US envoy reportedly voiced concern about Lee’s call for ‘nuclear-free peninsula’ www.hani.co.kr/arti/english...

G2 world

What China wants from Europe | @johndelury.bsky.social engelsbergideas.com/notebook/wha...

Delighted to reunite w/ Laura Bicker back on the Korean Peninsula! As Donald Trump arrives here today and with him the global spotlight, #BBCNews chatted w/ opposing extremes of the Korean political spectrum, the anti-Trumpers vs. the anti-CCPers www.bbc.com/news/article...

Thoughts ahead of APEC open.substack.com/pub/johndelu...

October Surprise at the DMZ? Whether Kim and Trump meet now or later (or never), important question is why & what next? I offer 3 options, although in the end we might need to invent another one johndelury.substack.com/p/trump-and-...

Parade season in the Far East! Kim Jong Un is next, hosting 80th anniversary of founding of Korean Workers Party in 1945. Check out my deep dive into Cold War context:

Had some thoughts reading Quantico speeches by Hegseth and Trump through the lens of China's Cultural Revolution. Shout outs to @goldkorn.bsky.social @mariarepnikova.bsky.social Geremie Barme, Orville Schell, Didi Tang substack.com/@johndelury/...

'How close are China, Russia, and North Korea, really?' This debate is at the heart of geopolitics. It's been going for years and will continue for a long time. In a new essay for @newlinesmag.bsky.social I offer the backlight of Cold War history to help us assess newlinesmag.com/essays/beiji...

Delighted to share my first piece for New Lines Magazine; trying to understand the 2025 parade sent me back to 1957 and 1959 looking for clues

Domestic civil resistance argument by Hardy Merriman for solidarity, a Team Democracy, have international relations implications that global leaders have not yet acted upon. Not YET. great discussion @eosnos.bsky.social @sbg1.bsky.social @janemayer.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/j...

I wrote a new Substack about Kim-Xi-Putin vibes in Beijing, and to my surprise it ended up being mostly about hands. Shoutouts @vanjackson.bsky.social @sheenagreitens.bsky.social @victordcha.bsky.social @colinzwirko.bsky.social @josephtorigian.bsky.social substack.com/home/post/p-...

Stephen Hanmer D'Elía JD, LCSW yauguru.substack.com?r=fir&utm_ca...

A mensch. I learned so much from him, and I feel honored too the three of us were able to have that conversation, and Jerry lives on in this as in countless projects, writings, students, cases.

Some urban travelogue/ imperial history ruminations from me, my second post on Substack, check it out and let me know thoughts. Free to all but if you wanna join as paid subscriber that is totally fine with me! johndelury.substack.com/p/a-visit-to...

Great stuff as always from @myhlee.bsky.social @washingtonpost.com on significance of Kim Jong Un's bring your daughter to the parade. It's a fascinating and important phenomenon in terms of gauging North Korea's future. Appreciate being able to add my 2 cents www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Appreciate you @joshjonsmith.bsky.social getting 'big boys' in the headline. All eyes on Beijing tomorrow for the Big Parade. Shared some thoughts w/ @reutersworld.feeds.directory www.reuters.com/world/china/...

Train presumed to be transporting Kim Jong Un has pulled into Beijing, live footage shows. Kim, who rarely travels internationally, left Pyongyang yesterday in his transportation of choice — in a heavily armored, slow-moving train for 16-20 hours — for China's Victory Day military parade Wednesday.

Enjoyed talking w/ @npr.org Anthony Kuhn for his insightful preview of next week's Victory Parade in Beijing & surprise announcement that Kim Jong Un will attend. I'm thinking a lot about historical echoes & hope to write something along those lines... www.npr.org/2025/08/29/g...

Kim Jong Un will be standing on the Tiananmen Rostrum next week alongside Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping for the military parade commemorating end of WWII english.news.cn/20250828/38b...

Lots of thoughts as dust settles on SK prez Lee Jae-myung's visit to DC. He got high marks here in Seoul for avoiding White House humiliation/ disaster. Disciplined performance with cameras rolling. Good steward of ROK-US relationship.

Kudos to @alexludoboyd.bsky.social for taking one for the team!

Congrats 恭喜恭喜 to the brand new cohort of fellows in the National Committee on US-China Relations public intellectuals program. Great group, and urgently needed @ncuscr.bsky.social #PIPFellow www.ncuscr.org/twenty-leadi...

@roseluqiu.bsky.social is the OG. fond memories of chatting with her in Hong Kong, accompanied by the great @joshchin.bsky.social for the China Boom Project, and walking away deeply impressed

Podcast double feature to celebrate my return to Seoul (after two blessed years based in Rome). You can hear me on @koreapro.bsky.social talking South Korea's relationship with China... now that US trade deal done, expect shift in focus to Beijing koreapro.org/category/sou...

