John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
Living in Seoul... writing on empire, China, and America... watching the two Koreas... reminiscing about Rome
John Delury is an American East Asia scholar, with special interests in the history of China, U.S.-China relations and Korean peninsula affairs. He is professor of history at Yonsei University in Seoul. .. more
Political science
48%
Sociology
33%
Reposted by John Delury
"No Trump! No China!": Caught in middle, South Korea hosts rival superpowers
South Korea's President Lee is in for a diplomatic dance as he hosts the leaders of US and China.
www.bbc.com
Delighted to reunite w/ Laura Bicker back on the Korean Peninsula!
As Donald Trump arrives here today and with him the global spotlight, #BBCNews chatted w/ opposing extremes of the Korean political spectrum, the anti-Trumpers vs. the anti-CCPers
www.bbc.com/news/article...
As Donald Trump arrives here today and with him the global spotlight, #BBCNews chatted w/ opposing extremes of the Korean political spectrum, the anti-Trumpers vs. the anti-CCPers
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Trump and Kim Back to the DMZ?
We are rapidly approaching a little window of opportunity for diplomacy with North Korea, as Donald Trump prepares to make the first visit to Asia of his second term, with stops in Tokyo (to meet the ...
johndelury.substack.com
October Surprise at the DMZ?
Whether Kim and Trump meet now or later (or never), important question is why & what next? I offer 3 options, although in the end we might need to invent another one
johndelury.substack.com/p/trump-and-...
Whether Kim and Trump meet now or later (or never), important question is why & what next? I offer 3 options, although in the end we might need to invent another one
johndelury.substack.com/p/trump-and-...
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Oct 12
Thanks for the shout out!
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Oct 9
Last month’s military parade in Beijing brought together the leaders of Russia, China and North Korea. But the history of its precursors reminds us of the hidden dynamics beneath the diplomatic veneer, writes @JohnDelury.bsky.social for @newlinesmag.bsky.social
Beijing’s Military Parade May Not Be the Show of Unity That It Seems
Similarly high-profile diplomatic events involving Russia, China and North Korea in the 1950s failed to stop Cold War solidarity collapsing into acrimony
newlinesmag.com
Parade season in the Far East! Kim Jong Un is next, hosting 80th anniversary of founding of Korean Workers Party in 1945. Check out my deep dive into Cold War context:
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Oct 9
American Mao and his Lin Biao
I read the transcripts so you don't have to, but you probably should if you haven't
substack.com
Had some thoughts reading Quantico speeches by Hegseth and Trump through the lens of China's Cultural Revolution.
Shout outs to @goldkorn.bsky.social @mariarepnikova.bsky.social Geremie Barme, Orville Schell, Didi Tang
substack.com/@johndelury/...
Shout outs to @goldkorn.bsky.social @mariarepnikova.bsky.social Geremie Barme, Orville Schell, Didi Tang
substack.com/@johndelury/...
Reposted by John Delury
Beijing’s Military Parade May Not Be the Show of Unity That It Seems
Similarly high-profile diplomatic events involving Russia, China and North Korea in the 1950s failed to stop Cold War solidarity collapsing into acrimony
newlinesmag.com
Last month’s military parade in Beijing brought together the leaders of Russia, China and North Korea. But the history of its precursors reminds us of the hidden dynamics beneath the diplomatic veneer, writes @JohnDelury.bsky.social for @newlinesmag.bsky.social
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Oct 4
Beijing’s Military Parade May Not Be the Show of Unity That It Seems
Similarly high-profile diplomatic events involving Russia, China and North Korea in the 1950s failed to stop Cold War solidarity collapsing into acrimony
newlinesmag.com
'How close are China, Russia, and North Korea, really?' This debate is at the heart of geopolitics. It's been going for years and will continue for a long time. In a new essay for @newlinesmag.bsky.social I offer the backlight of Cold War history to help us assess
newlinesmag.com/essays/beiji...
newlinesmag.com/essays/beiji...
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Oct 3
NEW: Last month’s military parade in Beijing brought together the leaders of Russia, China and North Korea. But the history of its precursors reminds us of the hidden dynamics beneath the diplomatic veneer, writes @johndelury.bsky.social for @newlinesmag.bsky.social
newlinesmag.com/essays/beiji...
newlinesmag.com/essays/beiji...
