North Korea Through the Looking Glass

By Ralph C. Hassig and Kong Dan Oh

Book Overview

Fifty-five years after its founding at the dawn of the cold war, North Korea remains a land of illusions. Isolated and anachronistic, the country and its culture seem to be dominated exclusively by the official ideology of Juche, which emphasizes national self-reliance, independence, and worship of the supreme leader, General Kim Jong Il. Yet this socialist utopian ideal is pursued with the calculations of international power politics. Kim has transformed North Korea into a militarized state, whose nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, and continued threat to South Korea have raised alarm worldwide. This paradoxical combination of cultural isolation and military-first policy has left the North Korean people woefully deprived of the opportunity to advance socially and politically. The socialist economy, guided by political principles and bereft of international support, has collapsed. Thousands, perhaps millions, have died of starvation. Foreign trade has declined and the country's gross domestic product has recorded negative growth every year for a decade. Yet rather than initiate the sort of market reforms that were implemented by other communist governments, North Korean leaders have reverted to the economic policies of the 1950s: mass mobilization, concentration on heavy industry, and increased ideological indoctrination. Although members of the political elite in Pyongyang are acutely aware of their nation's domestic and foreign problems, they are plagued by fear and policy paralysis. North Korea Through the Looking Glass sheds new light on this remote and peculiar country. Drawing on more than ten years of research--including interviews with two dozen North Koreans who made the painful decision to defect from their homeland--Kongdan Oh and Ralph C. Hassig explore what the leadership and the masses believe about their current predicament. Through dual themes of persistence and illusion, they explore North Korea's stubborn adherence to policies that have failed to serve the welfare of the people and, consequently, threaten the future of the regime. Featuring twenty-nine rare and candid photos taken from within the closely guarded country, North Korea Through the Looking Glass illuminates the human society of a country too often mischaracterized for its drab uniformity--not a ""state,"" but a community of twenty million individuals who have, through no fault of their own, fallen on exceedingly hard times.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0815764359
• ISBN13: 9780815764359
• Release Date: August 2000
• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
• Length: 292 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Yet another alcoholic despot

The title suggests an "Alice in Wonderland" fantasyland, but a huge dose of Edgar Allen Poe must be added to the cauldron to get a feel for the horrors of this most bizarre of lands. This terrific book explains that the combination of Confucian kingdom and totalitarian socialist state allows the rulers of North Korea, Kim Il Sung from its founding at the end of WW2 to his death in 1994 and his successor-son, Kim Jong Il, to wield inconceivable power not only over peoples' actions, but also over their minds. North Koreans almost uniformly believe their rulers are the equivalent of Gods. According to the authors, in the Korean tradition of Confucianism, North Koreans willingly subject themselves to a strict hierarchical social order and absolute loyalty to and respect for the Kims, which is returned with feigned benevolence. While the history and troubles of North Korea make interesting reading, the most fascinating aspect for students of addiction (which provides an oft-overlooked explanation for bad behaviors) revolve around the observable (sometimes, subtle) clues to early-stage alcoholism in the current "central brain," Kim Jong Il. Needless to say, the clues are few, since little escapes the "hermit kingdom." We learn that the person who is, perhaps, the highest-ranking defector ever, former North Korean party secretary Hwang Jang Yop, reported that an understanding of Kim's personal life is irrelevant to comprehending his political behavior. This is simply untrue, especially if there is alcoholism, although I don't expect (or suspect that) the authors would understand this. Kim displays numerous behavioral indications of alcoholism, which the book goes into in great detail (and which I describe in my books as evidence of addiction). As I note elsewhere and in the calculations embedded in my on-line Substance Addiction Recognition Indicator, barring actual evidence of addictive use we're limited to ascribing an 80% likelihood of alcoholism. As I've also noted elsewhere, a diagnosis of alcoholism is essential if we are to understand the motivations of the subject under scrutiny, if there really is early-stage alcoholism. While such evidence is scarce, it is not non-existent. According to the authors, the late-night parties of his younger days are said to be legendary. Japanese women invited to attend one of Kim's intimate parties, apparently after he became the supreme leader, report that he drank heavily and scattered hundred dollar bills (a rather ironic use of U.S. money). And, the authors say, "Kim Jong Il relies on a kitchen cabinet composed of a small group of friends and family members of approximately his own age, especially trusting a few close relatives and drinking buddies." As discussed in my book "Drunks, Drugs & Debits," merely having drinking buddies, especially when well past age 30, is a classic sign of alcoholism. The truly frightening aspect to this surreal mess is that not only is the head of state a likely alcoho

