Tongfi Kim

6 days ago | tandfonline.com | Tongfi Kim |Luis Simón

ABSTRACTStates often seek to undermine their competitors in order to obtain a favorable balance of power. Yet, the literature on how they actually do that remains sparse and disconnected. We focus on how an external actor resorts to divisions to weaken a target and differentiate that from other forms of foreign interference. We offer a simple and more comprehensive conceptualization of wedge strategies, which we define as a state’s efforts to divide a target group internally and/or externally.

Nov 28, 2024 | ips-journal.eu | Tongfi Kim

The news of the reclusive North Korean regime sending troops to assist Putin’s war against Ukraine surprised many. And yet, this move makes perfect sense when considering the numerous benefits and comparatively low costs for the regime. Even before his soldiers began fighting, Kim Jong-un had achieved a strategic victory. As NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently pointed out, Russia’s military technological assistance to North Korea is valuable to Pyongyang.

Apr 5, 2024 | brusselstimes.com | Tongfi Kim

Friday, 5 April 2024 This is an opinion article by an external contributor. The views belong to the writer. “The EU must step up in the South China Sea to deter China’s gray-zone tactics”On 23 March 2024, Chinese coast guard and maritime militia vessels harassed Philippine civilian vessels on their way to resupply a Philippine military outpost on the Second Thomas Shoal.

Jun 29, 2023 | digital-commons.usnwc.edu | Maximilian Ernst |Tongfi Kim

AbstractMinimizing the costs and risks of balancing is crucial for a coalition facing stronger opponents—such as China and Russia facing the United States and its partners. The motives of Sino-Russian security cooperation should be understood within the context of a full spectrum of balancing strategies in international relations and the relatively lower risk of escalation in the maritime domain.

Feb 5, 2023 | csds.vub.be | Tongfi Kim

By Tongfi Kim02.05.2023The governments of South Korea and Japan announced today that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will visit South Korea on May 7 and 8 to meet with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. Their discussions will likely focus on security cooperation against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, economic security, and South Korea's plan to compensate victims of Japan's wartime forced labor through a South Korea-funded foundation.