South Korea's meddlesome spooks



Columns South Korea’s meddlesome spooks Security agency is in the dock, but it’s fighting back hard Aidan Foster-Carter March 17, 2014 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON South Korea's United Progressive party legislator Lee Seok-Ki shouts as he is taken away on allegations he plotted a pro-North rebellion. - dom brassey draws co - CC BY-SA 2.0 Part of my remit here at NK News is to write about the other Korea. You know, the nicer one. The serious one. The non-freak. The world’s 7th-largest trading nation. The one that gives us – well, sells us – Samsung phones and Hyundai cars. And Psy (whatever happened to him?) To focus solely on North Korea while ignoring the South is lopsided. The same applies vice versa, of course. You’re only seeing half the picture, so you risk missing the wider context of mutual antagonism which in important ways continues to shape and drive both Korean states. Case in © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update & Podcast Updates Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

Columns

South Korea’s meddlesome spooks

Security agency is in the dock, but it’s fighting back hard

Aidan Foster-Carter March 17, 2014

South Korea's United Progressive party legislator Lee Seok-Ki shouts as he is taken away on allegations he plotted a pro-North rebellion. - dom brassey draws co - CC BY-SA 2.0

Part of my remit here at NK News is to write about the other Korea. You know, the nicer one. The serious one. The non-freak. The world’s 7th-largest trading nation. The one that gives us – well, sells us – Samsung phones and Hyundai cars. And Psy (whatever happened to him?)

To focus solely on North Korea while ignoring the South is lopsided. The same applies vice versa, of course. You’re only seeing half the picture, so you risk missing the wider context of mutual antagonism which in important ways continues to shape and drive both Korean states.

Case in

About the Author

Aidan Foster-Carter

Aidan Foster-Carter is Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Sociology and Modern Korea at Leeds University in England. Educated at Eton and Oxford, he taught sociology at the Universities of Hull, Dar es Salaam and Leeds from 1971 to 1997. Having followed Korean affairs since 1968, since 1997 he has been a full-time analyst and consultant on Korea: writing, lecturing and broadcasting for academic, business and policy audiences in the UK and worldwide.

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