April 30, 2024

About the author

Gianluca Spezza

Gianluca Spezza earned his PhD in 2017 from the University of Central Lancashire under the supervision of Professor Hazel Smith, on the strength of research on the cooperation between UNICEF and the DPRK in education and childcare. Dr Spezza is an assistant professor of international relations and a senior researcher at the DPRK Strategy Center at KIMEP University in Almaty, Kazakhstan; he is writing a monograph on education, international cooperation, and human capital in North Korea (Palgrave 2021). His work on the DPRK, articles or interviews, can be found, among others, on the websites of the BBC, The Guardian, The Diplomat, IRIN News, NK News, DR.dk, Newsweek Korea, and El Confidential.

More articles by 'Gianluca Spezza'

The NK News Study Guide Part 3: Liberation, Division and the Korean War

The NK News Study Guide Part 3: Liberation, Division and the Korean War

North Korean Studies Newbie? Want to learn more? Get acquainted with the NK NEWS Study Guides

The NK News Study Guide Part 3: Liberation, Division and the Korean War
Gianluca Spezza
Gianluca Spezza March 8, 2013
Why North Koreans Won’t Be Fleeing South After Unification

Why North Koreans Won’t Be Fleeing South After Unification

During crises, most people survive by staying in their country of origin

Why North Koreans Won’t Be Fleeing South After Unification
Gianluca Spezza
Gianluca Spezza February 19, 2013
The Women Of North Korea: Icons, Heroines & Power Players

The Women Of North Korea: Icons, Heroines & Power Players

Are the women we identify as prominent within the DPRK just as meaningful to ordinary North Koreans?

The Women Of North Korea: Icons, Heroines & Power Players
Gianluca Spezza
Gianluca Spezza January 30, 2013
Google Goes To North Korea: Why Not?

Google Goes To North Korea: Why Not?

Is North Korea's growing interest in information technology what really spurred Google Chairman Eric Schmidt to visit North Korea?

Google Goes To North Korea: Why Not?
Gianluca Spezza
Gianluca Spezza January 9, 2013
The NK News Study Guide Part 2: The Colonial Period

The NK News Study Guide Part 2: The Colonial Period

North Korean Studies Newbie? Want to learn more? Get acquainted with the NK NEWS Study Guides

The NK News Study Guide Part 2: The Colonial Period
Gianluca Spezza
Gianluca Spezza January 2, 2013
Kim Jong Un Welcomes 2013 With A Message Of Peace

Kim Jong Un Welcomes 2013 With A Message Of Peace

Rocket Launch Inspired Economic Lift Off Also On The Cards, Apparently

Kim Jong Un Welcomes 2013 With A Message Of Peace
Gianluca Spezza
Gianluca Spezza January 1, 2013
The NK News Study Guide to North Korea

The NK News Study Guide to North Korea

Part 1: Introduction

The NK News Study Guide to North Korea
Gianluca Spezza
Gianluca Spezza December 3, 2012
Little Man Syndrome: The Height Of North Korea’s Failure

Little Man Syndrome: The Height Of North Korea’s Failure

Book Review: A Socioeconomic History of North Korea

Little Man Syndrome: The Height Of North Korea’s Failure
Gianluca Spezza
Gianluca Spezza November 7, 2012
Acceptable In The 80s: North Korea’s ‘Almost’ Opening

Acceptable In The 80s: North Korea’s ‘Almost’ Opening

With all the talk of "change" in North Korea, its easy to forget that many also thought "change" was well underway in the 1980s.

Acceptable In The 80s: North Korea’s ‘Almost’ Opening
Gianluca Spezza
Gianluca Spezza October 24, 2012