A Hermit Kingdom

A great introductory insight into one of the most strange and mysterious countries on earth. The authors provide valuable examples and a good understanding as to how the bizarre North Korean government operates, and how this regime minipulates the minds of its people. The most interesting parts of the book are the insights provided by the many defectors from the North, and the stories they tell.In my opinion, the book lacked any real insight into North Koreas military capability, it kind of leaves the reader wondering how strong this country really is. Though the author does mention that North Korea has a "military first" policy, and most of its money and resources goes into the military, we don't know what types of capabilities they really have, what types of technology they possess, and what countries are supplying them with what technological products. This lack of information may be due to lack of the authors access to this information. After reading this book, I still don't know how the economy of this country functions, this is definetly a country that requires serious help from the outside. This book is a great read, and a very good introduction to understanding this backward nation.

An excellent book that provides great insight

This book is really loaded and provides the reader with much insight behind this closed borders of this isolated country. North Korea is one of the last countries in the world that doesn't have diplomatic relations with the U.S. The book also provides historical data that is helpful as there isn't much known about this country who happens to be the largest weapons exporter in the region. Another book that I highly recommend as it discusses North Koreas secret, but aggressive nuclear weapons program supported by China is the thriller THE CONSULTANT by Alec Donzi.

The Conundrum of Korea: An Insider?s Look

(...) In "North Korea: Through the Looking Glass," they have combined their considerable intellectual talent and first-hand experience to craft a masterpiece of description, understanding and policy guidance.This work is based on painstaking research and insightful analysis. There are charts and tables to support the author's findings, and there is an interesting picture section. Although it may seem a dauntingly dry read at first blush, it is in fact crisp and easily understood. Excerpts from two sections serve to illustrate.In the preface, Oh and Hassig write: "Three years ago, when we first proposed to write this book, one of our colleagues sought to dissuade us on the grounds that North Korea would collapse before the book reached the printer. This was not an uncommon expectation in the years immediately following the 1994 death of North Korea's founder, Kim Il Sung. We had earlier predicted that his son and successor, the reclusive Kim Jong Il, would be unable to hold on to power for long. In any event, North Korea still survives, muddling along in a considerable weakened state. But even should North Korea collapse in the near future, we believe that a better understanding of the country and its people will help the world deal with a Korea struggling to reunify."On page 201, under the sub-heading "Policy Considerations," we find: "The first goal of any responsible policy must be to avoid provoking conflict on the Korean Peninsula. Most of the people killed in a second Korean conflict would be Koreans in the North and South, and for a third party to trigger such a conflict would be unconscionable."And: "The second policy goal should be to provide the North Korean people with the opportunity to move toward democracy (a specific example of the avowed U.S. policy of promoting democracy abroad) by penetrating the illusions under which the North Korean elites and masses live. This simply means telling the truth to the North Korean people as much as possible. Since the Kim regime is built on lies and oppression, truth telling will go a long way toward defeating it."The chapter headings define the book's comprehensive focus:1. Looking Backward (A historical and demographic appreciation.)2. The Power and Poverty of Ideology (Juche revealed.)3. The Turning Point Economy (Five decades of "plans," and the economy continues to decline as debt rises.)4. The Leader, His Party, and His People ("Great Leader," and "Dear Leader," their personalities and grasp of reality, but "Nothing New under the Son.")5. The Military: Pillar of Society (Core truths, capabilities, strategy and social role.)6. Social Control (To "smash maneuvers by all class enemies," and establish a "revolutionary law-abiding spirit.")7. The Foreign Relations of a Hermit Kingdom (Keeping its distance.)8. Dealing with the DPRK (The difficulties in closing the gap.)Although it is doubtful that American leaders at the highest levels have read "North Korea," it is a sure bet that some political

Good intro into North Korea and Juche

This book is by far the bet introduction into the psyche of North Korea and its leadership that I've read. It focuses more on the politics/religion (one in the same) of North Korea than the military. A good book for anyone interested in this rogue nation.