Podcasts about Hermit kingdom

Hey Slaycaters, normally we take you to a beautiful island, popular tourist destination or even on a cruise… and then something tragically bad happens.  This episode is different.  Today we're taking you to the DPRK, aka The Hermit Kingdom, aka North Korea. Not known for being a popular tourist destination because, let's face it, you're not really allowed to go. However, that only made it more intriguing to young 22-year old Otto Wambier, who had a penchant for visiting global hotspots. By all accounts, his highly curated trip was going great — until it was time for his Young Pioneers Tour Group to board the plane home. That's when the nightmare began. You may have heard of this story — but the devil is in the details (and the storytelling.) So strap in as we take you to one of the strangest places in the world for one of the strangest Slaycations we've been on.  As always, thanks for listening and stay safe out there!  MORE KIM!:  Subscribe to SLAYCATION PLUS and get weekly ‘More Kim' bonus episodes.  SUBSCRIBE to SLAYCATION PLUS right in Apple Podcasts, or on our website: https://plus.slaycation.wtf/supporters/pricing SLAYCATERS ONLY:  Interact with the Hosts and get behind the scenes info, photos and more in our FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/394778366758281 MERCH!  Top quality ‘Pack Your Body Bags" tote bags, as well as Slaycation T-shirts, towels, sandals, fanny packs, stickers and more available at:  https://plus.slaycation.wtf/collections/all MORE INFO:  to learn more about Slaycation, the Hosts go to: www.slaycation.wtf EMAIL:  info@slaycation.wtf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're setting the table for the year ahead in Ghost Stories, and to do so we'll be following a number of threads that may or may not have much to do with each other. Key to this one is the UK's relationship with the US, which we use to explore how unnerving it feels to be alive in the Hermit Kingdom in the last days, its mind blown out by redundant upper management and a deep state that no longer has any purpose. We mainline the DMT released from the dying spider's brain, exploring Keir Starmer as the Last Man, dreams in the imperial core, surveillance, terrorism, the dregs of empire, classified US-UK programs like GHOSTHUNTER and APPARITION, temporal dislocation, and long-dead spree killers haunting the Yorkshire moors. 

By the mid-1800s, the Joseon Kingdom had become an isolated polity which was famously hostile to unwelcome visitors. Nevertheless, imperial powers vied to force the nation to open to international trade, offer paths toward modernization, and jealously eyed the strategic and economic value of Korea's many ports.Support the show My latest novel, "Califia's Crusade," is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, Bookshop.org, and many other online platforms!

When a bizarre group of international gangsters shook on a massive meth deal with a DEA agent in Bangkok, Thailand eight years ago, it kicked off a manhunt ensnaring Hong Kong Triads, Outlaws bikers and an ex-US Army sniper's band of contract killers. But the bust also shone a light on the shady drug network of North Korea, part of a crime machine fuelling the world's maddest dictatorship. This is the story of how a war-torn Hermit Kingdom became a narco-trafficking, cash-counterfeiting, pimping Mafia state. An Underworld Classic Merch: https://underworldpodcast.myshopify.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ray and Jim welcome retired Lieutenant General Chun In-bum of the South Korean Army to discuss North Korea's increasing role in supplying arms to the Russian war machine. General Chun highlights the long history of North Korea's illicit arms industry, and how its ambitions pose not just regional but global challenges. General Chun emphasizes the need for a nuanced understanding of North Korea's changing military ambitions in the context of its ever-shifting relationships with China and Russia. He emphasizes that U.S. policy toward North Korea has often been flawed by misguided hopes that the Hermit Kingdom might respond positively to offers of engagement or inducements.The discussion turns to the challenge that North Korea's nuclear program poses to a strained global non-proliferation regime, and the real potential for South Korea and other countries under threat to break out and pursue their own nuclear capabilities if their faith in U.S. extended deterrence fails.General Chun contemplates the question of an “Asian NATO”, appreciates the long history of American service in South Korea, and makes an impassioned plea to Americans to hold to their country's historic ideals.In our “There I was…” segment, Ray tells an amazing-but-true story of how his Air Force unit once encountered the toughness of South Korean Special Forces.

The North Korean regime is one of the most brutal on Earth. Executions, torture, and arbitrary detention are commonplace. Many lose their lives attempting to escape. For those who do make it out of the hermit kingdom, many difficulties remain.But how can we help the people of North Korea?The answer is that the issues on the Korean Peninsula won't be easily solved. But many are working hard to help North Koreans.Ambassador Julie Turner, the U.S. Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues, is working diplomatically through her role in the U.S. government.Hannah Song, CEO of non-profit Liberty in North Korea, brings boots-on-the-ground support through LiNK's modern-day underground railroad.And Joseph Kim, Research Fellow at the Bush Institute and North Korean escapee himself, is telling his story of survival and supporting his people through his powerful words.The three experts joined host Andrew Kaufmann for an important conversation about how the U.S. can support North Koreans still in the country, the state of human rights in North Korea, and the work they do to advocate for North Koreans living in the U.S.That's on this episode of The Strategerist, presented by the George W. Bush Presidential Center.Related content: Escapees develop leadership skills at the Bush Institute's North Korean Human Rights WorkshopThe Bush Institute's work supporting freedom in North Korea

Weekend Edition for June 29-30, 2024 Show Notes: Support 1517 Podcast Network Fundraiser! 1517 Podcasts 1517 on Youtube 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education What's New from 1517: Available Now: Encouragement for Motherhood Edited by Katie Koplin Pre-order: Hitchhiking with Prophets: A Ride Through the Salvation Story of the Old Testament by Chad Bird 30 Minutes in the NT on Youtube Remembering Rod Rosenbladt Available Now: Be Thou My Song by Kerri Tom More from the hosts: Dan van Voorhis SHOW TRANSCRIPTS are available: https://www.1517.org/podcasts/the-christian-history-almanac CONTACT: CHA@1517.org SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts Spotify Stitcher Overcast Google Play FOLLOW US: Facebook Twitter Audio production by Christopher Gillespie (gillespie.media).

The Young Pioneer Podcast Season 2 concludes with double-header episode! S2, Ep 6 opens with a discussion between host Justin Martell and YPT founder/CEO Gareth Johnson discussing the big question "when will North Korea re-open for tourism?" Recorded YPT's recent research trip to China to meet with our North Korean partners and explore the Sino-Korean border for the first time in four years, which made news among the community of North Korea watchers, the discussion gives a projected timeline for the Hermit Kingdom's re-opening as well as some educated guesses about the future of tourism in North Korea. Following Gareth's interview, Justin talks with YPT friend and travel partner Dr. Calvin Sun. Calvin is both an ER doctor in New York City and travel agent. Through his company Monsoon Diaries, he has partnered with YPT on many tours for well over a decade. In the interview, recorded in Mogadishu, Somalia, Justin and Calvin discuss Calvin's new book "The Monsoon Diaries: A Doctor's Journey of Hope and Healing from the ER Frontlines to the Far Reaches of the World," available now from Harper Horizon. For more information on how you can visit our "destinations your mother wishes you'd stayed away from" visit us at youngpioneertours.com.

My guest is Phil Harrison, whose debut book explores football in Europe's last communist state, Albania. It's a fascinated story of football in a secretive and isolated country.

Phil Harrison joins us in the Centre Circle to talk us through some shadowy tales of footballing life in Albania, all captured in his excellent new book, Inside The Hermit Kingdom.

North Korean sci-fi literature and cinema carry unique themes and messages that could only have originated in the Hermit Kingdom. This episode delves into how North Korea imagines a future of scientific and technological supremacy, often portraying the United States as the antagonist. It examines the historical context of North Korean science fiction, its role in promoting the state's ideology, and its imaginative narratives that range from space exploration to advanced robotics, all while emphasizing loyalty to the party and envisioning a utopian socialist future. Through stories and films, we discover a genre that serves both as propaganda and a lens into the hopes and dreams of a nation isolated from the world.Visit us at www.mydarkpath.comwww.youtube.com/@mydarkpathwww.patreon.com/mydarkpath

Let's visit the Hermit Kingdom! North Korea Expert and Author Sung-Yoon Lee joins the podcast to talk about his book The Sister: North Korea's Kim Yo Jong the Most Dangerous Woman in the World. Come listen!Buy The SisterSupport the show

Though the inner workings of North Korea remain a mystery to much of the world, its global cyber activity has been tracked and analyzed for years. CrowdStrike's Counter Adversary Operations team, which tracks five North Korean threat actors, has a unique perspective on the country's evolution as a global cybersecurity threat and the many ways it has used cyber capabilities to achieve its goals. In this episode, Adam and Cristian trace the history of North Korean cyber operations from its early days of destructive attacks to its focus on financial gain and espionage. Tune in for the answers to questions such as: How does North Korea discover its cyber talent? When did it pivot to cryptocurrency theft? And why does CrowdStrike track North Korean adversaries under the name CHOLLIMA? Come for the history, stay for Cristian's singing skills in this conversation about the complex and changing world of North Korean cyber activity.   Check out some the CHOLLIMAs we track here:  https://www.crowdstrike.com/adversaries/silent-chollima/ https://www.crowdstrike.com/adversaries/labyrinth-chollima/ https://www.crowdstrike.com/adversaries/ricochet-chollima/ https://www.crowdstrike.com/adversaries/velvet-chollima/ https://www.crowdstrike.com/adversaries/stardust-chollima/ 

