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Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

VOL. 17 Nº. 1, TD1

Thematic Dossier – The Korean Peninsula in a Global

Context: Security, Culture, and Transnational Perspectives

June 2026

EDITORIAL

BONGCHUL KIM

bong625@hufs.ac.kr

Professor at the Division of International Studies and Director at the HUFS-Jean Monnet EU

Centre in Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul (Korea). Prof. Kim is Ph.D in Law (King's

College London) and does teach and research various legal subjects in the fields of International

Economy and Trade, International Relation and Cooperation, Development and Polar Areas.

How to cite this editorial

Kim, Bongchul (2026). Editorial. Janus.net, e-journal of international relations. VOL. 17 Nº. 1, TD

1 – Thematic Dossier – The Korean Peninsula in a Global Context: Security, Culture, and

Transnational Perspectives, June 2026, pp. 2-4. DOI https://doi.org/10.26619/1647-

7251.DT0426ED

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

VOL. 17 Nº. 1, TD 1

Thematic Dossier

The Korean Peninsula in a Global Context: Security, Culture, and Transnational Perspectives

June 2026, pp. 2-4

Editorial – Bongchul Kim

EDITORIAL

BONGCHUL KIM

This special issue presents seven articles on the Korean Peninsula and its broader

international dimensions. Although the contributions differ in theme and approach, they

are united by a shared concern with how Korean questions are shaped by wider

developments in contemporary world politics, public discourse, and transnational

exchange.

The order of the articles follows a deliberate editorial logic. The issue begins with

immediate questions of security and strategy on the Korean Peninsula, then moves to

changes in public security perceptions, and subsequently broadens toward external

diplomatic, comparative, and cultural perspectives. It closes with a contribution that

addresses the longer-term political future of Korea through the question of reunification.

This progression is intended to give the volume coherence across otherwise diverse

themes.

Michael Reiterer’s “North Korea: Back to the Future is no solution” opens the issue by

reconsidering established approaches to North Korea. Sungwah Ko’s “Alliance Dilemmas

under the Trump Administration: Abandonment, Entrapment, and South Korea’s

Strategic Choices” examines South Korea’s strategic choices under alliance uncertainty.

Hayann Lee’s “From Solidarity to Survival: An Analysis of the Transition of Security

Perceptions in the Korean Digital Public Sphere during the Ukraine War Using KoBERT”

traces changing perceptions of security in Korea’s digital public sphere during the Ukraine

War.

The issue then turns to wider comparative and transnational questions. Euichan Shin’s

“The UK’s Reset Diplomacy towards the EU: Implications for Peace on the Korean

Peninsula in the Era of Polycrisis” considers the relevance of European diplomatic change

for the Korean Peninsula. Jieun Kim’s “Cultural Iberism and its Applicability to the Korean

Peninsula” offers a comparative perspective on historical imagination. Jai-Ung Hong’s

“Scandinavian Literature in Korea: Infrastructural Alignment, Translation, and Cultural

Mediation” explores the role of translation in Korea’s cultural connections beyond the

peninsula.

The final article, Jongho Park’s “Yes, Reunification by Absorption Would Be a Catastrophe

for Korea,” concludes the special issue by raising a fundamental question about the

political and institutional consequences of a future Korean settlement. Finally, the articles

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

VOL. 17 Nº. 1, TD 1

Thematic Dossier

The Korean Peninsula in a Global Context: Security, Culture, and Transnational Perspectives

June 2026, pp. 2-4

Editorial – Bongchul Kim

show the diversity of perspectives through which the Korean Peninsula can be examined

today. Written primarily by Korea-based researchers, together with Michael Reiterer,

former Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Korea, the collection reflects

both local scholarly engagement and broader international relevance.