Repeatedly seeing several people on the tram home listening to strange political sermons on higher volume, spoken by an AI voice, isn't the kind of future I was looking forward to.

Statement by the DPRK Embassy in Vienna criticizing the IAEA and US for denouncing the DPRK's access to nuclear weapons. It calls the DPRK's nuclear status “irreversible,” says IAEA has no authority outside the NPT, and vows to “bolster” deterrence. Mirror link: kcnawatch.xyz/newstream/17...

DerStandard has an interesting way of framing the international success of Chinese video games: "China continues to attack the gaming industry." The complacency and risk-aversion of "established" AAA game devs and publishers, mostly in the US, Europe, and Japan, are the problem, not China.

2025:

A fascinating read by Ifang Bremer highlighting the diverse and often conflicting political views among those who relocated from the DPRK.

Vienna is a fantastic place to live in but every local or national election period is making my stomach turn. Poster spotted today in the 20th district. "German is compulsory, Habibi" "Make Vienna smart again" This comes from the christian-democratic/liberal-conservatives. Worse posters exist.

An unfortunate turn of events so soon after tours resumed to the DPRK. Exchange is important, for both sides.

On Tuesday, Feb 18, the Korea Health Policy Project's webinar series "North Korea's International Health Engagement" continues with Session 2 on "How North Korea Managed the COVID-19 Pandemic." I recommend to have a look. More information here: ecnk.univie.ac.at/events/event...

The USAID website going offline is a strange occurrence considering the Trump administration’s 90-day "pause." Addressing power imbalances in humanitarian aid and its dependencies is critically important but freezing aid to make a statement is outright diabolical, regardless of freeze exemptions.

📊 Is now a bad time for a data dump on the humanitarian system’s dependence on US funding? #Trump @newhumanitarian.bsky.social ➡️ www.thenewhumanitarian.org/newsletter/2...

Jan 15, 16:45-18:15 Vienna time, Prof. Kim Sung-Kyung of the University of North Korean Studies will hold a guest lecture at the University of Vienna about the representation of North Koreans in South Korean popular culture. Join us here or tune in via Zoom! ecos.univie.ac.at/guest-lectur...

Now I finally remember where I have seen the drone model shown in this poster before. It was presented at the farm machine industry development exhibition in early 2023. Later in June, another model was shown on Korean Central TV www.northkoreatech.org/2023/06/13/a...

Taking a step back from the fray of politics and political scandal in South Korea, data show that attitudes toward political rule are changing. Compared to its peer group of liberal democracies, support for democracy is in modest decline, but the story is much more complicated. 📊🧵

0/ Starting into 2025, North Korean state media published new agitprop posters with a clear message: "It's the economy, stupid! ...And the party!" This long thread examines each poster of the new set, primarily describing what we can see while adding a bit of context. I hope you'll enjoy!

Anti-state forces logic was wielded to crush dissent throughout dictatorship. Democracy movement struggled&sacrificed to overcome it.Yoon doubled down on it today, an extreme example of exploiting division conflict for political goals with real repercussions for NGOs talking peace.My piece 4 NKNews

North Korea breaks it silence over turmoil in the South - Pres Yoon had unleashed a “dictatorship on the people” state media said without any hint of irony. It said the embattled president committed an “insane” act and called his country a “gangster nation”. www.theguardian.com/world/2024/d...

At what point can anyone be trusted with nuclear weapons, really. Institutions change, policies change, narratives change, leaders change, nukes stay.

DP Floor Leader Park Chan-dae addressing the National Assembly. He voices criticism of the PPP after its members left the room, thus boycotting the impending impeachment vote. All except Ahn Cheol-soo. Now every absent PPP NA member is being called out and urged to return. LOUDLY.

Prof. Rüdiger Frank, University of Vienna, published an assessment of Pres. Yoon's martial law declaration on Dec 3, discussing the rhetoric that was used to justify the declaration, motives, and more. www.globalneighbours.org/the-coup-of-...

1/8 A thread on why wording is key. The German-speaking media landscape just provided a really good example. As South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law earlier today, I checked how German and Austrian news are covering the issue....

South Korean president declares martial law m-en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN2024...

North Koreans might be surprised to find out that the secret recipe behind a pricey, mediocre-tasting coffee is tax evasion, union busting and questionable supply chains. But free Wi-Fi is nice.

Hello BlueSky, we're here! And we get started with a pluralistic starter pack with researchers doing methods in social sciences! Self-nominations are more than welcome go.bsky.app/Ht7XKWk

1/2 - Interesting claim by Kim Jong Un in his Nov 15 speech at the Fourth Conference of the Battalion Commanders and Political Instructors of the KPA: "The danger of war lurks in all parts of the planet, and no one is certain when and where it will break out.

These Bloody Ties: A Review of “The Unloved Republic” by Brian Myers sinonk.com/2024/11/14/t...

My colleague Dan Gudgeon recently published a splendid new article examining the utility of the Triple Nexus in linking aid cooperation to peacebuilding on the Korean Peninsula. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Check out dprk-reports.org A database comprising all info related to the (bi-)annual reports published by the former UN Panel of Experts assisting the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee. Retrieve descriptive info or identify links between entities and the events they are associated with.