Thoughts on China-Korea relations-- Beijing's overarching strategy on the Peninsula; patterns in Xi Jinping's dealings with ROK presidents (Lee Jaemyung is Xi's 5th); whether Lee should go to Beijing for September Victory Parade; etc etc. Big thanks to Jeongmin Kim & KoreaPro Team

Spotted on street corner in Seoul

#Japan's PM #Ishiba announces intention to resign w/in month, following breakthrough in trade talks w/ #US. This was inevitable, given need to take responsibility for 3 electoral defeats: metropolitan, lower & upper house elections www.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/202...

I think about Liang Qichao a lot too. Great review for @chinabksreview.bsky.social by @jwassers.bsky.social of Peter Zarrow's translation of Liang's writings. Jeff is just the reviewer to tease out the linkages to today-- Taiwan, Hong Kong & beyond chinabooksreview.com/2025/07/17/l...

State-run elementary and even preschools doing the work in Tibet of the “reeducation centers” in Xinjiang. Old imperial trick… but behind every national school, hedge schools are keeping the flame lit. Important reporting by @joshchin.bsky.social et al www.wsj.com/world/china/...

He should go.

glad you enjoyed it! (and the homage to Immerwahr:)

delighted to share my review essay on how the concept of 'empire' has migrated from the study of Chinese history to analysis of international affairs. great fun writing for @alecash.net & the exciting new @chinabksreview.bsky.social @asiasociety.org chinabooksreview.com/2025/06/26/c...

China may be sitting on the sidelines of the US/Israel-Iran War... but is this a ring they want to be in? (Do Americans really want to be in this ring, for that matter?) my thoughts in @washingtonpost.com

Only in America is this a question www.nytimes.com/2025/06/22/u...

“Trajan was ambitious of fame, and as long as mankind shall continue to bestow more liberal applause on their destroyers than on their benefactors, the thirst for military glory will ever be the vice of the most exalted characters.”

The US bombing of Iranian nuclear strikes does not “send a message” to Kim Jong Un- its nothing new for North Korea, which has always taken the prospect of US military strike very seriously.

Il futuro della penisola coreana da @junkoterao.bsky.social @internazionale.it www.internazionale.it/notizie/junk...

This is a great program for rising stars interested in North Korea and foreign policy. Apply! ncafp.org/resources/ap...

Very encouraged by appointments by the new South Korean president Lee Jae-myung. Among those I know a bit, Lee Jong-seok is a great choice for NIS, one of the country's leading North Korea experts & 'wrote the book' on NK-China relations en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN2025...

Looking forward to my first visit to @eui-schuman.bsky.social & chance to share thoughts on Korean Peninsula diplomacy. Indo-Pacific Focus Group in Florence-- how can you beat that? www.eui.eu/events?id=57...

I talked to @cnnipr.bsky.social @kimbrunhuber.bsky.social about how new South Korean president Lee Jae-myung will have to swallow 3 bitter pills to resuscitate diplomacy w/ North Korea. Not easy. But the alternatives are worse. video.snapstream.net/Play/4qD6mya...

great rec here, looking forward to listening to @anthonykuhn.bsky.social on @chinarhyming.bsky.social podcast

South Korea has a brand new president. My thoughts for @foreignaffairs.bsky.social on the window of opportunity that his election opens for renewed diplomacy with North Korea. www.foreignaffairs.com/south-korea/...

South Korea's political vacuum ends today with election of new president. My thoughts on what next coming very soon...

Next week, South Korea's political vacuum finally closes & a new president takes office. Looking forward to discussing implications for Asia and beyond w/ Jina Kim, Ellen Kim, & Emma Chanlett-Avery-- thanks to ‪@asiapolicy.asiasociety.org‬ for making it happen asiasociety.org/policy-insti...

Lotta hopes being placed on Papa Leone’s shoulders, as they should. Playing a role for peace in Korea among them.

The energy of the crowd running gently through the streets toward the square, all of us following the lead of a young nun in white habit, faces brimming in joyous anticipation, then the moment of revelation, the surprise (l'americano!), the chants 'viva la papa'-- it was something to behold!

Time to think seriously about what a Lee Jae-myung administration would mean for the region and the world, starting with how Lee likely to approach the Big Five: Trump, Kim, Xi, Putin, Ishiba

A bit surprising public acknowledgment of North Korean involvement didn't come sooner. Very unlikely Moscow would not coordinate this w/ Pyongyang, so North Korean acknowledgment may be next-- celebrating heroic volunteers, martyrs, etc. Let's see... www.ft.com/content/7107...