Author : Sangsoo Lim Publication : Journal of North Korea Studies Publisher : Public Policy Research Institute Volume : 12(1) Date : June 2026 Abstract: How can a security-based approach account for South Africa’s denuclearization in the early 1990s, and how can it be applied to explain North Korea’s nuclear retention? Building on security-based explanations of denuclearization, this paper specifies threat reduction by focusing on its durability, defined by whether a perceived decline in threat reflects a significant and not readily reversible weakening of the adversary’s material capacity, rather than temporary policy shifts or diplomatic engagement. Using the process-tracing method, the paper argues that South Africa’s denuclearization reflected Pretoria’s assessment that the regional communist threat had undergone a durable decline as a result of Soviet retrenchment. Applied to North Korea, this framework suggests that Pyongyang is unlikely to undertake full denuclearization in the foreseeable future because the threat posed by⋯

Author : Sangsoo Lim Publication : The Korean Journal of Defense Analysis Publisher : Korea Institute for Defense Analyses Volume : 30(3) Date : June 2026 Abstract: The United States imposed stringent restrictions on South Korea’s nuclear latency during the Cold War, most notably through the 1974 ROK–U.S. Nuclear Cooperation Agreement and the 1979 ROK–U.S. Ballistic Missile Range Guidelines. What explains Washington’s motivation for placing such tight constraints on its ally? Employing the process-tracing method based on extensive archival research, including declassified U.S. documents and a broad body of primary and secondary sources, this paper argues that these restrictions were largely rooted in South Korea’s strategic value to the United States, which was not insignificant but remained limited during the period. Because this level of strategic value was not sufficient to warrant robust American security commitment that would have fully reassured South Korea, the country became increasingly concerned about the⋯

Author : Chiwon Choi Publisher : Journal of Parliamentary Research Publication : The Korea Parliamentary Research Institute Volume : 20(1) Date : June 2025 Abstract: Weber is never a homo academicus. He is a homo politicus whose facade is the homo academicus. Starting from his Vorschläge zur Reform der Verfassung des Deutschen Reiches(Proposals for Constitutional Reform of German Imperial) in the context of World War I, he reveals himself as a politician of will and passion who, with the perspective of cool reason of scholar, presents his position through public lectures, newspaper articles, and political consultations against the danger of censorship. In the context of constitutional reform and parliamentary democratization, which is the most acute political issues of the time, he develops his concept of responsibility as a quality of politicians who act with political power as a means. Through this, he tries to overcome the overall loss and helplessness of politics⋯

Author : Chiwon Choi Publisher : Zeitschrift der Koreanisch-Deutschen Gesellschaft fuer Sozialwissenschaften Publication : Koreanisch-Deutsche Gesellschaft Fuer Sozialwissenschaften(K-G Association For Social Sciences) Volume : 35(2) Date : June 2025 Abstract: During World War I, Max Weber critically expresses his political position regarding the deformity of the German nation. Its core is the constitutional and political reform. For him, the reform is a demand of the times that has to be resolved in order to achieve parliamentary democracy, the expansion of parliamentary power, and the activation of parliamentary politics. Although he is not a politician with ethics of responsibility, he accepts this demand of the times as his life’s cause more firmly than any other politician and develops his position. His political position, beginning with Vorschläge zur Reform der Verfassung des Deutschen Reiches, continues through his journalistic activities, public lectures, and the publication of booklet. He accepts the historical reality of⋯

Authors : Dong Sun Lee, Sangsoo Lim Publication : Korean Journal of International Studies Publisher : The Korean Association of International Studies Volume : 33(1) Date: April 2025 Abstract: This article examines the dynamic interplay between the international system and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, analyzing how unipolarity has shaped these conflicts and their broader impact on global structures. It argues that the United States’ liberal hegemonic strategy—driven by unipolar preponderance— exacerbated tensions, particularly through NATO’s expansion in Ukraine and unconditional support for Israel in Gaza. These policies intensified regional hostilities, prompting armed resistance from Russia and Hamas. Conversely, these wars have accelerated the decline of US-centered unipolarity, allowing China to rise as a superpower while Russia and India consolidate their positions as great powers. The article introduces “offshore leadership” as a pragmatic US strategy emphasizing maritime priorities in East Asia and strategic collaboration with allies to navigate an evolving⋯