This episode is about North Korea's unofficial bribery season. It's when budgets are being formed and pockets are being lined. Before Sug and Dan get into this, they have an obligatory venting session about Chicago's winter weather (it's also that time of year). Yes, this is an official season in North Korea. Bribes go up and down the chain of command. They are exchanged from government offices to other government offices, from people to government offices, and between people. One common bribe, for example, is to up ones social status (or Songbun) or for parents to bribe teachers for better instruction or more attention in the classroom. According to Radio Free Asia, "It's rare for a government agency to submit a budget without a bribe." But before we point a finger at North Korea, let's examine our own society. We discuss the hard and soft ways that people in positions of power benefit from their seats in government. Dan and Sug share their personal experiences with bribery. Dan also shares his stories about the bribery that Crossing Borders was subjected to in China in regards to half North Korean, half Chinese children in Crossing Borders network. Kim Jong Un has publicly stated that he wants the bribery to stop in his country but we know the practice is alive and well. But these bribes fund his nuclear program. But who the culture of bribery hurts is the North Korean people. -----------ARTICLESBribery Season on Crossing Borders websiteRadio Free Asia Bribery Season-----------Welcome to The Demystified Zone (DMZ) presented by Crossing Borders, a conversation about North Korea that spans from the geo-political games, crazy hair-styles to real issues affecting the lives of North Koreans today. Join us for a chat about the funny and heartbreaking things we notice about the Hermit Kingdom today.Learn More about The Demystified Zone (DMZ), the new Crossing Borders Podcasthttps://www.crossingbordersnk.org/podcastCROSSING BORDERSCrossing Borders Ministry is a Christian, faith-based 501(c)3 non-profit that offers assistance to North Korean refugees and their children living in China and South Korea.https://www.crossingbordersnk.org/about-crossing-bordersELIM HOUSEElim House is a new initiative launched in 2020 to provide respite housing to battered North Korean women who live in South Korea. Learn more here:https://www.crossingbordersnk.org/elimhouseHelp North Korean defectorshttps://www.crossingbordersnk.org/north-korean-defectorsSupport the show

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has scrapped the idea of reconciliation with South Korea, instead declaring that nation his "principal enemy." Journalist Jean Lee says the shift is a strong indication that the Hermit Kingdom might be preparing for war.

Kim Il Sung's life and leadership have had a profound and lasting impact on North Korea and the wider Korean Peninsula. From his early years of resistance against Japanese rule to the establishment of a totalitarian regime in North Korea. Join use as we explore the family that formed the Hermit Kingdom.

Kim Il Sung's life and leadership have had a profound and lasting impact on North Korea and the wider Korean Peninsula. From his early years of resistance against Japanese rule to the establishment of a totalitarian regime in North Korea. Join use as we explore the family that formed the Hermit Kingdom.

Since China's persecution of Christians has led to increased church growth, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is now targeting truths in the Bible through a ten-year project to change the Scriptures. With as many as 130 million Christians in the country, there are more followers of Jesus than members of the CCP. As a result, the government is pushing their socialist values by distorting Biblical passages to reflect Communist ideologies. This is yet another attempt by China's authorities to bring both official and unapproved churches under total control of the government. In this episode of Closer to the Fire, host Greg Musselman is joined by Dr. Eric Foley of The Voice of the Martyrs Korea to discuss the CCP's latest plans to promote its political ideologies, and how these methods of persecution are affecting Christians throughout the country. During the interview, they also address recently published reports in which some organizations have indicated that China's Christian population is now in decline. In addition to providing an update on the situation in China, Dr. Foley shares about the enduring faith of believers in North Korea and the fact that, despite extreme opposition, the underground church continues to grow in this “Hermit Kingdom.” Length: 51 minutes Episode Notes To watch the interview with Dr. Eric Foley https://vomcanada.com/cttf-videos/video/cttf-communists-rewrite-bible.htm The Voice of the Martyrs Korea: www.vomkorea.com The Voice of the Martyrs Canada: www.vomcanada.com

Did you know North Korea had a booming film industry? Yes, the second Great Leader, Kim Jong Il, was a huge film buff. He had his own vast library of films, he produced many films and yes, he even kidnapped a famous South Korean director Shin Sang Ok to make North Korean movies. Pulgasari was the work of Kim as the executive producer and Shin as director.  Pulgasari is a kaiju film (like "Godzilla") set in ancient Korea. Dan and Sug explain the movie in detail (spoiler alert) and break it down for you so that you don't have to see it yourself. North Korea is a fascinating place, watching this movie gave our hosts an inside look into the Hermit Kingdom. ---LINKSPulgasari full movieDan's full, epic review of PulgasariSupport the show

If military cooperation with North Korea is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions, why would Russia do it so publicly? And what's in it for the Hermit Kingdom? Andrei Lankov, Director at NK News, joins Ray Suarez to explain why Kim Jong Un is solidifying relations with Russia… and not China.   Guest:   Andrei Lankov, Director at NK News and Professor at Kookmin University   Host:     Ray Suarez   If you appreciate this episode and want to support the work we do, please consider making a donation to World Affairs. We cannot do this work without your help. Thank you.

Economist at the Heritage Foundation Dr. Peter St. Onge comes on to discuss the dangers of a Central Bank Digital Currency. Next, advisor to the North Korea Freedom Coalition Lawrence Peck provides details on the latest from the Hermit Kingdom. Then president of 40 Days For Life Shawn Carney tells us why he thinks the military should stop funding abortions for its members and their families. Finally we take your calls in open phones across America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The US and Iran have reached a deal that will see the release of Iranian American prisoners held in Iran in exchange for Tehran gaining access to its frozen assets. Also, authorities in Ecuador have arrested six Colombian suspects in connection to the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. We look at the possible role of organized crime in the shooting. And, to celebrate hip-hop turning 50, we look at women who are rocking the mic across the globe. Plus, the mystique around North Korea, the so-called “Hermit Kingdom,” has allowed officials to profit through restaurants across Southeast Asia, where customers can try the cuisine and watch North Korean waitresses sing and even dance. But now, many of them are closing down.

Just like a DIVORCE AUCTION “X' are flogging all the old TWITTER stuff…and you could be the winner. Footy players are smart…here's the proof. FRANCE will sort it out! You don't often hear about a helpful hacker. FRIDGE STATIONARY STORY 2….24 hours in the waiting! Mystery Crate Prankster revealed? Is Nth Korean Golf Tourism Rod's ticket into the Hermit Kingdom? The joke Gabi's sisters didn't appreciate...does it land second time round? Austrian Spider ALERT…that's AUSTRIAN, not Australian. The surprise viral sensation of 2023…WRAPPED WRAPPED is back!!! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this interview, British novelist, journalist and screenwriter Ned Beauman discusses his latest novel Venomous Lumpsucker-a brilliant, darkly satirical and terrifying  novel  about endlings (the last of a species), the manipulation of extinction credit markets... the elusive Hermit Kingdom: described by The Times Literary Supplement as “a tale of capitalism, penance and species extinction.”  Fascinating, broad ranging discussion on extinction, literary fiction and the climate crisis, environmental satire, and the commodification of nature. First aired in September 2022. Ned Beauman is a British novelist, journalist and screenwriter, the author of five novels; he was selected as one of the Best of Young British Novelists by Granta magazine in 2013.  His latest is Venomous Lumpsucker, “a darkly funny and incisive zoological thriller about environmental devastation and one very ugly little fish.”

Giaae Kwon is a food and culture writer who divides her time between Brooklyn and Los Angeles and author of Decolonizing Korean Food in volume 11 in Whetstone magazine. It's an incredible article and if you haven't had a chance to read it, you can find it on our website, whetstonemagazine.com.Giaae and Stephen talk about the Korean dish kimbap and how many Korean dishes are often referred to as the Japanese version of a dish, that's in part due to Japanese occupation and colonization in Korea. The Japanese occupation of Korea impacted food in many ways but two areas significantly, as Giaae writes: “Japan industrialized food, and it brought the West into the Hermit Kingdom, from building European-style department stores to making bread a more accessible part of food culture. As Korean agriculture and manufacturing were siphoned off to support Japan's military, both directly and indirectly, Koreans' access to their food began to change. Korean rice was exported to Japan; canning factories were established to can fish and beer for Japan's use; and soy sauce was industrialized and made in a Japanese style.” Giaae writes at length about these shifts in foodways and identity in her article. They also chat K-Pop and how music was greatly influenced by US Military and soldiers in Korea in the 1940's. Follow us and watch clips of this episode on IG and YouTube @whetstonemedia. Learn more about Whetstone Media at whetstonemagazine.com

Today Rich shares an interview he conducted with North Korean defector Yeonmi Park. First, she pulls back the curtain on growing up inside the Hermit Kingdom. Then Yeonmi reveals how she fell victim to sex trafficking in China. Finally, the harrowing tale of her escape to the United States. Comment and follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Truth Social or visit us at RichValdes.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is it wrong to travel to North Korea? Despite the warnings and all-out bans on traveling to the Hermit Kingdom, many in the world cannot pass up the allure of traveling there. Does travel to the North support the nuclear program? Will there be a minder watching your every move? Does North Korea stage "scenes" that make it look happier and wealthier than it actually is? It's complicated. Sug and Dan explore this nuanced topic. Links: Young PioneersBike tour North KoreaSupport the show

Opposition parties are decrying the Government's decision to continue the seven-day mandatory isolation period for people who have tested positive for Covid-19. It will remain for another two months at least - while Ministers wait for more advice on a potential test-to-release strategy. ACT says New Zealand is a global oddity and a Hermit Kingdom redux and National says New Zealanders have moved on.  Deputy political editor Craig McCulloch reports. 

Felix Abt is a business expert on North Korea currently based in Vietnam. Abt was one of the first foreign businessmen to seek and do business in Kim Jong Il's North Korea, where he lived between 2002 to 2009 consulting and advising on business development within the country. He is also the author of the fascinating memoir "A Capitalist in North Korea: My Seven Years in the Hermit Kingdom." On this episode, Gareth and Justin are joined by YPT's North Korea tour manager Rowan Beard for a conversation with Felix Abt and delve into everything regarding doing business with one of the most sanctioned countries in the world.For more information on how you can visit our "destinations your mother wishes you'd stayed away from" visit us at youngpioneertours.com.

