Heading to #APSA2025! Some exciting things on deck for tomorrow: on the Determinants of Public Opinion on Foreign Policy 2 panel (12 pm), @immyungheelee.bsky.social, Alex Jensen, and I discuss our survey experiment of public opinion towards the US military in South Korea and the Philippines 1/6

I'm pleased to share that I’ve joined the editorial team of Communist and Post-Communist Studies as an Associate Editor. I look forward to working with this excellent team. Encourage you to consider submitting your manuscript if your research fits the journal's aim. online.ucpress.edu/cpcs

Invited to write this based on my research on the authoritarian-led party system and the far-right movement in SK. If you are interested in understanding how authoritarian shadows have deeply haunted the country, this could be a good short read. www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianou...

I hope @christiehenry.bsky.social understands that for many in Xinjiang, the “peace” she saw is what scholars have elsewhere termed “the peace of the prison-yard.” (Plenty of good scholars at Princeton who could’ve helped them avoid this. Just embarrassing.)

Had some insightful conversations about democracy with scholars from around the world at an event sponsored by @carnegieendowment.org in Lisbon, Portugal. I shared my perspectives on South Korean democracy since 1987.

Joan Cho's book Seed of Mobilization offers valuable insights into Korean democracy. Read my review. doi.org/10.1111/deve...

Not now, Guillermo O'Donnell. (Teaching intro to comparative politics to undergrads in spring 2025 is a WILD experience.)

@immyungheelee.bsky.social is an expert on #authoritarianism, #democratization, and #protest in East Asia. Listen to her on this week's episode of Disrupting Peace discuss discuss how a #politicalopposition can successfully overturn a president’s power grab by looking at South Korea.

Episode 2 of Disrupting Peace focuses on South Korea in the wake of the attempted martial law declaration on December 3 by President Yoon Suk Yeol. Our guests are Myunghee Lee (@immyungheelee.bsky.social) and Jiho Cha. Find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen: shorturl.at/w0DUp

"How Criminal Organizations Expand to Strong States: Local Agreements and Migrant Exploitation in Northern Italy" by Gemma Dipoppa. www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

Readout of Blinken's meeting with acting South Korean President Choi Sang-mok. No mention of South Korea's political chaos.

Meanwhile, the ruling PPP keeps arguing that the arrest is illegal (it's a court order, so def legal/legitimate)🤦. Treating them as 'another voice' is dangerous. Bothsidesism nips at the heels of democracy.

I have to add that Yoon does this while instigating unrest by dog-whistling far-right wing activists--YouTubers, evangelical churches, and the notorious 'Taguekgi' troops. My colleague @immyungheelee.bsky.social wrote about who these people are: www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Yes. This is the point that international media needs to get their head around: democrats need to drive home Han and the PPP's responsibility, even after the failed coup attempt, to deepen instability in service to their own selfish interests, and the whims of disgraced Yoon.

Great perspective on the current situation in Korea, with the 2nd impeachment in 2 weeks.

The Prime Minister and acting President of South Korea, Han, was impeached. The media claims that this further destabilizes Korea—a notion I disagree with. I would like to clarify several issues regarding this matter. 1/n

The more I dig, the more I reach the conclusion that the party’s alignment with the far-right was strategic (disturbing!), but Yoon has become a true believer in far-right rhetoric (scary!).

#SouthKorea shook a presidential power grab – failure to impeach now risks damaging #democracy https://buff.ly/3ZC1y78 (@immyungheelee.bsky.social, Michigan State University and Sungik Yang, Arizona State University) #news #coups

Sungik Yang and I wrote about historical lessons and how failure of impeachment harm democracy in Korea. theconversation.com/south-korea-...

This is the consequence of the failed impeachment and Han's weird back-channel deal with Yoon. It empowered far-right pro-Yoon voices and voices normalizing the use of the military, something like calling the martial law declaration "a high-level political strategy."

Why did the ruling party choose not to vote for impeachment in SK? Lessons can be drawn from the previous impeachment in 2016. My article in @democratization.bsky.social shows how the party and the far-right forces aligned since the impeachment. www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Exactly! (1)regardless of who wins the election, there'll be little/no change in the alliance,assuming the US FP remains same. (2)despite this, some are concerned about tri/multilateral security cooperation. What is the main purpose of that cooperation? Lessons learned from the FP of the old CW era.

#politicalscientists who study #democracy, #Constitution and #justice, please read and sign in support: t.co/5Vd1VXcsp8

What short-lived martial law says about South Korean democracy and the position of President Yoon https://buff.ly/4g3kW3Z (@immyungheelee.bsky.social @ Michigan State University)

Also if you play the long game with your reading plans you can pre-order my next book (with Alex Cooley), due out in June: global.oup.com/academic/pro...

Wait, you’re telling me that in South Korea, they storm the parliament building to *save* democracy?

Here is my summary of what is going on in SK. theconversation.com/what-short-l...

Yoon is not the guardian of liberal democracy. His authoritarian tendencies are on full display. For more insights, read our previous article in The Conversation. theconversation.com/president-yo...

Ha... this is exactly how I feel these days—constantly.

Do radical right parties need to detach themselves from the legacy of right-wing authoritarian regimes to be successful? It would appear not, or not anymore. New work with @anjaneundorf.bsky.social now forthcoming at @thejop.bsky.social. A couple of thoughts 👇

Weak autocracies are far more common than strong autocracies. They are also often far more dangerous and damaging than strong autocracies. Never take hope from an autocrat’s weakness. Instead, prepare for the worst. A 🧵 based on 2 of my books: (1/N)

"Want to understand how local and national politics intertwine to shape old-age pension systems? Curious about how class and party preferences influence the design of pension policies? Interested in how institutionalized parties leverage local politics to set the national agenda?

My post election anxiety is getting worse.

How are these people so bad at their jobs? CBS characterizes multiple interviewees as if they were swing voters turned by post-COVID inflation—when a quick search for news stories *in which the same people were interviewed* shows they supported Trump in 2016 and are reliable Republicans.

President Yoon is lauded in West for embracing Japan − in South Korea it fits a conservative agenda that is proving less popular @us.theconversation.com @immyungheelee.bsky.social Sungik Yang theconversation.com/president-yo...

What types of messages do authoritarian regimes convey through textbooks? Here are my findings from North Korean "Socialist Moral" textbooks, published in Asian Studies Review. (50 Free copies below.) www.tandfonline.com/eprint/YUG9T...

My solo-authored work on the South Korean far-right movement, Taegeukgi rallies, is now available at Democratization. If you are interested in the identity and far-right activism nexus and/or authoritarian legacies,

🏅In one of our most read articles this week, @immyungheelee.bsky.social & Amanda Murdie investigate the role of domestic political opportunity structures in the success of the #MeToo movement on the country level polisky gendersky www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Happy New Year!

Look forward to this event tomorrow.