Author : Sangsoo Lim Publication : Journal of Asiatic Studies Publisher : Asiatic Research Institute Volume : 30(3) Date : December 2024 Abstract: Despite the significant impact of nationalism on interstate conflicts, many existing studies on military effectiveness, defined as a state’s ability to convert its resources into military power, have paid relatively little attention to its role in shaping military effectiveness. This paper aims to address this gap by asking the following question: what effects does nationalism have on a state’s military effectiveness? By analyzing the case of Japanese nationalism and its impact on the Russo-Japanese War, this paper argues that nationalism can enhance a state’s military effectiveness in two ways: 1) by providing a source of motivation for military personnel, 2) by contributing to logistic support through effective national mobilization of the public. The findings not only enrich the study on nationalism and state power but also provide valuable⋯

Author : Chiwon Choi Publisher : Zeitschrift der Koreanisch-Deutschen Gesellschaft fuer Sozialwissenschaften Publication : Koreanisch-Deutsche Gesellschaft Fuer Sozialwissenschaften(K-G Association For Social Sciences) Volume : 34(4) Date : December 2024 Abstract: Arendt claimed to think without a banister. However, as is most clearly confirmed in The Human Condition(1958), she never thought without banisters. What she has thrown away is, however, only the banisters of modernity, not the those of antiquity and the Middle Ages. For her, the loss of tradition is virtually nonexistent or just an empty phrase, since she persistently emphasizes and attempts to restore ancient traditions and authority. This self-contradiction is the characteristic and essence of Arendt’s thinking. Above all, she does not touch at all on the principles of modern practical labor nor considers she critically the problem of private property right as Hegel and Marx did, but deals with ‘labor’ of modern society with banisters of antiquity. This⋯

Author :  HoShin Lee Publication : The Politics of Education Publisher : Korean Society Of The Politics Of Education Volume : 30(4) Date : December, 2023 Abstract: This paper purposed to analyze the marketization of education according to education policy determined by political factors by presenting changes in private education investment and private school enrollment rates in European and North American countries according to government partisanship. As with other policies, it was derived that fundamental changes occur in educational policies because of political factors rather than fragmentary educational considerations. Based on the main support of the high-income class, the right-wing party revitalizes the education market. It lowers education regulations to increase the effectiveness of private investment in education. As a result, there is a high possibility that education marketization will intensify. On the contrary, the left-wing party supported by the low-income class tries to reduce the effect of private investment.⋯

Author : Chiwon Choi Publication : Zeitschrift der Koreanisch-Deutschen Gesellschaft fuer Sozialwissenschaften Publisher : Koreanisch-Deutsche Gesellschaft Fuer Sozialwissenschaften(K-G Association For Social Sciences) Volume : 33(4) Date : December 2023 A ‘class-conscious bourgeois’ as citizen, Max Weber’s politics of civil society is a product of the political-practical attempt to overcome the crisis of Historismus. In the most comprehensive sense, it provides a new ‘Historie’ which corresponds to that of Marx and Nietzsche who are responsible for the crisis of Historismus. It internalizes methods of Marx and Nietzsche, which Historismus couldn’t provide. Above all, although Weber was a ‘child of the historical school,’ he accepts the critical problematique of Hegel and especially Marx: His concept of politics of civil society attempts to preserve the value and meaning of politics in respond to the demands of the times by requestinf a reexamination of the entire Bilder of the existing Historie. His unique ‘source’⋯

Author : Jiil Kim Publication : Strategic Studies Publisher : Korea Research Institute for Strategy Volume : 30(3) Date : November 2023 What is the reason behind the unwavering commitment of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to expanding North Korea’s nuclear arsenal and resisting nuclear disarmament? To address the aforementioned research question, this study delves into the core psychological factors shaping Kim’s mindset and consequent behavioral patterns. Utilizing the documentary research method, this study endeavors to illuminate the research inquiries by employing the psychological framework of ‘historical trauma’ to dissect Kim Jong Un’s behavioral tendencies, which have manifested during denuclearization negotiations. The findings of this study reveal that Kim Jong Un bears a historical trauma inherited, through a process of ‘transference,’ from his grandfather Kim Il Sung, who initiated the Korean War. Specifically, Kim Jong Un’s historical trauma encompasses both ‘short-term war trauma’ and ‘alliance trauma.’ Within this context,⋯