Gianluca Spezza
Associated Research Fellow
Dr. Gianluca Spezza is an Associated Research Fellow of ISDP’s Stockholm Korea Center, and an Invited Professor at the Faculty of Economics & International Affairs, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand. Dr. Spezza earned his PhD in 2018, conducting research on the cooperation between UNICEF and the DPRK in education and childcare. He previously worked as assistant professor of international relations at KIMEP University in Almaty, Kazakhstan and senior researcher at KIMEP’s DPRK Strategic Research Center. He is currently writing a monograph on education, international cooperation, and scientific development in North Korea (Palgrave 2021) and recently published a chapter in the edited volume “East–West Reflections on Demonization. North Korea Now, China Next?” by NIAS Press. Since 2012, his work on the DPRK, articles or interviews, can be found, among others, on the websites of the BBC, The Guardian, The Diplomat, IRIN-New Humanitarian, The Interpreter, NK News, DR.dk, Newsweek Korea, and El Confidential.
Publications by Gianluca Spezza
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UNICEF and Epistemic Authority in North Korea, from Humanitarian Emergency to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), 1995-2015
Abstract: This study analyzes the work of UNICEF in the DPRK (North Korea) from 1995 to the late 2000s, asking how and why UNICEF pursued development objectives, particularly in the […]
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Evolution of EU-DPRK Interactions: From Engagement to Stalemate
Abstract: The article examines the European Union (EU)’s policy toward and interactions with North Korea (DPRK) in order to answer the question, “To what extent, despite prima facie ruptures in […]
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North Korea and the Role of Science Diplomacy
This study analyzes education, science, and technology initiatives as a potential bridge toward peace on the Korean Peninsula by asking what the potential impact of education and science in diplomacy […]
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Education and Development in North Korea: The Push for a “Science-Based Economy” Under Kim Jong Un
Abstract This Issue Brief analyzes the development of education in North Korea with particular focus on the Kim Jong Un era and the recent government’s emphasis on scientific development. Once […]