The North Korean System in the Post-Cold War Era

Rating:
Summary: one of the finest studies of north korea
Review: North Korea, it has been said, is an enigma wrapped in a secret, and even with larger numbers of officials and ordinary citizens defecting, it is still exceptionally difficult to obtain reliable information on this dangerous country and to assess the viability of Kim Chong-il's regime. One method for overcoming such challenges and for leveraging what information is available lies with applying to North Korea conceptual models developed from studies of better-understood societies. And that is exactly what Samuel S. Kim and a team of American and South Korean scholars have done with great success in "The North Korean System in the Post-Cold War Era."

The approach taken in this book is that of systems theory. This both illuminates the interrelated dynamics of various political processes and recognizes that North Korea must be understood in a context broader than just its top leader and his personal eccentricities. The writing in this book is clear, theory never gets in the way of understanding, and an astonishing number of insights are economically presented in concentrated form. In sum, this book is a tour de force that deserves a wide audience and careful consideration by those officials who drive U.S. Government policy toward P'yongyang.