Our guest on Episode 4 of the Pioneer Podcast is Dr. Joseph Terwilliger. Dr. Joe is a geneticist, professor of neurobiology at Columbia University Medical Center, and a classically trained tuba player! However, our listners might be more familiar with Dr. Joe from seeing him alongside NBA superstar Dennis Rodman on his multiple trips to North Korea for his basketball diplomacy projects and meetings with its leader Marshal Kim Jong Un. Fluent in the North Korean dialect, Chosunmal, Dr. Joe served as Dennis' Korean translator in North Korea and worked with him again during Dennis' appearance at the 2018 North Korea–United States Singapore Summit. How does a Columbia University Medical Professor and tuba player from New York end up meeting the leader of the Hermit Kingdom, alongside one of the most flamboyant NBA players of all time? Find out that and more in Episode 4 of the Pioneer Podcast.For more information on how you can visit our "destinations your mother wishes you'd stayed away from" visit us at youngpioneertours.com.

Last time we spoke about the modernization efforts of China, Japan and the Hermit Kingdom of Korea. China and Japan undertook very different paths to modernization, and little Korea was stuck in between them. Yet there was even another play joining the mix, the empire of Russia who was threatening all 3 of the Asian nations with her encroachment. The 3 Asian nations attempted to cooperate against the common threat, but Japan and China were growing ever more and more hostile towards another, particularly over the issue of who should influence Korea more. Yet today we are actually doing something a bit different, this will be sort of a side episode, for China had too many events going on during the 19th century to cohesively tell. One story goes often forgotten, yet it encompassed numerous groups, vast amounts of territory and a lot of bloodshed.   #38 This episode is the Dungan Revolt   Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War.   I am not going to lie, I have no idea where to even start with this one. Originally I wanted to write a single episode, perhaps a two parter, explaining how China and Japan find themselves going to war in the 1890's largely over Korea. Yet the late 19th century is probably one of the most jam packed time periods for Chinese history. So many uprisings, rebellions, wars with foreign states occurs for the Qing dynasty, there's simply no way to tell them all, but here I want to touch upon just a few. Now I keep bringing up but barely talk about, the Dungan Revolt of 1862-1877. If you go right now and please do, to the wikipedia article on the Dungan Revolt, check out the list of Belligerents. You will see the Qing, the Russian Empire, a short lived state called the Kashgaria, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire and an unbelievable number of Muslim rebel groups from all over the place. Events like this do not live in a bubble, as we say in the research world of neuroscience, this requires multivariable analysis. Well that's what I hope to accomplish, in a single episode. Now I expect when I say the Dungan Revolt, the first question that comes to mind for many of you is, who are Dungans? Its complicated. They can be described as Turkic or Chinese speaking, Hui Muslim people who inhabitant Xinjiang province, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Tajikistan and parts of modern Russia. Now you are saying, wait are they Turks or Chinese, thats a very politically motivated question haha. Today you could call them, Hui, Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyzs, Uzbeks, Tatars, etc. In essence they inhibit a part of the world that has so many different groups around and their history goes very deep, before the time of the Qing dynasty. When the Qianlong Emperor hit the scene in the early 18th century, he named the province Xinjiang, meaning “new frontier” and the people there were known by many as Hui, but specifically for those Chinese speaking muslims in the northwest, well they were often referred to as Dungans. Prior to the Qing rule, Xinjiang was ruled by the Oirat Mongols of the Dzungar Khanate. I am sure you veteran listeners before I came to this podcast know much of these peoples and their history, you probably could teach me a thing or two, as this is very much so out of my specialization. One thing you might remember that I touched upon I believe in the very first episode of this podcast series was the Dzungar genocide. As ordered by the Qianlong Emperor  “"Show no mercy at all to these rebels. Only the old and weak should be saved. Our previous military campaigns were too lenient. If we act as before, our troops will withdraw, and further trouble will occur. If a rebel is captured and his followers wish to surrender, he must personally come to the garrison, prostrate himself before the commander, and request surrender. If he only sends someone to request submission, it is undoubtedly a trick. Tell Tsengünjav to massacre these crafty Zunghars. Do not believe what they say." It is estimated perhaps 80 percent of the 600,000 or so Dzungars were killed through war and disease between 1755-1758, enough to argue the annihilation of them as a people. Now with Xinjiang so devastated and depopulated, the Qing sponsored a large-scale settlement of Han, Hui, Uyghur, Manchu and other Chinese. Thus the demographics of the region changed dramatically, Xinjiang became mostly Uyghurs around 60% or so, followed by 30% Han and Hui and the rest of various minority groups like Manchu. The Qing did their best to unify Xinjiang, and one of their policies was to turn over 17,000 acres of steppe grassland over to Han Chinese to farm and colonize. Some historians point this out to be an attempt to replace Uyghurs, but in truth its messier than just that, as the Qing also banned Han Chinese from settled in Uyghur concentrated areas of the province. Now the Oirat Mongol's come back to the scene, this time in the form of the Kalmyk Khanate. They were mostly Tibetan Buddhists and in 1770, over 300,000 of them tried to seize control of parts of Xinjiang from the Qing. However when they began their great expedition, their traditional rivals the Kazakhs and Kyrgyz attacked them the entire way leading them to show up to Xinjiang, worn out, starving and ridden with disease. Many of them simply came and surrendered to the Qing upon arrival and managed to settle within Qing territory. Now these were nomadic people, but the Qing demanded they give up the nomadic lifestyle to take up farming, which was a deliberate policy to break them as a people. They utterly failed at becoming farmers and quickly fell into poverty, undergoing such horrors as selling their own children into slavery, becoming prostitutes, bandits, and such, terrible times. Alongside the terrible treatment of the new coming Kalmyks, Uyghurs were being abused by Manchu officials. It is said Manchu officials were gang raping Uyghur women, such as the official Su-cheng. A rebellion occurred, and the Qing violently quelled. There were reports of mass rape by Manchu troops causing even more hatred from the Uyghur population.  Now fast forward to the Taiping Rebellion, during 1862 as Taiping forces approached Shaanxi province, the local population began to form militias known as the Yong Ying. The Yong Ying or “brave camps” were similar to our friend Zeng Guofans “Yung-Ying” Xiang army, just less well structured and terribly under equipped. If they were lucky the Qing government would hand over some Jingalls, but more or less the old sword and spear were their choice of weapon. Now the Yong Ying's being propped up by the Qing were Han Chinese, but around them were large populations of Muslim Chinese who, well lets just say were having PTSD episodes from the countless atrocities performed upon them by these same people for centuries now. So the Muslim groups formed their own Yong Ying's and this is where our story really begins.  In 1862 sporadic conflicts such as skirmishes between groups, riots, smaller uprisings and such. They ran the gambit for reasons, could be just a barroom brawl as they saw, trivial type of stuff. During this time any rebel groups that emerged drew attention from the Qing and by proxy association were believed to be possibly working with the Taiping. To add some more chaos to the situation, the Green Standard army as you would assume took its recruits from populaces all over China. Their job much more as a police force than a real army was to keep things running smoothly in all the provinces of the Qing dynasty. In northwest China this meant numerous Hui and other muslim chinese groups were amongst their ranks and thus training for combat and armed, so keep that in mind. There were numerous incidents that sprung the Dungan revolt, but one in particular involved of all things the price of bamboo poles. Some Han merchants were overcharging Hui and this led to a major fight. Bamboo poles were traditionally used to make spears. During a time of major conflict and open rebellion suddenly the Hui communities began to buy large quantities of bamboo poles and this led to the belief they were planning to set up an Islamic state in northwestern China. Organized mosques run by popular mullahs in Shaanxi were purchasing more and more bamboo poles, which they were indeed making into spears. The Hui communities were worried about their safety, seeing all these local militias pop up meant there would be fighting over resources and such. Well the non muslim merchants, mostly Han saw the paint on the wall and were obviously worried about selling bamboo poles to people who might attack them, or better said might defend themselves. Thus many merchants began to increase the prices on bamboo poles and this led to a major uprising known as the Shengshan bamboo incident.  Manchu general Duolongga, the same man we talked about during the Taiping Rebellion was leading a cavalry unit in the north when the Hui revolt suddenly turned into a siege laid against Xi'an in Shaanxi province. Duolongga led a campaign against the muslim bands and by 1863 the siege was lifted and the rebels were pushed out of Shaanxi into neighboring Gansu province. In Gansu the Muslim leaders began to spread rumors of an impending Qing crackdown on muslims. They spread fear that the Qing would soon massacre many and this allowed them to organize another siege, this time against Ling-chou, a large city 40 miles north from Jinjipu. Jinjipu happened to be the HQ of a major Muslim leader named Ma Hualong, more about him later. While Lingzhou was laid siege, another strategic city was also attacked by Muslim forces, the city of Lanchow. The Governor General at Lanchow, En-lin reacted by trying to apply a policy of reconciliation. He advocated to the Qing court to not alienate the Muslims and began sending edicts in Gansu reiterating non-discrimination policies towards Muslims. His efforts seem to have been all for naught, as the rumors of a Qing massacre upon the muslims won out the day and large scale violence just grew. Within Eastern Gangsu, many of the Shaanxi Muslim refugees formed the what became known as the “18 great battalions”. Their purpose was to train and arm themselves to take back their homes in Shaanxi. Now while Gansu and Shaanxi were kicking off the beginnings of the Dungan revolt, this also opened the door to more groups to join in. Yaqub Bek, was born in the town of Pskente in the Khanate of Kokand, today's Uzbekistan. There region he lived in was drawn into conflict continuously with outsiders like the Russian and from within as it was deeply factionalized. Yaqub Bek claimed to be a descendant of Timur Gurkani the Turco-Mongol conqueror of the Timurid Empire, probably a ruse to give himself more credibility as a great ruler. He conspired against factions such as the Qipchaqs, taking part in a horrible event known as the Qipchaq massacre. Eventually in the 1860's he fought for the Kokand khanate as a General against the Russians, but they defeated them in 1866 resulting in the major loss of Tashkent. The ruler of Khokand, Sadik Beg dispatched Yakub Beg to Kashgar to raise and find new troops amongst Muslim allies. Yaqub Beg instead invaded Kashgar, defeated its Chinese defenders and declared himself ruler. Now Yaqub Beh was stuck between the forces of the Russian, British and Chinese empires who were all vying for control of the surrounding area, this was part of something called “the great game” which I simply cannot get into for it is too great, pun intended. Thus Yaqub Beg began a campaign that basically saw him conquer Xinjiang province, and this drew the ire of the Qing as you can imagine.  