From August 18 to 20, 2025, Research Training Group GRK 2833 “East Aisan Futures” docotral student Eetu LAUSTELA attended the 16th ISKS International Conference of Korean Studies held at the National University of Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. As part of the politics section of the conference, he held a presentation titled “Contemporary North Korean Depictions of the Future in the ‘Socialist Civilization’ Discourse”. Comments from other North Korea specialists, including the other presenters at the panel and those in the audience, were constructive and useful.

As the conference was bilingual in English and Korean, it was a good opportunity to meet specifically meet more scholars from South Korean, and also to catch up with those experts LAUSTELA had previously met during his fieldwork in Seoul. Being able to visit and experience Mongolia’s many attractions showcasing its socialist past and postsocialist present was also a highlight and a good learning experience.