Similarly, a common retort to de-legitimise one's intellectual opponents in the study of North Korea is to claim another does not really 'understand' the 'true' North Korea. The easy answer is to throw up one's hands and call North Korea sui generis.
That may be right in the way North Korea synthesizes seemingly disparate elements into what should be an ideological rube-goldberg jalopy. But North Korea manages to hang on regardless of how many times we analysts say it is an incoherent mess.
So it seems worthwhile to sketch out some of the various interpretations floating around out there. Based on my experience at conferences, in the scholarship and journalism, from my trip to North Korea itself , and so on, I would say there are five primary interpretive angles:. Who believes this? Non-Korean journalists, Korean conservatives and military, non-elite Americans. What is their big fear? A Northern invasion of South Korea. I argued against this interpretation last month, and I would reckon most North Korea analysts would say this is no longer the best way to read Pyongyang.
But I find it is still quite popular. Its appeal is obvious. It is easy to understand, parallels nicely with South Korea as the liberal democratic alternate, and fits into an obvious frame — the Cold War. And because North Korea started out this way, all sorts of vestiges remain: the socialist moniker the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , the iconography lots of red, the flag, the national seal, the party symbol , the autarkic ideology. And Kim Il Sung, the regime founder, almost certainly believed in socialism or communism although whether his son and grandson do is matter of intense debate.
Go Beyond. Prior to it's removal. Share on facebook. Share on twitter. Share on whatsapp. About Post Author. Shane Horan. Facebook-f Instagram. Tags: North Korea. Radio and TV sets in North Korea are pre-tuned to government stations that pump out a steady stream of propaganda.
The press and broadcasters - all of them under direct state control - serve up a menu of flattering reports about North Korea's leader. Economic hardship and famines are not reported. North Korea is one of the hardest countries for foreign media to cover. Some key dates in North Korea's history:. North Korean government. Fashioning himself as a modern version of his legendary grandfather, Kim Jong Un took steps to consolidate power, ordering the execution of his own uncle and other political and military rivals.
Over the course of , tensions between North Korea and the United States reached an unprecedented level. North Korea launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile with the strength to reach the mainland United States, threatened to launch missiles near the U.
Such actions prompted even harsher sanctions by the UN Security Council and an aggressive response from U. President Donald Trump , leaving the global community fearing the possibility of nuclear war. North Korea. Korea, Asia for Educators. Columbia University.
North Korea country profile. BBC News. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. North and South Korea have been divided for more than 70 years, ever since the Korean Peninsula became an unexpected casualty of the escalating Cold War between two rival superpowers: the Soviet Union and the United States.
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