Seung Hwan Ryu

Seung Hwan Ryu is a doctoral fellow at the Graduate School of East Asian Studies, Freie Universität Berlin, affiliated with the John F. Kennedy Institute's History Department. His research focuses on North Korean Socialist Globalization in Tanzania during the Cold War era (1965–89), exploring postcolonial solidarity between East Asia and East Africa.

• Doctoral Fellow, Graduate School of East Asian Studies, Freie Universität Berlin (2021–present)
• DAAD-GSSP Fellow (until 2025)
• Research on Afro-Asian solidarity and socialist globalization

His research interests include Global Cold War dynamics, socialist globalization, postcolonial memory, and South-South cooperation. Based on multi-archival methodologies, he analyzes intersections between North Korea and Tanzania's shared emphasis on self-reliance and imagined affinity.

• Examines inter-Korean competition for international recognition
• Studies North Korea's role in African liberation movements
• Investigates Julius Nyerere's diplomatic engagements with Pyongyang

Scientific achievements include DAAD funding, Erasmus Mundus scholarships, and publications in Comparativ and Korea Europe Review. His work contributes to global histories of Third World internationalism.