Full Analysis Summary
Scholar expelled in Riga
Andrei Lankov, a Russian-Australian scholar of North Korea, says he was detained by Latvian police while giving a lecture in Riga and then handed to immigration authorities and taken to the Estonian border, effectively expelled from the country, according to reporting that includes his own confirmation and institutional statements.
The Associated Press reports Lankov’s account that he was detained late Tuesday, handed to immigration authorities and taken to the Estonian border.
Kookmin University in Seoul confirmed he was released and was heading to Estonia.
NK News records Lankov’s confirmation that he was detained in Latvia and expelled just before a scheduled public lecture.
The Moscow Times reports he was detained during the lecture, declared persona non grata and immediately expelled after police said he was on the foreign ministry’s banned-entry list.
Coverage Differences
Tone
The Associated Press frames the incident as a factual account combining Lankov’s statement and institutional confirmation, NK News focuses on Lankov’s direct confirmation to its reporters, and The Moscow Times uses stronger language ("persona non grata") that frames the expulsion as an official, punitive designation. Each source reports the same basic event but emphasizes different aspects: AP highlights the process and institutional response, NK News emphasizes Lankov’s own confirmation, and The Moscow Times emphasizes the formal declaration and official explanation (or lack thereof).
Missed Information
AP explicitly notes Kookmin University’s confirmation that he was released and heading to Estonia, which is referenced to provide an institutional check; The Moscow Times adds the detail that police told him he was on a banned-entry list, a formal justification not mentioned in AP’s lead. NK News provides a concise confirmation from Lankov but omits the banned-entry list framing in its snippet. This shows varying inclusion of administrative details across sources.
Reports on Lankov's expulsion
Reporting differs on the procedural details surrounding Lankov's removal.
AP says he was handed to immigration authorities and taken to the Estonian border.
The Moscow Times reports police told Lankov he was on a foreign ministry banned-entry list and that he was declared persona non grata.
NK News corroborates that he was detained and expelled just before a public lecture.
All three sources note authorities provided no public reason.
The Moscow Times and AP say he subsequently reached Estonia where he was scheduled to speak again.
Coverage Differences
Narrative Framing
Associated Press frames the sequence of events emphasizing the handover to immigration and physical transfer to the border, The Moscow Times frames the action as an administrative declaration ('persona non grata' and a 'banned-entry list'), and NK News presents a concise first-person confirmation without elaborating the administrative label. These choices alter how readers perceive whether the expulsion was procedural, administrative, or punitive.
Omission
AP and The Moscow Times explicitly note authorities gave no reason for the detention; NK News’ snippet focuses on Lankov’s confirmation and does not quote the lack of explanation in the excerpt provided. That leads to varying emphasis on the absence of official justification.
Lankov profile and controversies
All three sources say Lankov holds Russian and Australian citizenship and teaches at Kookmin University in Seoul.
AP and The Moscow Times describe him as a longtime North Korea scholar, an NK News contributor, and director at Korea Risk Group.
AP reports he lived in North Korea in the 1980s and is known for a realist, often critical, analysis of Pyongyang.
AP also reports he has criticized Russia’s war in Ukraine.
AP states that in April 2025 he was fined in Moscow over alleged ties to an organization deemed "undesirable" by Russian authorities.
Coverage Differences
Detail Emphasis
All sources convey Lankov’s citizenship and academic affiliations, but AP emphasizes his analytical stance on Pyongyang and his criticism of Russia’s war in Ukraine and reports a recent fine in Moscow; The Moscow Times highlights his contributions to NK News and role at Korea Risk Group, while NK News focuses narrowly on the detention and his confirmation. The variance affects how much context readers get about his profile and possible motives for the expulsion.
Lankov expulsion reports
AP says Russian outlet RBK earlier reported he had been blacklisted.
The Moscow Times reports the Russian Anti-War Committee said Lankov’s lawyer was told of the ban last week and quotes Lankov that he believes the expulsion was due to his "excessively objective" views on North Korea.
NK News relays his confirmation of detention and expulsion without adding those attributions in the snippet provided.
None of the sources cite an official Latvian explanation in the excerpts, and both AP and The Moscow Times emphasize the lack of a public reason.
Coverage Differences
Attribution
AP attributes the blacklisting report to Russian outlet RBK (reporting another outlet’s claim), The Moscow Times cites the Russian Anti-War Committee’s statement about the lawyer being informed, and NK News quotes Lankov’s confirmation directly. The differences reflect varying reliance on secondary Russian sources (AP citing RBK, Moscow Times citing the Anti-War Committee) versus primary confirmation from Lankov (NK News).
Tone
The Moscow Times adopts a more critical/urgent tone—reporting Lankov’s belief about motives and including a note about facing repression in Russia and appealing for reader support—while AP remains more neutral and NK News remains concise. That shapes reader perception of whether this is framed primarily as an individual administrative action or part of a broader pattern of repression.