North Korea in Transition: Politics, Economy, and Society Edited by Kyung-Ae Park and Scot A. Snyder
Journal Title: International Journal of Korean History - Year 2014, Vol 19, Issue 1
Abstract
North Korea, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the only “classical” Stalinist and full-fledged totalitarian state, continues to fascinate scholars with diverse views. Needless to say, the assessment of the North Korean regime by the various authors of the reviewed book is in many ways defined by their own experiences and, in a broader sense, by the cultural/political paradigms of the societies that produced them. The reviewed volume is authored not just by noted scholars of different political stances and occupations, but the chapters also deal with different aspects of the regime. While the approach and subjects differ, all the authors dealt either directly or indirectly with the nature of the DPRK regime, and predictions for the future. One of the common questions is certainly to what degree the North Korean regime is stable. Several authors noted that these ideas have been circulating for at least twenty years, possibly longer. While the demise of the regime has been predicted for a long time, the regime has survived and there is no indication that it is about to collapse. Still, the opinion that the regime’s collapse is imminent remains popular.
Authors and Affiliations
Dmitry V. Shlapentokh
Keywords
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North Korea in Transition: Politics, Economy, and Society Edited by Kyung-Ae Park and Scot A. Snyder
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