North Korea Expert Detained & Expelled From Latvia

A Russian scholar specializing in North Korea was detained and expelled from Latvia on Wednesday, declared persona non grata by the country’s foreign ministry. Andrei Lankov, a dual citizen of Russia and Australia, was scheduled to deliver a lecture in Riga when he was stopped by police.

Detention and Expulsion

Lankov, 62, reported the detention on his Telegram channel, stating he was informed he was banned from entering Latvia and would be immediately deported. He said authorities did not provide a reason for the ban. The Russian Anti-War Committee reported last week that Lankov’s lawyer had been notified of Latvia’s decision.

Possible Reasons for the Ban

Lankov, a long-time contributor to NK News and director of its parent company, Korea Risk Group, believes his expulsion may be due to his nuanced views on North Korea. He suggested his “excessively objective” analysis, which includes both positive and non-hysterical negative assessments, may have been viewed as problematic by Latvian authorities.

Continued Work

Lankov, who resides in Seoul and teaches history at Kookmin University, successfully traveled to Estonia after his expulsion from Latvia. He is scheduled to give a similar lecture on North Korean politics there on Wednesday. Lankov previously lived and studied in Pyongyang during the 1980s, and originally hails from St. Petersburg, Russia.