Beijing’s Military Parade May Not Be the Show of Unity That It Seems
Similarly high-profile diplomatic events involving Russia, China and North Korea in the 1950s failed to stop Cold War solidarity collapsing into acrimony
newlinesmag.com
Delighted to share my first piece for New Lines Magazine; trying to understand the 2025 parade sent me back to 1957 and 1959 looking for clues
Reposted by John Delury
Beijing’s Military Parade May Not Be the Show of Unity That It Seems
Similarly high-profile diplomatic events involving Russia, China and North Korea in the 1950s failed to stop Cold War solidarity collapsing into acrimony
newlinesmag.com
NEW: Last month’s military parade in Beijing brought together the leaders of Russia, China and North Korea. But the history of its precursors reminds us of the hidden dynamics beneath the diplomatic veneer, writes @johndelury.bsky.social for @newlinesmag.bsky.social
newlinesmag.com/essays/beiji...
newlinesmag.com/essays/beiji...
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Sep 28
Jimmy Kimmel and the Power of Public Pressure
Podcast Episode · The Political Scene | The New Yorker · 27/09/2025 · 44m
podcasts.apple.com
Domestic civil resistance argument by Hardy Merriman for solidarity, a Team Democracy, have international relations implications that global leaders have not yet acted upon. Not YET. great discussion @eosnos.bsky.social @sbg1.bsky.social @janemayer.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/j...
podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/j...
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Sep 28
very kind of you to say... glad you enjoyed it!
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Sep 28
I Watched This Kim Jong Un Documentary So You Don't Have To
what we can learn from North Korean propaganda on Kim's visit to Beijing & the contrast between Putin and Xi
substack.com
I wrote a new Substack about Kim-Xi-Putin vibes in Beijing, and to my surprise it ended up being mostly about hands.
Shoutouts @vanjackson.bsky.social @sheenagreitens.bsky.social @victordcha.bsky.social @colinzwirko.bsky.social @josephtorigian.bsky.social
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Shoutouts @vanjackson.bsky.social @sheenagreitens.bsky.social @victordcha.bsky.social @colinzwirko.bsky.social @josephtorigian.bsky.social
substack.com/home/post/p-...
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Sep 25
Stephen Hanmer D'Elía JD, LCSW | Stephen Hanmer D'Elía,JD,LCSW | Substack
Exploring the intersections of healing, connection, and systemic change through therapy, policy, and practice. Click to read Stephen Hanmer D'Elía JD, LCSW, by Stephen Hanmer D'Elía,JD,LCSW, a Substac...
yauguru.substack.com
Stephen Hanmer D'Elía JD, LCSW
yauguru.substack.com?r=fir&utm_ca...
yauguru.substack.com?r=fir&utm_ca...
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Sep 24
RIP to Jerome Cohen, a truly inspiration and fascinating longtime China scholar. I'm genuinely honored I got the opportunity to chat with him once alongside @johndelury.bsky.social about American Sinology in the Cold War.
www.ncuscr.org/event/agents...
www.ncuscr.org/event/agents...
Agents of Subversion: The Fate of John T. Downey and the CIA's Covert War in China
John Delury and Jerome Cohen discuss with Gina Tam John T. Downey and the CIA in China during the early years of the PRC.
www.ncuscr.org
A mensch. I learned so much from him, and I feel honored too the three of us were able to have that conversation, and Jerry lives on in this as in countless projects, writings, students, cases.
Reposted by John Delury
Gina Anne Tam
@dgtam86.bsky.social
· Sep 23
Agents of Subversion: The Fate of John T. Downey and the CIA's Covert War in China
John Delury and Jerome Cohen discuss with Gina Tam John T. Downey and the CIA in China during the early years of the PRC.
www.ncuscr.org
RIP to Jerome Cohen, a truly inspiration and fascinating longtime China scholar. I'm genuinely honored I got the opportunity to chat with him once alongside @johndelury.bsky.social about American Sinology in the Cold War.
www.ncuscr.org/event/agents...
www.ncuscr.org/event/agents...
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Sep 18
A Visit to Yongsan Family Park
Thinking about Imperium in the Children's Garden
johndelury.substack.com
Some urban travelogue/ imperial history ruminations from me, my second post on Substack, check it out and let me know thoughts.
Free to all but if you wanna join as paid subscriber that is totally fine with me!
johndelury.substack.com/p/a-visit-to...
Free to all but if you wanna join as paid subscriber that is totally fine with me!
johndelury.substack.com/p/a-visit-to...
