Published Writing

Fleming, Matthew F. Review of "The North Korean Conundrum: Balancing Human Rights and Nuclear Security," by Robert R. King and Gi-Wook Shin. (Fall, 2022), North Korean Review, 18 (2), pp. 100–102.

To better understand the reality and prioritization of immigration in Japan, this paper will compare documents released by governmental agencies with written newspaper articles directed towards domestic and international audiences. This comparison will expose and highlight the dissonance in perspectives concerning the effectiveness of Japan’s immigration policy.

In this article, Matthew F. Fleming attempts to highlight a more holistic understanding of the Japanese Olympic food issue between Japan and South Korea. Fleming argues that despite the topic's recent coverage as an Olympics-related issue, this contention is merely being carried over into the operations and media coverage of the Olympics from the already pre-existing conflict over the agriculture and fishery of the area around Fukushima.

For Journal of Territorial and Maritime Studies (JTMS), I had the opportunity to interview Edcel John A. Ibarra about his research "Issue-Based Cooperation on Conflict Resolution in the South China Sea: Exploring Roles for ASEAN Beyond the Code of Conduct," published in the Winter/Spring 2022 issue of JTMS (Volume 9 No. 1).

In this article, Matthew F. Fleming highlights the historical cultural, spiritual, and geographical importance of the Baekdu-Daegan mountain range on the Korean peninsula. Covering concepts of Gi, Pungsu Jiri, Deities, Geography, and War, Fleming draws attention to the range’s multi-faceted construction of significance in addition to this recent use as a political symbol for unification.

In this article, Fleming attempts to contextualize Japan's relationship with radiation as one encompassed by its victims and survivors. Through highlighting the history and various forms of exposure to bombings, black rain, nuclear testing, and nuclear power meltdowns, Fleming hopes to contribute to the expanding discourse on what it means to have a relationship with radiation.

In this article, Matthew F. Fleming discusses the use of contact tracing in South Korea in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic and discusses the need for human rights protections alongside any form of emergency governmental action.

For North Korean Review, I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Van Jackson about his research paper “Deviant Cases and Near-Miss Crises: Locating North Korea in the Asian Peace,” published in the Fall 2021 issue of NKR.

In NKR’s latest blog post, Intern Fleming attempts to contribute to the growing discourse on education and studying abroad by North Koreans by highlighting the process for studying abroad, who the students studying abroad are, and the perceived rationale for their travel.

Born out of necessity, the voice of the youth is actively taking control of and directing the narrative-future of their countries. Stereotypically ignored compared to the West, it is important to highlight the crucial and leading examples in Asian countries. In this article Matthew F. Fleming discusses the current global political youth movements and their desire to change the world.

In this article for NOVAsia, Fleming attempt to highlight two ongoing and critical movements concerning pro-democracy and human rights defenses by highlighting a leading young activist in each movement. Through amplifying their experiences and efforts, Fleming hope to contribute to the growing awareness of individual realities of those directly working in the movements or topics that have turned into international discourses.

In this article, Fleming approaches the questions regarding the importance of perceived properness of motivation behind reconciliation efforts, in the presence of effective and progressive reconciliation implementation. Arguing the possibility that debate over the interpretation of motivation could be hindering progress, Fleming supposes a more realistic interpretation of positioning reconciliation inside of national interest.

“What is it that makes life worth living? ... Originating in Okinawa, Japan, the word Ikigai refers to a person's reason and purpose in life. However, recently the rules of where this ikigai or happiness lies are changing.” In this article, Matthew F. Fleming highlights the decaying romanticization of self-sacrifice and the recent shifts towards finding happiness and purpose in personal development amongst the Japanese People.