Sungmin Cho
Biographic Data
| ID | 4099650 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sungmin Cho |
| GIVEN NAMES | Sungmin |
| FAMILY NAME | Cho |
| SIGNATURE | CHO S |
| AFFILIATIONS | Sungkyunkwan University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8947-9983 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 11 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 11 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 11 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2020 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
The Ideological Security Dilemma in International Relations: The Case of US–China Ideological Competition
Why does ideological competition between states intensify despite opportunities for coexistence? This article develops a theory of the ideological security dilemma to explain this puzzle. Like the military security dilemma, states may take defensive measures to safeguard the legitimacy of their own ideology, but these actions can be interpreted by others as ideological offensives aimed at weakening the legitimacy of rival ideologies. I test the t…
China’s active defence against democracy promotion: A Conceptual Analysis
History Rhymes: The Shou-Fang Cycle in Chinese Politics
Scholars have recognized an oscillating pattern of political tightening and loosening in China’s political orientation, also known as the shou-fang cycle. Despite frequent references, the concept has not been subjected to scholarly scrutiny. This study critically examines the concept of the shou-fang cycle and discusses its utility in the study of Chinese politics. I argue that the shou-fang cycle should be understood as a historical concept rath…
Does China’s Case Falsify Modernization Theory? Interim Assessment
This study revisits the question of whether China's economic development has brought democratic changes within the country or not. While the modernization theory suggests that economic development should lead to democratization, scholars claim that China has not made democratic progress despite its economic growth. By comparing these two competing perspectives and examining the evidence behind each assessment, I argue that there has been a certai…
The U.S.-China Power Transition: An assessment of China’s internal view
US-China strategic competition has intensified in recent years. China has continued to expand its military capabilities and the US has responded with increased security cooperation with allies such as Japan, Australia, the UK, and Germany. In addition, the Taiwan Strait again became a flashpoint due to concerns relating to China possibly taking actions to 'unify' with Taiwan by force. All these trends would seem to destabilise the current regiona…
How South Korea Can Contribute to the Defense of Taiwan
China’s quiet challenges at sea: Explaining China’s maritime activities in the Yellow Sea, 2010–2020
The Chinese military activities in the Yellow Sea have visibly increased. Compared to the South or East China Sea, however, China has not escalated tensions to the strategic level by employing paramilitary and nonmilitary tools of influence. The “regional hegemony” thesis can partially explain the increase of China’s military activities at the operational level. But it does not explain why China refrains from posing strategic challenges in the Ye…
The Politics of Bones: The Political Motives behind the Repatriation of Remains of Chinese Soldiers Killed in the Korean War
Between 2014 and 2020, China brought back from South Korea 716 sets of remains of Chinese soldiers who had died in the Korean War (1950–53). Why did the Chinese government decide to repatriate the remains of fallen soldiers only after so many years had passed? What are Beijing’s political motivations? We argue that the Chinese Communist Party utilizes the repatriation of war remains as a propaganda opportunity to appeal to veterans and to boost m…
Why Non-Democracy Engages with Western Democracy-Promotion Programs: The China Model
Between the mid-1990s and the mid-2010s, the Chinese government was distinctly open to the Western offer of democracy-assistance programs. It cooperated with a number of Western organizations to improve the rule of law, village elections, administrative capacity, and civil society in China. Why did the Chinese government engage with democracy promoters who tried to develop these democratic attributes within China? The author argues that the gover…
Why North Korea Could Not Implement the Chinese Style Reform and Opening? The Internal Contradiction Between Economic Reform and Political Stability
Can North Korea implement Chinese-style reform and opening-up policies? This is an important question, directly relevant to the policy debate on North Korea’s nuclear challenges. Through comparative historical analysis, I argue that Pyongyang has failed to adopt the Chinese-style reform and opening-up for the internal and structural restraints. The Chinese experience shows that the economic reform and opening, to be successful, requires a certain…
The Chinese Perspectives of the Korean Unification: Evidence from the Chinese Academic Publications
What a re the Chinese p erspectives on Korean unification, and what a re the concerns and expectations? The English-language literature on this subject lacks citations from primary sources to claim a wide survey of Chinese perspectives. Based upon the 62 Chinese journal articles and 29 expert commentaries in Chinese, I infer a broad spectrum of Chinese thinking on the Korea unification. I find that the Chinese analysts have contemplated a relativ…
Does China’s Case Falsify Modernization Theory? Interim Assessment
This study revisits the question of whether China's economic development has brought democratic changes within the country or not. While the modernization theory suggests that economic development should lead to democratization, scholars claim that China has not made democratic progress despite its economic growth. By comparing these two competing perspectives and examining the evidence behind each assessment, I argue that there has been a certai…
