Table of Contents

Introduction: North Korea: politics, economy and society; Part I. Jettisoning Caricatures: Understanding History: 1. Beyond the clichés; 2. National identity; Part II. The Rise and Fall of Kim Il Sungism: 3. Colonial occupation and the rise of Kim Il Sung; 4. War-fighting as state-building; 5. 'Socialism in our own style'; 6. Sisyphus as economic model; 7. Social stratification in the workers' state; 8. Famine and the end of Kim Il Sungism; Part III. Marketisation and Military Rule: 9. Marketisation from below; 10. Military rule from above; 11. The marketisation of well-being; 12. The marketisation of the social structure; 13. Going nuclear; 14. Strategic paralysis; 15. North Koreans as agents of change; Bibliography; Index.

Promotional Information

This is a historically founded, empirical study of social and economic transformation wrought by 'marketisation from below' in North Korea.

About the Author

Hazel Smith is Director of the International Institute of Korean Studies at the University of Central Lancashire.

Reviews

'Hazel Smith's data-driven tour de force convincingly demolishes the cartoonish image of North Korea held by most outsiders, including senior policymakers in the West.' Robert M. Hathaway, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington DC

'A timely and insightful analysis of the post-Cold War transformation of the North Korean society.   This book challenges the stereotypes of many outside observers of North Korean affairs  and provides important policy implications.' Yoon Young-Kwan, Seoul National University, and former Foreign Minister of Republic of Korea

'As an antidote to demonization the powerful impact of Hazel Smith's thought forces one to look at North Korea not as a pariah, but as a country struggling to pull itself out of international isolation.' Donald P. Gregg, former US Ambassador to South Korea and Chairman Emeritus of The Korea Society in New York

'North Korea is a no-nonsense book. The wealth of documents and statistics does much to buttress the analysis, and it is as good as any English-language book in providing an overview of contemporary North Korea. Smith's analysis of the pre-famine, Kim Ilsungist period is well grounded and clear sighted as she pays due attention to the historical, organizational, and ideological factors that molded the robust system.' John Lie, Cross-Currents