So the Qing were now dealing with multiple Muslim rebel groups in the northwest and on top of this some of them were foreigners, who held considerable backing. The Qing dynasty sent one of their most formidable Generals, Zuo Zongtang in 1867 to Shaanxi to pacify the region. Zuo Zongtang as you already know was instrumental in the downfall of the Taiping, working closely with Zeng Guofan. Zuo Zongtangs task was to restore the peace, promote agricultural output particularly that of grain and cotton and to promote Confucian education. As we have seen throughout the series, northwestern China is a rough place to live, stricken with poverty and thus Zuo Zongtang would not be able to rely on the resources of the territory he would have to look elsewhere. This led Zuo Zongtang to immediately demand the Qing court help fund the expedition as he personally began to take out major loans worth millions of taels from foreigners. Zuo Zongtang wanted to prepare massive amounts of supplies before going on the offensive, a smart move. Zeng Guofan likewise helped his subordinate by allocating him 10,000 Xiang forces, led by General Liu Songshan to bolster Zuo Zongtang's 55,000 man army. Zuo Zongtang's forces were mostly Hunanese, but there were also men from Henan, Anhui and Sichuan as well. Because of the Taiping Rebellion, Zuo Zongtang was a proficient army raiser now and he did his best to train the men in a western fashion and outfit them with western arms. As I had mentioned, Zuo Zongtang was one of the champions of modernization and established the Lanzhou arsenal in 1872 which produced Remington breech loading type rifles for his forces alongside artillery and munitions. Now that name, Ma Hualong I had mentioned comes up here a bit. He was the leader of the Jahriyya, known also as “the new teaching”. They were something of a Muslim sect in Gansu province and had been around since the 1760s.They periodically rebelled as a group and caused conflict with other groups, including muslim ones. When Ma Hualong took the leadership position in 1849 he gradually began to build up their forces and to do so he created a vast trade network using a caravan trade through Inner Mongolia and Beijing. His group became extremely wealthy and when the Dungan revolt heated up he began to use his trade network to purchase guns. Zuo Zongtang understandably was suspicious of the gun purchasing activity and deduced Ma Hualong sought to conquer parts of Inner Mongolia and rebel. Ma Hualong began collaborating with Muslim refugees fleeing Shaanxi for Gansu and this led to conflicts with the Qing. General Liu Songshan ended up dying in combat while campaigning against multiple Muslim militia groups, some of which were controlled by Ma Haulong. Meanwhile Zuo Zongtang was finishing up suppressing Shaanxi and establishing control over the province when he finally had a free hand to deal with Ma Hualong who had heavily fortified Jinjipu into a stronghold. Zuo Zongtang's forces erected a siege upon Jinjipu using Krupps field guns, the good old fashion sappers tunneling with mines tactic and the age old classic of starving out the enemy. After 16 months of siege, starvation took its toll upon the defenders prompting Ma Hualong to surrender his forces in January of 1871. Ma Hualong hoped to save the majority of his people, but Jinjipu saw a massacre, thousands lose their lives and the town was rape, plundered and raized. Zuo Zongtang ordered the execution of Ma Hualong, his son Ma Yaobang and 80 Muslim rebel leaders via “Lingchi / death by slicing”. This was a horrible form of execution where a sharp object like a knife was used to slowly remove portions of ones body over long periods of time until the person died. Once done with Ma Hualong, Zuo Zongtang set his eyes upon another Muslim rebel leader named Ma Zhan'ao. Ma Zhan'ao worked loosely with Ma Hualong, but his stronghold was at Hezhou, present day Linxia. He controlled the region west of Lanzhou and benefited from Ma Hualong's vast trade network managing to arm his rebel forces. Unlike Ma Hualong who was of the “new teaching” sect, Ma Zhan'ao was of the “Khafiya / old teaching” sect and they proscribing trying to peacefully exist amongst the non muslim Qing population. When the Dungan revolt began, Ma Zhan'ao escorted numerous Han Chinese to the nearest safe area of Yixin and he did not attempt to conquer the area nor molest them. Regardless he was one of the major muslim leaders purchasing arms and earned the attention of Zuo Zongtang who began an offensive against his forces in 1872. Initially his muslim defenders inflicted heavy losses upon Zuo Zongtang's army much to the frustration of Zuo Zongtang. But Ma Zhan'ao did not want war and he dispatched his General Ma Chun to try and negotiate with General Zuo Zongtang. He offered to surrender his stronghold to the Qing and provide assistance to the Qing dynasty in quelling the Dungan revolt. Zuo Zongtang suspected this all to be a ruse, but the Qing ordered him to abide by the mutual assistance and indeed Ma Zhan'ao did assist the Qing. Zuo Zongtang began to pacify other areas, while Ma Zhan'ao basically saved his people from annihilation. To this very day the area he controlled holds a muslim population who control the Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture. Many of Ma Zhan'ao's generals like Ma Qianling and Ma Haiyan defected to the Qing, including his son Ma Anliang who proved themselves instrumental to helping Zuo Zongtangs campaign. As Zuo Zongtang pacified the areas he was soon awarded governor generalship over Shaanxi and Gansu. At this point Zuo Zongtang loosely followed a strategy of divide and conquer. Those Muslim groups part of the New Teaching he violently massacred, but those of the old teachings he tried to persuade defection to the Qing. The Qing government likewise began to make edicts stating the Muslim rebels did not represent all muslim chinese, just as all the White Lotus rebels back in the early part of the century did not represent all buddhists. They advocated the Muslim community take up the old teachings over the new teachings.  With the help of the Dungan people of Hezhou Zuo Zongtang then turned his gaze west towards Xinjiang to defeat the forces of Yaqub Beg. Zuo Zongtang was now joined by defected Dungan armies led by Generals like Ma Anliang, Dong Fuxiang. By 1875 Zuo Zongtang had assembled men and supplies along the Gansu corridor and the next year began his campaign by attacking Urumchi where he massacres their garrison. Next he besieged Manas for over a month until they surrendered. Allegedly the garrison were allowed to march out of the city with weapons, but it seemed to Zuo Zongtang's commanders in the field they were planning an armed break out so they were all put to the sword as well. The women and children were spared luckily. Zuo Zongtang established a HQ at Gucheng while the Russian Empire annexed the Khanate of Kokand, squeezing Yakub Beg further. In September of 1876, Yakub Beh received reports a Chinese army was on the march 700 miles to the east and he began to prepare his defenses. He built up fortifications at Turfan and in 1877 he was visited by Aleksey Kuropatkin. Kuropatkin was sent on a diplomatic mission to Yaqub Beg to try and resolve some Russian border claims over the Fergana Valley. Kuropatkin told him he had around 17,000 troops spread over the Fergana Valley region and that he could not hope to match them. Yaqub Beg was in a very bad situation. The Chinese army had entered Urumqi pretty much unopposed, many of his eastern forces were defecting over to the Qing and in the west they were defecting to the Russians. In the spring the Chinese attacked the fort of Davanchi which lay between Urumchi and Turfan. Simultaneously an army led by Chang Yao seized Pichuan just 50 miles east of Turfan. Yaqub Beg's forces were shrinking from lost battles, desertions and defections. The Qing forces attacked Turfan where Yaqub Beg's men were beaten badly, so he fled to Toksun. At Toksun the Qing pursued him quickly and defeated him again, so he fled to Karashar, and then Korla. All of the fleeing demoralized his troops causing further desertions and defections. It would be at Korla where Yaqub Beg died and historians are uncertain as to exactly how or when. The Qing claimed he died on May 22, while Aleksey Kuropatkin claimed it was May 29th. What he died of is a bit of a mystery. The Russians state he died of illness, multiple historians think it was poisoning. Some modern historians think it could have been a stroke. Regardless with Yaqub Beg dead this pretty much closed the curtain on his forces control over the area. In autumn of 1877, Zuo Zongtang had kept his forces around Turfan as it was the hot season and he wished to gather further supplies, when he received news of the death of Yaqub Beg. Yaqub Begs forces disorganized into multiple rebel groups without a real leader consolidating anything. Zuo Zongtang sent advance parties to occupy Karashar and Korla meeting limited resistance. Zuo Zongtans army pushed the rebels further west until he eventually seized Kashgar with barely a fight and this led notable cities like Yarkand and Kohtan to submit. Xinjiang was officially reconquered by the Qing. The rebel groups dissolved gradually and no large scale revolts would occur for some time in the northwest. In 1884 Xinjiang was established as a province officially again. Zuo Zongtangs Xiang army and other Han Chinese troops began purchasing Uyghur girls from their parents to take as wives, relying often on their Hui allies to work as translators. Countless Uyghur muslim women would be married off to Han Chinese in Xinjiang during the late 19th to early 20th century. This was not limited to Han Chinese under the Qing as plenty of Hindu, Armenians, Jews and Russians also did the same. A large rationale for the situation was the amount of male depopulation from the area which caused a vacuum of single women.  The punishments for the leaders who caused the Dungan revolt were harsh. Many of the songs of the Muslim leaders were castrated by the Qing imperial household department once they hit 11 years of age and they were sent to work as eunuch slaves for Qing held garrisons in Xinjiang. Many of the wives of the Muslim leaders were likewise enslaved. To give you an idea of how prevalent this was, the Muslim leader Ma Guiyuan had 9 of his sons castrated by the Qing. The Muslim leaders themselves were mostly executed by Lingchi. Yaqub Beg and his son Ishana's corpses were burned in public view. Yaqub had 4 other sons who died imprisoned at Lanzhou, Gansu or were killed by the Qing authorities upon discovery. Even Yaqub Beg's grandchildren were hunted for, many of which were caught and executed or castrated.  The Dungan revolt led to mass migration all over the place. Some Hui people fled to Russia, settling in places like Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Within the Qing dynasty, the Hui Generals who defected were all promoted by the Emperor such as Dong Fuxiang and Ma Anliang. The power of these pro Qing Hui forces would become quite important to the Qing military further down the road, particularly during the Boxer Rebellion.    I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Well I hope you enjoyed my butchering of the Dungan Revolt, again I did my best to tell it in regards to its significance to the history of China. In reality it was part of something known as the “great game” that had had a long lasting impact on many other nations history.