Why Non-Democracy Engages with Western Democracy-Promotion Programs: The China Model
Between the mid-1990s and the mid-2010s, the Chinese government was distinctly open to the Western offer of democracy-assistance programs. It cooperated with a number of Western organizations to improve the rule of law, village elections, administrative capacity, and civil society in China. Why did the Chinese government engage with democracy promoters who tried to develop these democratic attributes within China? The author argues that the gover…
China’s active defence against democracy promotion: A Conceptual Analysis
How South Korea Can Contribute to the Defense of Taiwan
Why North Korea Could Not Implement the Chinese Style Reform and Opening? The Internal Contradiction Between Economic Reform and Political Stability
Can North Korea implement Chinese-style reform and opening-up policies? This is an important question, directly relevant to the policy debate on North Korea’s nuclear challenges. Through comparative historical analysis, I argue that Pyongyang has failed to adopt the Chinese-style reform and opening-up for the internal and structural restraints. The Chinese experience shows that the economic reform and opening, to be successful, requires a certain…
The Chinese Perspectives of the Korean Unification: Evidence from the Chinese Academic Publications
What a re the Chinese p erspectives on Korean unification, and what a re the concerns and expectations? The English-language literature on this subject lacks citations from primary sources to claim a wide survey of Chinese perspectives. Based upon the 62 Chinese journal articles and 29 expert commentaries in Chinese, I infer a broad spectrum of Chinese thinking on the Korea unification. I find that the Chinese analysts have contemplated a relativ…
China’s quiet challenges at sea: Explaining China’s maritime activities in the Yellow Sea, 2010–2020
The Chinese military activities in the Yellow Sea have visibly increased. Compared to the South or East China Sea, however, China has not escalated tensions to the strategic level by employing paramilitary and nonmilitary tools of influence. The “regional hegemony” thesis can partially explain the increase of China’s military activities at the operational level. But it does not explain why China refrains from posing strategic challenges in the Ye…
The Politics of Bones: The Political Motives behind the Repatriation of Remains of Chinese Soldiers Killed in the Korean War
Between 2014 and 2020, China brought back from South Korea 716 sets of remains of Chinese soldiers who had died in the Korean War (1950–53). Why did the Chinese government decide to repatriate the remains of fallen soldiers only after so many years had passed? What are Beijing’s political motivations? We argue that the Chinese Communist Party utilizes the repatriation of war remains as a propaganda opportunity to appeal to veterans and to boost m…
Why Non-Democracy Engages with Western Democracy-Promotion Programs: The China Model
Between the mid-1990s and the mid-2010s, the Chinese government was distinctly open to the Western offer of democracy-assistance programs. It cooperated with a number of Western organizations to improve the rule of law, village elections, administrative capacity, and civil society in China. Why did the Chinese government engage with democracy promoters who tried to develop these democratic attributes within China? The author argues that the gover…
The U.S.-China Power Transition: An assessment of China’s internal view
US-China strategic competition has intensified in recent years. China has continued to expand its military capabilities and the US has responded with increased security cooperation with allies such as Japan, Australia, the UK, and Germany. In addition, the Taiwan Strait again became a flashpoint due to concerns relating to China possibly taking actions to 'unify' with Taiwan by force. All these trends would seem to destabilise the current regiona…
How South Korea Can Contribute to the Defense of Taiwan
Does China’s Case Falsify Modernization Theory? Interim Assessment
This study revisits the question of whether China's economic development has brought democratic changes within the country or not. While the modernization theory suggests that economic development should lead to democratization, scholars claim that China has not made democratic progress despite its economic growth. By comparing these two competing perspectives and examining the evidence behind each assessment, I argue that there has been a certai…
The Ideological Security Dilemma in International Relations: The Case of US–China Ideological Competition
Why does ideological competition between states intensify despite opportunities for coexistence? This article develops a theory of the ideological security dilemma to explain this puzzle. Like the military security dilemma, states may take defensive measures to safeguard the legitimacy of their own ideology, but these actions can be interpreted by others as ideological offensives aimed at weakening the legitimacy of rival ideologies. I test the t…
China’s active defence against democracy promotion: A Conceptual Analysis
History Rhymes: The Shou-Fang Cycle in Chinese Politics
Scholars have recognized an oscillating pattern of political tightening and loosening in China’s political orientation, also known as the shou-fang cycle. Despite frequent references, the concept has not been subjected to scholarly scrutiny. This study critically examines the concept of the shou-fang cycle and discusses its utility in the study of Chinese politics. I argue that the shou-fang cycle should be understood as a historical concept rath…
Political science (10 works) · China (8 works) · Law (7 works) · Politics (7 works) · China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance (5 works) · Economics (5 works) · Political economy (5 works) · Sociology (5 works) · Korean Peninsula Historical and Political Studies (4 works) · Law (4 works)