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Podcast: New Books in Western European Studies
Episode: Neither Friend nor Enemy: Sweden-North Korea Relations
Description: Welcome to the fourth NIAS-Korea episode. We invite Dr. Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein to discuss Sweden-North Korea relations. It may seem odd that among the Western countries, Sweden is the one that has maintained friendlier relations with North Korea. For example, Sweden was the first Western country that opened an embassy in Pyongyang, and the embassy still operates. This is notable given that only a few Western countries currently have an embassy in North Korea. How could we make sense of this relationship? What makes Sweden maintain relatively friendlier relations with North Korea? What was Sweden’s role in the Tr...