Last time we spoke about the modernization efforts of Big Brother and Little Brother, aka China and Japan. Both nations went about the process of modernization in vastly different ways. Japan began its Meiji restoration, an incredible hyper modernization process done  to thwart colonization by western powers. Yet China was hampered by hardline conservatives like Empress Dowager Cixi who sought instead  to restore the Qing Dynasty's symbolic grandeur over technological innovations such as railways. China's greatest leaders like Zuo Zongtang, Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang did all they could to usher in some form of modernization.  Li Hongzhang emerged as the champion of modernization efforts for China, but he kept butting heads with stubborn conservatives wishing instead to reclaim the Qing's former symbolic glory.. It would not only be the conservatives in China he would have to face, for the Empire of the Rising Sun was growing, and forcing China into the shade. #37 This episode is China & Japan & the Hermit Kingdom    Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. In the early 1860's, before Emperor Meiji took to the throne, the Japanese sought to establish diplomatic relations with China. The Japanese regarded China as an enormous nation that could provide markets for their merchants, but more importantly, China could cooperate with Japan in the face of Western challenges. Who better to help thwart off the west, than Big Brother? In October of 1870, the Japanese official Date Munenari went to Tianjin to meet Li Hongzhang to see if they could open formal diplomatic relations. Li Hongzhang believed in the value of establishing relations with Japan and the importance for China to modernize and self-strengthen. Li Hongzhang admired Japan for preventing westerners from invading their nation and limiting the activities of westerners within her borders. The meeting was a cordial one, both sides saw common interest in working together to resist the west. In 1871 on September 13th, Li Hongzhang and Date Munenari signed the Friendship and Trade Treaty, the first diplomatic document between China and Japan in modern history. Li Hongzhang agreed that the two nations would not launch aggression against another and that if either nation were involved in a conflict with an outside power the other would come to their assistance. It sounded a lot like Pan-Asia unity was atleast on its way, but before the treaty could be ratified the Japanese tried to eliminate the clause to provide assistance and added a new clause, that Japan would be given most favored nation, thus giving Japan the same rights that the western nations had forced upon China, yes it was an unequal treaty clause. As you can imagine Li Hongzhang was greatly annoyed by this and delayed the ratification to try and get the Japanese to back down. By May of 1873 the Japanese yielded, accepting the mutual assistance clause and abandoned the most favored nation clause. Leaders of China and Japan than expressed that their nations shared common culture and were a common race “Tongwen, Tongzu - Dobun, Doshu” and thus they shared an interest in working together to respond to the threat of the west. When this treaty was signed, the Iwakura mission had not yet returned to Japan, but Emperor Meiji had assigned Japans foreign minister, Soejima Taneoimi to go to China to learn about her position on the issue of the Ryukyus and Taiwan. Japan had interests in them and knew this would lead to conflict with the Qing. Soejima was an expert on the Chinese classics and skilled at Chinese poetry. Thus when he went over and the Chinese hosts began to make it clear Japan was in a supplicant relationship with China because she held the Chinese emperor, Soejima used his knowledge to wedge Japan into a special position. He came to Tianjin and met with Li Hongzhang. Famously when they met, Li Hongzhang was in traditional clothing, while Soejima was in western attire and Li criticized him for this. Soejima then went to Beijing and waited several days trying to get an audience with high level Qing officials. The Qing were greatly angered by Japanese attempt to get most favored nation status in the treaty. Thus they were really trying to hammer in that Japan was the supplicant to China. Soejima was upset at the condescension with which he was treated. He quoted the Duke of Zhou stating to the Qing “If you treat [foreigners] as barbarians, they will be just that, but if you treat them as true gentlemen, they will indeed become true gentlemen.” Soejima was the first Japanese person in modern times to meet the Qing emperor. Prince Gong greeted him and told Soejima he would not have to kowtow before the emperor. The kowtow issue had actually been resolved because Western diplomats had made too many problems of it, by proxy Japan would not have to either. The Qing made an effort to show respect to Soejima by seeing him before other foreign diplomats and allowed him to bow just 3 times. Soejima was wine and dined by Li Hongzhang in Tianjin later, it was extremely cordial and there was goodwill between the men. Soejima's experience in China had him returning to Japan confident that China would not stop Japan from expanding her trading activities in the Ryukyus and China. Japan then prepared a legation staff to China and established a formal diplomatic office in Beijing with Mori Arinori as the ambassador. Li Hongzhang advocated that Beijing should establish a legation in Japan, arguing that if China had had a legation there they could have prevented Japan from attacking Taiwan in 1874. China's legation staff would arrive in Tokyo in december of 1877, again slow to the mark. Li Hongzhang was cautious about Japanese intentions now and in 1876 met with Mori Arinori. They shared concerns over Russian advances and Li Hongzhang suggested to Mori Arinori that their nations should cooperate on matters in Korea.  Japan was focusing efforts to strengthen its northern island against possible Russian threats. They viewed Sakhalin, Manchuria and Korea to be regions of national security concern. While Japan worried about Russia encroaching on Hokkaido from the sea, China worried about Russia encroaching on its northeast region. Although the trans-siberian railway only began construction in 1891 their efforts to settle people across Siberia in preparation for its construction began much earlier. The Qing had not allowed non Manchu people to reside in their homeland of Manchuria since conquering the Ming dynasty centuries before. To strengthen resistance against Russia, in 1878 the Qing changed their immigration policy to allow and even encourage non-Manchu to come to Manchuria. Within a few years many migrants came from various parts of China to settle in Manchuria. Japan likewise was sending settlers to develop Hokkaido, but unlike Japan, the Qing had no real development plans to modernize manchuria.  Soon after Hokkaido began being developed the Japanese next move was to gain control over the Ryukyu islands south of Japan's 4 main islands. This would be the first real tension between Japan and China. From 1862 to the mid 1870s Japan had concentrated on defense and thus things revolved around her 4 main islands. After the mid 1870s however, Japan gained in strength and began to expand their defensive perimeter. The Ryukyu, in Chinese “the Liuqui Kingdom” was led by indigenous peoples who oversaw the small islands stretching between Kyushu and Taiwan. The Ryukyu kingdom tried to fight for its independence by showing good will to both China and Japan and this brought Qing and Tokugawa presence. The Ryukyu kingdom maintained Chinese and Japanese emissaries who came regularly, but never at the same time. The Ryukyu kingdom paid tribute to China and traded with her, thus was influenced heavily by her. However culturally the Ryukyu were closer to Japan and Satsuma domain in particular had a large influence on her.  From 1871 to 1874, Japan used a shipwreck incident involving some Ryukyu fisherman off the coast of Taiwan to strengthen her rights to govern the Ryukyu islands. In 1871 Ryukyu fisherman in 4 small boats got stuck in a typhoon sinking 1, shipwrecking 2 and 1 remained afloat. The survivors made their way ashore on Taiwan where 44 of them were killed by Taiwanese aboriginals. 12 fisherman survived and escaped aboard their last boat back to the Ryukyus. At this time Taiwan was under the control of Fujian province and the Japanese government demanded China compensate the fisherman. This inherently was also the Japanese government claiming the Ryukyu islands to belong to them. For two years the issue went unresolved and in 1874 Japan launched a punitive expedition led by Saigo Tsugumichi, the brother to the famous last Samurai Saigo Takamori. If you are interested in the story of Saigo by the way over at the Pacific War channel I have an episode dedicated to the Satsuma Rebellion, what inspired the film the Last Samurai, though that movie is sort of a mix between the Boshin War and the Satsuma rebellion, still good movie just not historically accurate. Well the Qing officials explained to the Japanese that the Taiwanese were not technically under Qing control and that the Ryukyu islands were actually under Qing jurisdiction. The Japanese expeditionary forces remained on Taiwan, intentionally to intimidate China.  Soejima and the official Okubo Toshimichi went to China to discuss the issue and under pressure the Qing officials agreed to pay compensation to Japan for the Ryukyu sailors, but later stated they were unaware the payment would also provide Japan with support for her claim over the Ryukyu islands. Li Hongzhang was livid over this betrayal and stated that while the Europeans were at least honest in their negotiations, the Japanese were duplicitous. By the mid 1870's the Japanese and Chinese militaries both increased their presence in the Ryukyus. Then in 1879 during the process of abolishing the old feudal domains to replace them with prefectures, Japan officially recognized the Ryukyu islands as the prefecture we know today as Okinawa. Japan followed this up by ordering Okinawa to stop sending tribute to China. Now Li Hongzhang had supported relations with Japan, even with their incursions in Taiwan in 1874 and their swindle of treaty deals, but in 1880 China refused Japan's official proposal concerning the Ryukyus. China however did not follow this up militarily. The problems between China and Japan would only worsen and it would be Korea stuck in the middle. Japan's interests in Korea were both for security and economic. Of all the territories near Japan, Korea was the most significant strategic area. She was in the vortex of Russia, China and Japan. Korea had also been the crux of two military clashes between Japan and China in 661-663 and 1592-1598. Alongside that Korea had been the staging area for the failed Mongol invasions of Japan in 1274-1281. The German military adviser to Japan, Major Jacob Meckle stated that Korea was “a dagger thrust at the heart of Japan” and this had a profound effect on Japanese strategists. Japan was concerned other nations, like Russia, would use Korea as a base from which to attack Japan. Yet if Japan could establish a military presence on the peninsula, well that would prevent this from ever occurring.  