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Sep 4
Kim Jong Un takes his daughter to China — and fuels succession chatter
Kim Ju Ae, who is about 12, has accompanied her father on a high-profile visit to Beijing, making it more likely that she is North Korea’s heir apparent.
www.washingtonpost.com
Great stuff as always from @myhlee.bsky.social @washingtonpost.com on significance of Kim Jong Un's bring your daughter to the parade. It's a fascinating and important phenomenon in terms of gauging North Korea's future. Appreciate being able to add my 2 cents
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Sep 2
North Korea's Kim Jong Un to line up with the 'big boys' at China military parade
Kim Jong Un's trip to Beijing this week offers the reclusive young North Korean leader an unprecedented opportunity to stand beside partners from China and Russia, gain implicit support for his banned nuclear weapons, and expand his diplomatic circle.
www.reuters.com
Appreciate you @joshjonsmith.bsky.social getting 'big boys' in the headline. All eyes on Beijing tomorrow for the Big Parade. Shared some thoughts w/ @reutersworld.feeds.directory
www.reuters.com/world/china/...
www.reuters.com/world/china/...
Reposted by John Delury
Train presumed to be transporting Kim Jong Un has pulled into Beijing, live footage shows. Kim, who rarely travels internationally, left Pyongyang yesterday in his transportation of choice — in a heavily armored, slow-moving train for 16-20 hours — for China's Victory Day military parade Wednesday.
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Aug 31
In a first, Kim Jong Un will attend a gathering of leaders with both Putin and Xi
When North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits China next week for a military parade, it will be his debut at a gathering of foreign leaders for a rare meeting of China, Russia and North Korea.
www.npr.org
Enjoyed talking w/ @npr.org Anthony Kuhn for his insightful preview of next week's Victory Parade in Beijing & surprise announcement that Kim Jong Un will attend. I'm thinking a lot about historical echoes & hope to write something along those lines...
www.npr.org/2025/08/29/g...
www.npr.org/2025/08/29/g...
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Aug 28
Hard not to see the timing of this announcement in light of South Korean president visiting Tokyo en route to White House and embracing trilateral US-Japan-ROK cooperation
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Aug 28
Beijing had been trying to get ROK president Lee Jae-myung to attend. I've been arguing he should go, getting lots of pushback to that idea in my discussion in Seoul. He might regret he didn't say yes. Too late?
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Aug 28
Opinion | Why Xi Jinping Is Courting Kim Jong-un (Published 2019)
www.nytimes.com
Kim's attendance was not a widely expected development. It's his first visit to China since a flurry of four trips in 2018-19. First meeting in person with Xi since Xi's brief visit to Pyongyang in June 2019.
www.nytimes.com/2019/06/23/o...
www.nytimes.com/2019/06/23/o...
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Aug 28
Looking Back on the Seventieth Anniversary of Japan's Surrender on JSTOR
JOHN DELURY, SHEILA A. SMITH, MARIA REPNIKOVA, SRINATH RAGHAVAN, Looking Back on the Seventieth Anniversary of Japan's Surrender, The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 74, No. 4 (NOVEMBER 2015), pp. 797-...
jstor.org
Hope I can write an epilogue to Journal of Asian Studies piece on the parade in 2015. h/t @jwassers.bsky.social
Back then, Kim sent his #2 who hid in a back row while ROK president Park Geunhye was VIP guest
jstor.org/stable/24738...
Back then, Kim sent his #2 who hid in a back row while ROK president Park Geunhye was VIP guest
jstor.org/stable/24738...
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Aug 28
Kim Jong Un to attend China's V-Day commemorations on Sept. 3
english.news.cn
Kim Jong Un will be standing on the Tiananmen Rostrum next week alongside Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping for the military parade commemorating end of WWII
english.news.cn/20250828/38b...
english.news.cn/20250828/38b...
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Aug 28
You could say it was triage, establishing rapport with Trump AND with the DC natsec establishment on the same trip. But hard choices await in terms of words and deeds if Lee is serious about peacemaking, or even 'pacemaking', w/ Kim Jong Un.
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Aug 28
IMHO Prez Lee will have to tell audiences like CSIS things they don't want to hear, hard truths about what progress with the DPRK will have to look like. It's early days, and there's a logic to reassuring the Ally on first trip, esp given the instability in the Alliance.
John Delury
@johndelury.bsky.social
· Aug 28
The inherent risk in a 'pragmatic' foreign policy is telling everyone what they want to hear, which, since everyone is listening to everything all the time, is not sustainable.