Benedikt Staar

Benedikt Staar is a Research Fellow at IN-EAST (Institute of East Asian Studies) within the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Duisburg-Essen. He is currently completing his PhD dissertation on securitization in North Korea, analyzing how the regime constructs security threats to maintain political power.

Education:

• B.A. and M.A. in Korean Studies, Freie Universität Berlin
• Academic exchange at Yonsei University, Seoul

His research focuses on foreign and security policy on the Korean Peninsula, inter-Korean relations, and critical security studies. He applies theoretical frameworks such as securitization theory to understand North Korea’s political discourse and legitimacy strategies in both domestic and international contexts.

His recent publications explore trends in North Korea’s threat construction, regional arms races, cyber warfare, and denuclearization debates. These works reflect a strong interdisciplinary orientation combining political science, international relations theory, and area studies expertise.

Scientific Contributions:

• Published in peer-reviewed journals such as International Quarterly for Asian Studies
• Regular contributor to policy-oriented platforms including IPS Journal, Tagesspiegel Background, and 9DASHLINE

Benedikt has presented his research at international academic venues such as the Korean Studies Research Hub at the University of Melbourne and the IKSU Annual Conference. His work bridges academic scholarship and public policy discourse, particularly on Northeast Asian security issues. He has prior professional experience at the Korea Democracy Foundation and the East Asia Department of the Campus Library at Freie Universität Berlin.

No formal advising or grant roles are currently documented. His research is institutionally supported through IN-EAST, which fosters interdisciplinary scholarship on East Asia.