Historically Japan had dealt with Korea, better called the Joseon dynasty through the Tsushima islands and Pusan island. Both Korea and Japan took up isolationist policies and much like Nagisaki acted as Japan's open port for so long, Korea kept Pusan as its open port. During the Sakoku period, Japan gave the Tsushima domain the responsibility of dealing with Korea. There had always been limited trade between the two nations, but things certainly changed after Japan kicked off its Meiji restoration. Japan had looked to nations like Britain as an example of how to build a strong economy. This led Japanese officials to seek a relationship like Britain had when it came to economic activity. To manufacture products, sell it to its colonies and build up its own economy. Their idea for this was to import soybeans and wheat from Korea and sell Korea industrial products. Initially Japan's only major export was raw silk, so they decided to try exporting silk textiles. In late 1869 a Japanese representative from Tsushima was sent to Pusan to announce Japan was to have a new emperor, standard stuff. What was not standard however was in the letter sent to the Koreans the term for the Japanese emperor used the Ko character rather than Taikun. The Ko character was used to refer to the Qing emperor, implying the Joseon Dynasty's emperor was inferior. By using the Ko character for the Japanese emperor, Japan was trying to establish the same relationship. And so the Korean officials refused to receive the new representative and his mission as a result. The Koreans wanted to remain in the sinocentric world as tributaries to the Qing. This fiasco led to the legendary Seikanron debates, in which Saigo Takamori argued Japan should perform a punitive expedition against Korea, again if you want to hear more about that hilarious tale check out my Satsuma Rebellion episode on the Pacific War channel. Long story short, the Japanese leadership knew they were not yet strong enough to embark on such a venture so they blocked Saigo's motion. Now Japan did not simply give up on the Korean situation, they kept trying to send envoys to force Korea to recognize the equality between Japan and China. In the meantime in 1875, the steam gunboat Un'yo under the command of Inoue Yoshika was dispatched to survey the Korean coastal water. On the morning of September the 20th, Inoue put ashore a party on the island of Ganghwa to request water and provisions and here came a major conflict. Ganghwa had quite recently been the place of two major conflicts, a French expedition against Korea occurred in 1871 and an American expedition the same year. Thus the men manning the fortifications at Ganghwa were trigger happy with fresh memories of what foreign ships could do to them. When the Japanese came ashore, the Korean shore batteries fired upon the Un'yo.  The Japanese as you might imagine were really pissed off and they quickly dispatched 32 men, 10 marines, 19 sailors and 3 officers to attack Yeongjong fort. The men landed near the eastern gate of the fortress and immediately white coated Joseon defenders began firing their antiquated matchlocks and some arrows down upon the Japanese. A Japanese sailor was wounded by a matchlock ball and another was hit in the groin by an arrow. The Japanese pressed their attack climbing over a wall to open the gates as their marines rushed into the fort. The Un'yo fired its 6.3 in and 5.5 in deck guns to support the assault. The Koreans tried to flee through their western gate only to run into 6 Japanese sailors who ambushed them. Kawamura Kwanshu, a Japanese officer present had this to say "they clambered down the steep bank on the south-eastern side, and in hopes of escaping to the opposite island … they stripped off their clothes and plunged into the sea. Unfortunately, the tide was high and too deep to wade across. Many of them hesitated and  we fired on them without mercy ― 24 Koreans were killed on the rocks and many more drowned trying to swim to safety. Only six or seven were seen making it safely ashore on the distant island.” The commander of the fort, Yi Min-dok managed to escape as the Japanese plundered the fort which Kawamura tells us " We took 36 bronze cannons and a drum nearly 6 feet in diameter. In addition to this there were four drums three feet in diameter. Their trumpets were very like toy trumpets used by children in Japan. Their bows also were very like the Japanese. Their arrows were exactly like those in Japan. The swords were numerous, but they must have been bought in Japan. The guns were all matchlocks. Among the booty was a French book on gunnery translated into Chinese." Many Koreans were captured and they were forced to carry the plunder to the Un'yo as the Rising Sun flag was raised over the fort. The Japanese held the island awaiting a challenge from Korea, but none came. The next day the Un'yo returned to Japan leaving Yeongjong in ruins. The entire ordeal turned into an implicit threat to Korea, if they refused to recognize Japan's claim and open up relations Japan would use its military might.  Within Japan, the Korea incidents had gone hand in hand with the Satsuma rebellion of 1877 to push the Japanese public to support military action in Korea. The Meiji leadership were under pressure, but they hoped to avoid conflict by resolving such problems through diplomacy. Li Hongzhang perceived that if Japan were to invade Korea, this might provoke Russia to respond and thus China also wanted to resolve such issues through diplomacy. The Qing dynasty officially held suzerainty over the Joseon Dynasty, thus they held the right to approve Korea's foreign policy decisions but not to interfere with her domestic affairs. For centuries China held this right, but did not exercise it. Then in 1875, Mori Arinori was sent to Beijing seeking Qing support to open trade between Japan and Korea. Mori Arinori met with the Qing office for general management of affairs concerning the various countries, what a mouthful, known as the Zongli Yamen. The Zongli Yamen officials stated while Korea was a Chinese dependency, China still could not interfere with her domestic affairs and thus could not demand she open up trade with Japan. So the next year Mori Arinori met with Li Hongzhang over the issue and both men sought a peaceful agreement. Mori Arinori advocated for Korea to be treated under international law as a sovereign state. Now Ito Hirobumi the rising political leader of Japan during this time believed progress could not be made opening Korea up by working with the Qing. He urged his colleagues that Japan should work with Korea directly instead. Korea at this time was going through some major changes as well. The young Emperor Gojong turned 21 years old in 1873 and replaced his father Yi Ha-eung who was the Heungseon Daewongun, basically a regent ruling the dynasty. His father was a conservative with a very simple foreign policy it went like this according to the American Historian Bruce Cummings “no treaties, no trade, no catholics, no west and no Japan”. Yes the Daewongun liked his isolationist policy and he was not wrong about doing so. By keeping Korea as bottled up as possible he was able to keep the western powers arguably out for quite some time. However the problem with this was while keeping the west out you were also hindering chances at modernization and an industrial revolution. Korea was known as the Hermit Kingdom and while she tried her best to keep the world out, the world eventually would come crashing in.  When Gojong came into power in 1873, unlike his father he was much more willing to consider opening up and working with the Japanese. Now alongside Gojong was his wife, the famous Empress Myeongseong, also called Empress Min. She was born to the Yeoheung Min Clan in 1851. They were a noble clan who historically held high positions in the Joseon dynasty. She lost her father at age 7 and was raised by her mother and other Min relatives. When Gojong turned 15, his father sought a wife for him. He wanted someone with no close relatives so she could not harbor much political ambitions, but came from a noble lineage. He rejected many, until he found the orphaned Min who was beautiful and of ordinary level of education. She was married to Gojong and after Daewongun realized the empress had political ambitions. Daewongun had this to say of her “she was a woman of great determination and poise”, despite this he paid little mind to her and things moved on. Empress Min would quickly ruffle feathers so to speak. She showed herself to be very assertive and ambitious. She did not toss lavish parties for the nobles nor participated in the normal extravagant lifestyle, you know wine and dining, tea parties with the princes and princesses all that jazz you see in the Crown. No instead she spent a lot of her time self educating, reading books reserved for men. She studied history, science, politics, the works.  By the age of 20 she began trying to play an active role in politics in spite of the Daewongun and other officials trying to stop her. She then bore child prematurely who died 4 days after birth. This prompted the Daewongun to state publicly that she was unable to bear a healthy male child, which became quite a public scandal. Queen Min even suspected her father in law had slipped her ginseng to cause her pregnancy issues. Daewongun proceeded to push his son to conceive a child through a concubine called Yi Gwi-in and she soon gave birth to Prince Wanhwa. Daewongun quickly tossed the title of crown prince upon the child and it looked like the jig was up for Empress Min. However Empress Min secretly began to form a powerful faction against the Daewongun. The faction included high officials, scholars, members of the Min Clan and they made a move to remove the Daewongun from power. Empress Min's adoptive older brother, Min Seung-Ho along with the Joseon court scholar Choe Ik-Hyeon formally impeached the Daewongun arguing that Gojong, then age 22 should rule in his own right. The royal council agreed to this and Daewongun was forced to retire. The second he was out of the picture, Empress Min banished Yi Gwi-in and her child to a village outside the capital and stripped them of royal titles. The child also died on january 12th of 1880. Now Empress Min had control over the Joseon court and quickly appointed trusted family members in high court positions to assert her dominant role as Queen consort. So yeah she was a firebrand of a woman, a very interesting character, I do apologize my knowledge of Korean history is limited, but I do recommend if you are into Korean tv series there are quite a few on her like Empress Myeongseong from 2001. Now just a few months after the Un'yo incident, Japan sent an emissary to Korea to push a treaty. It was the exact same type of situation Japan faced when Commodore Matthew Perry's blackships, gunboat diplomacy. King Gojong signed what became known as the Ganghwa Treaty: this opened up 3 Korean ports to Japan, one at Pusan right away, one Wonsan in 1880 and another at Inchon and 1883. The treaty was an unequal treaty, very much in the same light as the ones forced upon Japan by western nations. The treaty had ended the Joseon dynasties tributary status under the Qing dynasty now she was an independent state. The Chinese were now suspecting Japan sought a presence on the peninsula and Li Hongzhang openly expressed fears that Japan might develop territorial ambitions on the mainland. The Chinese and Japanese continued talks about cooperation against the West, especially Russia, but they were also now quite wary of another. Now Korea was not idle during all of this and her officials sought a way to secure her. King Gojong sent a mission to Japan headed by Kim Hong-jip. Kim Hong-jip was presented a plan by a Chinese diplomat named Huang Zunxian there called “a strategy for Korea”. It warned that if Korea was threatened by an empire like Russia, Korea should maintain friendly relations with Japan, China and seek an alliance with the United States to counterweight Russia. Kim reported this to King Gojong who was impressed with the plan. Then in 1880 following the Chinese advice King Gojong established diplomatic ties with the US. Negotiations began between all the nations in Tianjin and the Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce and navigation was signed by Korea and the US. However during the negotiations, issues rose up. The Chinese insisted that Korea was not independent and still a dependency of China. America firmly opposed such a thing, stating the new treaty should build upon the Treaty of Ganghwa which stipulated Korea as an independent state. A compromise was made between China and the US stipulating that Korea held a special status as a tributary state of China. Now as of 1879, China had given Li Hongzhang responsibility for relations with Korea. Li Hongzhang urged Korean officials to adopt China's self-strengthening program to do the same for their nation in response to foreign threats. Korea after all had just opened herself to the world and now would pursue modernization under a doctrine known as tongdo sogi “eastern wars and western machines”. To modernize Korea would incorporate western technology while trying to preserve her culture, it was much alike to the Meiji restoration. In 1881 Korea established the T'ongni kimu amun “office for extraordinary affairs” modeled on the Qing administrative structures. That same year a mission was sent to Japan to see their modernized factories, military, and education system. Korea then hired a Japanese military attache, Lt Horimoto Reizo to help create a modern army for Korea. This led to the Pyolgigun “special skills force”, where around 100 men of Korea's aristocracy were given Japanese military training.  I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Trouble was brewing between the Qing dynasty and the Empire of the Rising Sun. It seemed the Hermit Kingdom of Korea was a continuous source of conflict for the two empires, and perhaps might drag them into a war that would change the balance of power in Asia forever

