Broad and nuanced account of North Korea

Of all the countries in the world, North Korea must be among the worst places to be born. In terms of GDP, North Korea is as poor as Ghana. But the worst part of being born in North Korea is without doubt the brutal leadership. Kim jong un and Kim jong il before him, are prepared to do anything to save themselves from the pressures they are facing, from within their own nation as well as from the outside. They are not, as one might think, naive. Rather they know exactly what they need to do in order to stay in power. Unfortunately for the common people in North Korea, this entails a ruthless big brother society where the smallest signs of disobedience or doubt in the North Korean leadership, are severely punished.

The author, Andrei Lankov, has the right profile to tell the story of North Korea. He is a Russian citizen who has visited North Korea many times over the past 3-4 decades. He does not seem to biased in favor of any particular view, and he demolishes a number of myths and exaggerations that are popular in the west. For example, I have always thought that there was no private market in North Korea, but this is false. While North Korea, officially do not have a private market, in practice they do have a growing private market, and the people running them tends to be rich compared to other North Korean citizens. As long as these people behave according to a set of informal rules, the government, realizing their utility, leaves them and their businesses alone.

Even though Lankov exposes western exaggerations, he also describes the atrocities of the North Korean leadership and the resulting suffering that the North Korean people must consequently endure. All in all, the book provides a nuanced and multifaceted account of North Korea, from a historical and a contemporary perspective. If you want to understand this mysterious country better, this book is for you.

14 people found this helpful

A thorough look at the puzzle that is North Korea

What made the experience of listening to The Real North Korea the most enjoyable?

What I enjoyed most was the unique perspective of its author, Andrei Lankov, who grew up in the former Soviet Union, a sometime ally of North Korea, and lived in North Korea as an exchange student. This is a clear analysis of the politics and their consequences in North Korea, backed up by personal experience and research from numerous sources to add depth and interest to this book. There is no hype or anti-east / anti-west rhetoric, just analysis of a very puzzling country.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The author's experience is unique in that he understands the things that puzzle outsiders who lack such experience. For example, he explains why the North Korean leaders are not irrational: they merely appear that way to outsiders as they act in order to maintain power within North Korea. Despite the general repulsiveness of the Kim regime to outsiders, and their surface irrationality, the Kims are just crazy like foxes.

What does Steven Roy Grimsley bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His intonation helps a great deal in helping the book flow, and making it easier to follow the author's tone and thread of thought in the writing. As a Korean speaker, a few incorrect pronunciations of Korea words (due to how they are romanized in print) were harder for me to follow, but were not a problem.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It took a number of commutes home to get through this, but it was always fascinating.

Any additional comments?

I liked that the author concluded with some suggestions of how individuals can help in moving North Korea into the modern era.

11 people found this helpful

Bugjjog Hangug

Andrei Lankov has an excellent prospective on "The Real North Korea" (Bugjjog Hangug). Instead of focusing on the day to day lives in North Korea, he goes in depth in the mystery on the communist country. Frontline has done a documentary base on Lankov's studies. If you are looking for books on socialism on this backward thinking country, there are many other titles out there, such as, "Nothing to Envy", or those two reporters from the United States that got captured. Those books are very dramatic on labor camps, torture, famine and whatever else the medias focus on.

"The Real North Korea" was written to understand the structure of the broken country that won't survive to the next century.

6 people found this helpful

Unique insight into the complex situation in Korea

Would you consider the audio edition of The Real North Korea to be better than the print version?

I think so - the complex nature of the relationships and history made is easier to understand in this format.

What about Steven Roy Grimsley’s performance did you like?

His voice leant an appropriate gravitas to the subject matter.

Any additional comments?

This was a fascinating and unique insight into modern day North Korea; it's relationships with the outside world and daily life in the region have become clearer to me now, and the quick-to-judge, headline grabbing media treatment of the country can now be read with appropriate skepticism. The discussion of the future of North Korea, and how we in the international community might handle the inevitable collapse was also very interesting and informative.
I will probably give this one a second listen.

3 people found this helpful

Outstanding

Thoughtful analysis of the past, present, and future situation in North Korea. Best assessment I've read. Strongly recommend this for both the interested layman and the scholar.

3 people found this helpful

great listen. good information

I found the book's history of Korea informative. The future possibilities and geopolitical analysis was very good and interesting

3 people found this helpful

eye opening

loved this book. if you have any interest in politics and understanding N Korea and why they do what they do.. give this a listen

2 people found this helpful

Insightful, objective view of North Korea

A very informed look into North Korea that presents all the discussion points in a format that shows no political agenda.
Just a great history book

2 people found this helpful

Interesting on why the regime behaves as it does

An interesting discussion of the logic of the Kim family's political survival and behavior, and of what this means for the future of Korea. Overall it was informative, but the author eventually struck me to be repeating or contradict himself. I like how he deconstructs naive ways of looking at North Korea, but he ends up in a patronizing sort of pessimism that's maybe a bit over the top. I'm glad I read it, though.

1 person found this helpful

Exceptional Primer on the DPRK

The author's unique perspective as a former Soviet citizen lends credence to his expertise. A great overview of the Hermit Kingdom.

3 people found this helpful