Good piece by NYT’s long serving lead Korea reporter Choe Sang-Hun on the Korean workers detained by Trumps ice raid.

Excellent long read by @koryodynasty.bsky.social in the Guardian. Definitely worth your time this weekend.

It was a pleasure to sit in the passenger seat with Laam Hae's driving on the long journey that became this article. It's focused on her extensive work on the topic here, but I had some modest input with the theoretical framing.... 1/4

“There is a consistent effort to create the appearance of grassroots support,” Clifton noted, “spinning up groups to make it look like there's grassroots support for hard-line policies,” although these groups are actually funded by a few wealthy people.

Lots of details in this story of poor treatment and conditions. What a great way to attract investment.

A US detention diary written with anger... B1 visa workers mocked as "North Korea" | Yonhap News www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR2025...

What a mess: 'invest here, bring jobs and investment but not your own high specialized workers who will be arrested by masked police. Go home, no, wait, stay, please don't go... I'm not letting you go...'

Concerning, but not surprising. I'm glad there's a number of people tracking this since the June presidential elections.

My first book, Socializing Land: Plantations, Dispossession, and Resistance in Laos (University of Hawai'i Press, 2025), exists in this world! Check it out at: uhpress.hawaii.edu/title/social... 1/4

This looks like a good opportunity for ECRs in labour studies/geography

"the South Korean government must confront the historical reality of treating children as "export goods." ...the overseas adoption system was built on economic motivation, private adoption agencies made money by selling children... Reparative justice demands a full accountability for this legacy"

An excellent panoramic take on recent events in South Korea by Kevin Gray

Good overview

I am happy to say that I’ve yet to see one in my neighbourhood.

Amazing story: one of the organisers of the group putting Union Flags up around Manchester previously did time for being part of a people smuggling gang. manchestermill.co.uk/manchester-f...

Gril

In light of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's state visit to the US today, check out our latest thematic section in the Sept issue of Critical Asian Studies, "The Martial Law Crisis and Democratic Renewal in South Korea" (now online): www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.lib.uwm.edu/toc/rcra20/c... 1/

Great news after so many senseless, life destroying lawsuits against workers for exercising their freedom of association rights that should have always been recognised in law.

Nice to see that the whole special issue on Korea's martial law crisis and prodemocracy protests is finally out as a complete collection: www.tandfonline.com/toc/rcra20/5...

Excellent research brief by my colleague Dr. Ahlem Faraoun: Protecting Women’s Labour Rights in the Creative Platform Economy: The Case of South Korean Webtoons and Webnovels

Nice to see that this is now out in a published issue.

An open letter has been launched today (27/7/25) for members of the UK academic community (academics and other university staff) to sign, to press the UK Home Office to facilitate safe passage out of Gaza for 40+ students with offers for UK universities. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... Largely an updated and more finely theorized version of my previous work--all errors in it are solely mine and not that of my fantastic co-author (who is not on Bluesky). Thanks to @vdeminstitute.bsky.social for their fantastic data set!

Sometimes I wonder why seasoned academics with many years experience still attempt to present 50+ slides within a 15 minute presentation time. Why? It's a kind of time blindness, I suppose.

GRIL

Giving a book talk on Friday at Seoul National University if anyone is around and interested.

At this event tomorrow

Noteworthy. Haven’t followed up on who served as the public interest representatives yet but interesting. m.koreaherald.com/article/1052...

Good.

Posting this here for GEOG 31072 (my Asian labour geographies class). links.org.au/chinas-labou...

This story has been in the background of the martial law fallout since the beginning but underreported in the English-language media I think. Yoon tried to legitimize his coup attempt abroad through the foreign media. www.koreatimes.co.kr/amp/southkor...

In May I had the pleasure to discuss a series of papers on South Korea's martial law crisis by my esteemed colleagues. After the event, Nan Kim asked me if I was interested in typing up my thoughts for a special thematic section of the venerable journal Critical Asian Studies. 1/4

Taking part in this set of roundtable discussions next week.

퇴행적 판결: Dissappointing that the court upheld 3.5 billion won in damage claims again Hyundai workers for participating in collective action. This is why the Yellow Envelope Law (to revise Korean labour law to protect subcontracted workers) needs to be approved.

07-07-1983 CANADA: British Columbia introduces 26 bills to cut public services and union rights. Operation Solidarity launches a province-wide mobilization, supported by a wider Solidarity Coalition. This takes the province to the verge of a general strike. www.communitystories.ca/v2/solidarit...

Good read.

U of York commissions a report from Public First on the positive impact of international students in the UK: www.publicfirst.co.uk/calculating-...

Good editorial by progressive sociologist Shin Jin-wook on the complexity of support for far-right positions, and the need to see beyond simplistic statistical approaches and stereotypes. Interesting comment on buddhist support for Kim Moon-soo...

In Korea, Unions to Continue Their Fight for Workers' Rights bit.ly/kptu2025

Sad story of recent safety accident victim: last book he read was about Lee and basic income policies. Reminds me of Kim Yongkyun case during Moon admin. 1/2

Pleased to be participating in this [free] Online Korean Studies Frankfurt Summer School in early August. Lot's of good speakers and open to undergrad and (post)graduate students anywhere, I believe.

A step in the right direction IMO, to actually have a worker and labour leader in the role if anything to correct for the elitism that can shape appointments. But let's see, I'm briefly reminded about Kim Dae-hwan's miserable time in the role during the Roh administration.

Also happy to wake up to see that this article, with Seung-Ook Lee, is finally out from a long simmering side project. The article does many things. It charts the frankly reactionary views of cyberlibertarian crypto and blockchain enthusiasts... 1/3 @antipodeonline.bsky.social

Just back from a short trip up to Edinburgh for the Association of Korean Studies in Europe Biennial Conference where I had the honour of recieving the AKSE Book Prize 2025 for my recent @uofmpress.bsky.social monograph: The Postdevelopmental State. @cperguom.bsky.social @uomseed.bsky.social

In anticipation of the Academy of Korean Studies, Europe conference next week, my publisher has made a poster with links to the UK Distributor for Michigan Press books. Enjoy.

After the drama of martial law and impeachment, South Korea faced another twist: a snap presidential election. I followed the extraordinary political upheaval and the voices of ordinary Koreans navigating this historic moment in this documentary. Airs tomorrow at 9pm KST on MBC!

It's a relief, but 'between center-right to mildly left' politician Lee... might be more accurate.