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow #NewWorldReportEllis: #Nicaragua like the Hermit Kingdom of the Americas. Latin American Research Professor Evan Ellis, U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute. @revanellis #NewWorldReportEllis https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-makes-fresh-call-jailed-nicaraguan-bishops-release-2023-02-14/ https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/nicaraguan-political-prisoners-families-seek-their-release-after-others-freed-2023-02-14/

In this interview British novelist, journalist and screenwriter Ned Beauman discusses his latest novel Venomous Lumpsucker-a brilliant, darkly satirical and terrifying  novel  about endlings (the last of a species), the manipulation of extinction credit markets... the elusive Hermit Kingdom: described by The Times Literary Supplement as “a tale of capitalism, penance and species extinction.”  Fascinating, broad ranging discussion on extinction, literary fiction and the climate crisis, environmental satire, and the commodification of nature. Ned Beauman is a British novelist, journalist and screenwriter, the author of five novels; he was selected as one of the Best of Young British Novelists by Granta magazine in 2013.  His latest is Venomous Lumpsucker, “a darkly funny and incisive zoological thriller about environmental devastation and one very ugly little fish.”

Welcome to Gorilla Radio, recorded August 6th, 2022. Europeans are experiencing a blow back blast this Summer on multiple fronts. Hellishly hot weather, a financial meltdown, and the nagging persistence of the pandemic with all its attendant social pressures are combined to test the hardiest continentals - and, as warm as it is there now, Winter is coming! Pablo Ouziel is an associate fellow at the Centre for Global Studies at the University of Victoria and a visiting fellow in the Department Politics and International Relations at the University of Southampton. His book, 'Democracy Here and Now: The exemplary case of Spain' is published by University of Toronto Press and chronicles the birth of the M15 movement against draconian government "austerity" measures, and the rise of authoritarianism there and across the western world. Pablo currently lives outside Barcelona. Pablo Ouziel in the first half. And; in these last mad years of pandemics, wars, and climate alarm if we've learned anything it is the fragility of institutions many of us once thought solid, if not sacrosanct. Cracks in our societal pillars are clear, there for all to see, despite the establishment's best efforts to paper over the fissures. Part of the media effort to convince us our system is sound and "the greatest ever" is the necessary denigration of those others in places like Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Syria, Iran, Russia, China, and of course North Korea. Swiss author Felix Abt describes himself as a "politically neutral businessman...not sharing the typical partisan views about North Korea". After living and working in the country he says he can "contribute to a more objective view of a country he knows much better than the journalists and bloggers writing about it". Former CIA whistleblower, John Kiriakou says of Abt's second book, 'A Land of Prison Camps, Starving Slaves and Nuclear Bombs?', "Finally, the truth about North Korea... [revealing] ...the caricature we're fed by the western media simply isn't true." Felix Abt and a capitalist's story of life in the "Hermit Kingdom" in the second half. But first, Pablo Ouziel and Europe's Summer of reckoning. Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing since 1998; in Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: cfuv.ca.  Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.com/

In this week's update provides a roundup of key events regarding the war in Eastern Europe, as well as developments on the Korean Peninsula as the world waits from the Hermit Kingdom to carry out their 7th nuclear test. An expanded written version of this report can be found within our weekly Threat Journal email newsletter. You can subscribe for FREE by simply visiting https://www.ThreatJournal.com . A link to this issue will immediately be sent to you via email.AlertsUSA Homepagehttp://www.AlertsUSA.com – (Emergency Alerts for Mobile Devices) Now in our 19th year!AlertsUSA on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/alertsusaAlertsUSA on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/alertsusaThreat Journal on Gettrhttps://gettr.com/user/threatjournalThreat Journal on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/threatjournalThreat Journal Homepage (For Daily News)https://www.ThreatJournal.com

It's coming home to roost a bit, isn't it?What we have learned this week, whether it be the construction company now in Britain looking to fill the jobs here that pay over $100,000, the university students that haven't come back despite the door being open, the manufacturers who told us the job queue is non-existent because reputation is an issue, or the apple orchards that have left over $100 million worth of fruit on the trees, there is a theme.The theme is we stayed closed too long.The line that the best economic response was our health response is now being shown to be the utterly dishonest nonsense it always was.We had this weird belief that when we were full and ready, we could simply turn the switch and the whole world would deal with us the way they used to, almost as though no one else out there was getting on with it, and even if they were, they were inferior to us anyway. So, all those who longed and loved New Zealand would simply line up and be grateful to return to life the way it used to be.Tourism, I think, we always accepted was going to be a slow burn. It may be even slower than we thought given the figures out this week show travel in many parts of the world is at pre-Covid levels, if not higher.We can't say anywhere near the same thing. At least part of that is on us. We never hustled and never even wanted to hustle. We became the Hermit Kingdom. Whatever reputation we had built up over the years, at least in part, has been wrecked.There is still a bit of time to put it right. Students, hopefully, will come back later this year looking for a new start. So, fingers crossed.But the labour issue is a crisis. Our tax rates are too high, our pay rates are too low and Australia has been open for months and is beating us to the skills.You notice we still don't have a maritime border open yet?All we seemed capable of doing was panicking, locking down, and bumbling around for two years while a lot of the world moved on.We could be stuck in orange forever. Our reputation, if not ruined, in need of some serious attention.As an exercise in totality, it's a C-minus at best. Yes, we saved lives, let's toss that line in one more time, shall we?But my word, what a stunning price it looks like we are paying.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

-THE MACC released workouts, Nicholas James Petersen reacts.-New drops!!!-Target sells vibrators. -North Korea basketball rules are a direct reflection of the absolute bats*** crazy crap that's happening in the Hermit Kingdom.-Morgan Freeman is Jimi Hendrix??? Jimi Freeman. Morgan Hendrix. God. We're all about invention at BMA.-This Week's Winner: Former President, War Criminal, and Comedian George W. Bush.

The Pandemic Reaches the Hermit Kingdom. The host for this show is Dan 'Fig' Leaf. The guest is Ed 'Hawk' Hawkins. This episode features host "Fig" Leaf and guest Ed Hawkins, retired senior USAF officers who have studied North Korea for decades. They answer key questions on the sudden admission by Kim Jong-un and his regime that the so-called Hermit Kingdom is being swept by an explosive outbreak of COVID-19 with many deaths and hundreds of thousands of cases. Because this comes after two years of claiming ZERO internal cases, the big reveal begs several questions: - Why the admission, and why now? - Why the DPRK a nation of underlying conditions and what will that mean in terms of the likely toll? - Could this lead to the collapse of the Kim dynasty? - What should the U.S. and other nations do in response to North Korea's calamity? The ThinkTech YouTube Playlist for this show is https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQpkwcNJny6mKINeB1rYn5-MFU3JdqCSh Please visit our ThinkTech website at https://thinktechhawaii.com and see our Think Tech Advisories at https://thinktechadvisories.blogspot.com.

