitskiy November 5, 2025
What the world lost when North Korea’s doors swung closed
COLUMN

What the world lost when North Korea’s doors swung closed

Revisiting period when the DPRK felt within reach shows how much was taken for granted, and how quickly things change

What the world lost when North Korea’s doors swung closed
Fyodor Tertitskiy
Fyodor Tertitskiy October 28, 2025
Why there won’t be need for speculation when Kim Jong Un truly names his heir

Why there won’t be need for speculation when Kim Jong Un truly names his heir

History shows signs surface quickly when North Korea settles on a successor, unlike the uncertainty around his daughter

Why there won’t be need for speculation when Kim Jong Un truly names his heir
Fyodor Tertitskiy
Fyodor Tertitskiy September 17, 2025
Kim Shin-jo, North Korean commando sent to kill South’s president, dies at 83

Kim Shin-jo, North Korean commando sent to kill South’s president, dies at 83

A survivor of 1968 Blue House raid, Kim stayed in the South and underwent an improbable transformation into a man of God

Kim Shin-jo, North Korean commando sent to kill South’s president, dies at 83
Fyodor Tertitskiy
Fyodor Tertitskiy April 11, 2025
The trouble with comparing North Korea’s chief propagandist to Joseph Goebbels

The trouble with comparing North Korea’s chief propagandist to Joseph Goebbels

Likening Kim Ki Nam to Nazi politician ignores how much more centralized DPRK is than Germany under National Socialism

The trouble with comparing North Korea’s chief propagandist to Joseph Goebbels
Fyodor Tertitskiy
Fyodor Tertitskiy May 10, 2024
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
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