Kim Il-song's North Korea:

Rating:
Summary: Misleading and very limited
Review: A book strictly for North Korea specialists. Certainly, as its reviews and the book-cover blurbs indicate a "unique" study. However what none of them say is; (1) this is strictly a basic socio-economic or sociology-type study; and (2) most tellingly, it may well be "a recently declassified CIA study", but what they are not saying is that this study was written in 1980-81 and not updated for a 1999-2000 book publication release. It is a study written in 1980 and is thereby utilising 1970s material. In consequence we have a book about Kim Il-Sung's North Korea of the 1970s. We are reading about conditions in the North Korea of 25+ years ago.

Material content and style presentation is straightforward and "just the facts". Nothing laid out in this book will surprise anyone who is familiar with Communist bloc social control systems. There is no analysis or extrapolation worth mentioning from the socio-economic presentation. Key aspects even within that range e.g. Party-Army-Population relationships are not examined in any analytical way.

This is a quite specific piece set in a quite specific time frame. It is a read only for those with real interest in North Korea. It is, at best, a "background" information source. As one reviewer has alluded to, the only real purpose of any description of conditions and life in the North Korea of the 1970s, is to give us an indication of the seeds of the mismanagement and decline that has subsequently unfolded. The same mixture of issues that have brought down, principally from within, other Communist regimes, in this case merely with a particular North Korean spin to it.

Thus as a book - a very particular snapshot. In its own right, as well as in terms of content.

Rating:
Summary: The clear picture of the Hermit Kingdom
Review: I,m researcher North Korean politics from 25 years . I visited north Korea two times in 1986 ,1987 . I wrote book about Noeth Korea in Poland in 1995 y. and 30 articles . The reports of Helen Louise Hunter are perfectional . For me very important is comparison north korean communist system in to Poland and Central Eastern Europe . The picture phillars of north Korean political , ideological and economical life. very significant is analysis of role Leader in n. korean poltical system.I visited lot places in North Korea , had occasion met lot of high top poltician. currently i have occasion met often with DPRofK ambassador to Poland Kim Pyong Il , younger brother of Kim Jong Il . The book is the treasury informations about North Korea. The Language of book is clear. The book is perfectionally written.For me , general thesis book are by research reached . Helen Louise Hunter book must be readen by every student or resarcher north korean affairs. My task is prepared polish issue this book.

Rating:
Summary: A Glimpse Inside a Closed Society
Review: My initial interest in North Korea grew due to a hobbyist's interest in adventure tourism. While exploring travelogues on the internet, I came across the reports of travellers who had braved the "road less travelled" to countries such as North Korea. I became curious to know more about this "renegade" country, especially with recent news reports of famine, political instability, and the precarious relationship between N.Korea and the USA. How could this small country of 22 million people cause such international consternation?

"Kim Il-Song's North Korea" answers many questions for the layperson about how North Korea has ended up where it is today. Hunter's book on North Korea is an exhaustive study of one of the most closed and reclusive societies on Earth.

The chapters are clearly organized and make for enjoyable reading. The information Hunter provides is extensive, and awakens the reader to interesting issues that most readers may not be aware of, such as family life, romance, the treatment of children, hooliganism, military life, the fanatical cult of Kim Il-Song, and North Korea's bizarre view of itself in relation to the world, among other subjects.

The book does not, however, address major geopolitical issues such as North Korea's nuclear program or the ongoing food production problems and resulting civil unrest. This is perhaps just as well since those items can be retrieved through various mainstream sources. Hunter's book provides the gift of much harder-to-find info. It is more of an intimiate look at general life, namely how the average person copes with life under an oppressive, invasive, paranoid, fanatical government and belief system.

All in all, Hunter's book is a good read for those interested in Asian politics, general sociology, or those curious about this enigmatic Orwellian state. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Great book that provides much insight
Review: These authors really did excellent research and they take the attentive reader behind the closed borders of North Korea. It is one of the last countries on earth that doesn't have diplomatic relations with the U.S. In this book the reader will experience the harsh reality of a poverty-striken country that happens to be the largest weapons exporter in the region. Another book that I highly recommend which is also based on a recent declassified CIA report and which discusses North Korea's secret but aggressive nuclear weapons program is the thriller THE CONSULTANT by Alec Donzi.

Rating:
Summary: Misleading and very limited
Review: This book is a fascinating account of North Korea under Kim Il-sung. I learned many things, such as his emphasis on the family. The trouble with this book is that we do not know if it describes North Korea today, or just North Korea in the past. But the description is fascinating.

Rating:
Summary: a fascinating account
Review: This book is a fascinating account of North Korea under Kim Il-sung. I learned many things, such as his emphasis on the family. The trouble with this book is that we do not know if it describes North Korea today, or just North Korea in the past. But the description is fascinating.