Dr. Lankov’s latest in Foreign Affairs: “Despite international calls for reform, the North Korean government is doing its best to maintain the domestic status quo — and with good reason, at least from its perspective. Still, change is coming in very slow motion thanks to international aid and illegal exchanges with the outside world, which are eroding Pyongyang’s legitimacy.”
Via the Times: "The exhibition features 400 hand-painted posters dating from the peak of the Dear Leader Kim Sung Il's power in the 1950s to the present regime led by his son, Kim Jong Il." The article has only one image, but has several interesting propaganda quotes.
- #Young Korean Herrenvolk engaging in their version of Agoge, at least according to the New York Times. The two Korean schools mentioned in the article are similar to Exeter or Andover in the United States in someways (they are private academies that serve children of affluent parents). But my guess is that the studious atmosphere and intense regimen compare more to the likes of Stuyvesant (my alma mater) in NYC or T.J. in Virginia (both highly selective, but publicly-funded high schools).
- #North Korea claims that on 25 April 1932 the Korean People’s Army (KPA, 조선인민군/ Chosŏn inmin'gun) was formed. However, the more likely accurate date is 08 February 1948. It is celebrated as “Military Foundation Day” in Kimland.
- #
April 9th, 2008 at 2:54 am
Hurrah, my IR thesis is vindicated!
Let’s just hope the faculty see it that way…
April 10th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
I beleive that North Korea watchers in general see that the famine of the 1990s initiated the small cracks in North Korean control of outside information that we are seeing today. As Lankov says, “change is coming in very slow motion.”
Good luck with the thesis!
April 14th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Perchance, is there a version of Lankov’s article on the Web that does not require a subscription? By the way, I am *not* trying to encourage or solicit any violation of copyright(s)!
April 14th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
I’ve not found the full version on the net free of charge, yet.