Understanding the Other Korea: North Korea
A one day workshop at the University of Copenhagen
Given the recent increase in tensions on the Korean peninsula it is more important than ever to understand the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) or North Korea. This one day workshop features invited speakers from Denmark, Sweden, South Korea and the UK. The theme will be how we can understand North Korea – which is to this day a misunderstood and frequently misrepresented part of the world. The focus will be on security issues, policy making, North Korea’s international relations, and history. The aim will be to understand better how North Korea views itself, how South Koreans and the Republic of Korea government see North Korea, and how the outside world should deal with the country.
Invited speakers are all acknowledged experts in their field.
Dr Hazel Smith has researched North Korea for many years and lived and worked in the country. She is the author of North Korea: Markets and Military Rule which challenges conventional impressions of the DPRK.
Dr James Hoare worked for the British Foreign and Commonwealth Research Analysts and was posted to Seoul, South Korea, Beijing, China, and was also the first British representative to Pyongyang (in the DPRK) in 2001-2.
In addition, the Republic of Korea Ambassador Young-sam Ma has served in Israel, Denmark and has also served as the Director of the UN Human Rights Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul.
Dr Sonia Häussler, now professor of Korean Studies in Stockholm is originally from East Germany, received her training in Korean Studies from the University of Leningrad, and spent a number of years living in North Korea’s capital Pyongyang in the late 1980s.
Dr Flemming Splidsboel Hansen is an expert on Russian domestic and foreign policy, Russian national identity, Ukraine, Belarus, the CIS, the Caucasus, Central Asia, EU Eastern Partnership, NATO, OSCE, the Arctic, sanctions and intelligence work. He will presenting on the complex and close relationship between Russia and the DPRK.
Camilla T.N. Sørensen is a specialist on international relations, East Asian security and Chinese foreign and security policy and will be presenting on the historic relationship between Beijing and Pyongyang. The day will end with a round table discussion that will allow members of the public and students ask questions about North Korea in greater detail.
Provisional Schedule
09:00 – 09:30 Opening remarks
Andrew David Jackson (University of Copenhagen)
09:30 – 11:00 SESSION 1 DPRK’s International Relations
Chair and disscusant: James Hoare, to be confirmed
Current Russian and DPRK relations
Flemming Splidsboel Hansen (DIIS, Danish Institute for International
Studies)
Making sense of PRC-DPRK relations in a changing East Asian security
context
Camilla T.N. Sørensen (Department of Political Science, University of
Copenhagen)
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break
11:30 – 13:00 SESSION 2 Understanding the internal situation of the DPRK
Chair and disscusant: Sonja Häussler, to be confirmed
Prospects for Violent insurrection in the DPRK: Victor Cha and Theoretical
Approaches
Andrew David Jackson (Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional
Studies, University of Copenhagen)
North Korea: Markets and Military Rule
Hazel Smith (University of Central Lancashire, UK)
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 15:30 SESSION 3 Engaging with the DPRK
Chair and disscusant: Camilla T.N. Sørensen
Missiles, Nuclear Weapons and Regional Security
Ambassador Young Sam Ma (The Embassy of the Republic of Korea)
Why engage North Korea?
James Hoare (SOAS/Chatham House)
15:30 – 16:00 Coffee break
16:00 - 17:30 SESSION 4 History and Round Table Discussion
Chair and disscusant: Hazel Smith
North Korea and the World festival of youth and students in 1989
Sonja Häussler (University of Stockholm, Sweden)
Followed by Round Table Discussion (Chaired by Andrew David Jackson)
Participants:
- Hazel Smith (University of Central Lancashire)
- James Hoare (SOAS/Chatham House)
- Sonja Häussler (University of Stockholm)
- Ambassador Young Sam Ma (The Embassy of the Republic of Korea)
- Camilla T.N. Sørensen (University of Copenhagen)
- Andrew David Jackson (University of Copenhagen)
17:30 End of Conference
Further information
Free entry, all are welcome.
For any questions, please contact Andrew David Jackson