VOTT: Troubled times in the hermit kingdom | Feb. 11, 2022Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net Follow us:Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebookInstagram - https://tmt.ph/instagramTwitter - https://tmt.ph/twitterDailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital Check out our Podcasts: Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotifyApple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcastsAmazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusicDeezer: https://tmt.ph/deezerStitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcherTune In: https://tmt.ph/tuneinSoundcloud: https://tmt.ph/soundcloud #TheManilaTimes#VoiceOfTheTimes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Disappointed with the lack of US response to the Hermit Kingdom's attacks against US security researchers, one hacker took matters into his own hands.

One of the biggest international hits from South Korea in recent years was the K-drama Crash Landing on You. The plot is about a South Korean heiress who paraglides accidentally across the border into enemy territory where she's rescued by a North Korean soldier. Each of the two main characters are lonely in their own way and that loneliness tells us something about how the two countries separated and evolved from one united Korea against foreigners to becoming two culturally distinct nations. The nickname Hermit Kingdom was given to Korea by outsiders because of its isolationist policies in the 19th century. These days in South Korea, that self-imposed isolationism has given rise to another word: Honjok, a term for people who do activities on their own, like solo flight. But to take off, whether economically as South Korea has risen, or from the ground up to glide as an individual, is to find places to land. In this episode, we hear from experts about South Korea and North Korea and how we crash land on loneliness. Experts in this episode include: >Professor Sarah A. Son, a researcher on identity and inter-Korean relations at the School of East Asian Studies at The University of Sheffield. https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/seas/people/academic-staff/sarah-son >Journalist Anne Babe, long-form storytelling who has written about reclusiveness in South Korea http://www.annbabe.com/>Journalist Crystal Tai, who has written about Honjok https://www.crystal-tai.com/ >Sokeel Park, South Korea Country Director for Liberty in North Korea, an organization which helps North Koreans escape the regime and resettle. https://www.libertyinnorthkorea.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Hermit Kingdom is a label normally hung on the closed and secretive country of North Korea. But journalist Amelia Lester says her homeland –  Australia – is the new hermit kingdom because of the border closures that make it all but impossible for ordinary citizens to enter and leave.

The country of North Korea has been riddled with mystery - little is known about this Mississippi-sized country - until fairly recently. North Korea has been locked down to outsiders, and after miraculous escapes by defectors, and a handful of documentary film crews breaching the borders, we've become more enlightened about this Hermit Kingdom and what truly happens on the north side of the 38th parallel. As electric fences and barbed wire stretch along the border, we now know their purpose is not to keep foreigners out, but to keep their own people in, and after years and years of propaganda, their supreme leaders of North Korea, who have become deities to their people, have made some highly questionable decisions, as well as coming up with very odd, bizarre solutions to simple problems. Find out one of the more strange decisions the North Korean government made to fix a problem they created, on this episode of the Missing Chapter. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/themissingchapter/support

We've all been exposed to K-Pop these days, whether you're an American Twitter user, where you see K-Pop often drowning out trending controversial hashtags, or living in China or Japan feeling the “Korean Wave,” or are even living in North Korea, where up to 70% of North Koreans are exposed to K-Pop by listening to recordings on flash drives according to some estimates and reports. Even Kim Jung Un of North Korea hosted a history shattering K-Pop concert featuring hit K-Pop group Red Velvet and over 100 other groups in March/April 2018 just before the Peace summit between the two Koreas later that year. The impact of K-Pop on global diplomacy cannot be overstated. As one example, the South Koreans for some time regularly blasted K-Pop across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea, exposing North Koreans within 5-10 miles of the border to western culture, ideals and what life might be like outside of the Hermit Kingdom. K-Pop is much more than music, as it serves as soft power for spreading ideals cherished by Americans, South Koreans and others living in the Western world like freedom of expression, fundamental human rights and the value of human life, including the American ideal of the “Right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness,” laid out in the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The Billboard Charts agree, with K-Pop now having its own dedicated category! Topics covered in this podcast episode include: The Korean Wave, or “Hallyu” 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea 2018 K-Pop Peace Concert in Pyongyang, North Korea “Spring is Coming” K-Pop Industry The KPop Explosion K-Pop and Mental Health Awareness Karma The K-Pop revolution, and the Korean Wave it produced, known as Hallyu, started with a group known as H.O.T., an acronym for the Highfive of Teenagers, in 1996. The music category blew up in 2012 with Psy's single “Gangnam Style" and many new Korean bands have sprung up since, including Girls Generation, Twice, BlackPink, Red Velvet, Wonder Girls, and T-ara, all female-only groups. These kpop groups are far different from the most popular boy bands of the United States such as Backstreet Boys, N'Sync, 98 Degrees, the Jonas Brothers, who came on the scene with Miley Cyrus, and the original US boy-band: the Jackson Five. The American boy bands are quite literally composed of males-only vs. female-only or female-prominent bands in Korea. The most popular current kpop bands include BTS, which stands for Bantan Sonyeon Dan, iKON, Seventeen, Twice, Red Velvet, and Girls Generation, pictured here. Please help spread the word about kpop's contribution to world peace, mental health and entertainment by sharing this podcast episode with as many friends and family as you can think of... Thanks all! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/henry-gindt/support

With so limited information about North Korea, why are the issues surrounding the Hermit Kingdom important for the future of regional security in Asia and the fight against totalitarianism? We invite a former guest Ben Zimmer back to share with us more about the history of North Korean leaders, as well as the economic hardships, nuclear threats, and human rights abuses of the authoritarian DPRK regime.Supplementary links:Liberty in North KoreaDatabase Center for North Korean Human RightsCommission of Inquiry into North Korean Human Rights (UN Human Rights Council)38 North (Stimson Center)Daily NK (Defector-run North Korea News site based in Seoul)Wilson Center's North Korea International Documentation ProjectNK NewsSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/friendsfellowcitizens)

'My Mate Went on Holiday to North Korea' tells the story of exactly what its like to visit the so-called Hermit Kingdom - everything from booking your trip in the first place, through getting on the train in Beijing, to creaking across the boarder, an Alcatraz-like hotel and seeing the embalmed corpses of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il - as seen through the eyes of Luke Pearce, who travelled there on vacation in 2016.  The interviewer is @Dave___Smith

This episode is part one of a special summer miniseries on the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students. You can listen to part two here. The 13th World Festival of Youth and Students was held in the North Korean capital almost thirty years ago next month. A global gathering of international Communist Party-affiliated youth organizations, it represented something of a last hurrah for a world that was soon to disappear in a storm of revolution and unrest. Hosted by North Korea -- in large part as a response to the South's successful hosting of the 1988 Summer Olympic Games -- the festival cost the country billions and saw thousands of international students descend on Pyongyang for an event devoted to "Anti-Imperialist Solidarity, Peace and Friendship." In the inaugural episode of a special summer miniseries on the landmark event, we talk to Dr. Andrei Lankov about its geopolitical background, its impact in South Korea, and how the festival represented a peculiar period of opening up for the modern-day Hermit Kingdom. Andrei Lankov is a Director at NK News and writes exclusively for the site as one of the world's leading authorities on North Korea. In addition to his writing, he is also a Professor at Kookmin University. About the podcast: The “North Korea News Podcast” is a weekly podcast hosted exclusively by NK News, covering all things DPRK: from news to extended interview with leading experts and analysts in the field and insight from our very own journalists. Featured image: May 2019 edition of "DPR Korea" magazine

Dr. Stephen Yoon and his wife Joy recall their life and ministry in the “Hermit Kingdom” with fascinating insight from the book, “Discovering Joy: Ten Years in North Korea.” (Encore Presentation)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geopolitical policy and nuclear wonks continue to try and wrap their minds around what North Korea is trying to do and how it will get there, but perhaps the most revealing medium through which to understand the Hermit Kingdom is through its literature, film, music, and TV dramas. In this episode of the NK News Podcast, Tatiana Gabroussenko visited our Seoul studio to discuss the religious nature of North Korean literature, why true policy is never written down, and whether or not North Korea's texts would survive a unified Korea. Tatiana is a professor of North Korean studies at Korea University. Her book "Soldiers on the Cultural Front: Developments in the early history of North Korean literature and literary policy", was included in the Choice magazine list of Outstanding Academic Titles of 2012, and she writes a monthly column for NK News. If you have any questions about cultural production in North Korea, be sure to send them to us at podcast@nknews.org--we'll collect the best ones and have Tatiana answer them in another episode. About the podcast: The “North Korea News Podcast” is a weekly podcast hosted exclusively by NK News, covering all things DPRK: from news to extended interview with leading experts and analysts in the field and insight from our very own journalists. Also, the NK Shop is back in business! We have DPRK-inspired limited edition t-shirts, vintage posters and a 2019 calendar just in time for the holidays. As a thank you for your continued support, we'd like to offer listeners a special discount: just use code nkpodcast10 at checkout for an instant 10% off your total purchase. Check out the shop here: https://www.nkshop.org/ *NK News Subscription Giveaway: Each month, we'll be choosing a lucky reviewer on iTunes to to win a FREE NK News subscription. Want to gain instant access to breaking news stories and in-depth analysis discussed in our podcast? You can sign up for an annual NK News subscription, and save $50 by using promo code “podcast” at checkout: nknews.org/signup Congratulations to October's winner, Patricio Worthalter (U.S.). Please contact podcast@nknews.org with proof of your username identity, to redeem your subscription. Featured image: Pyeongyang Press Corps