North of the DMZ: Essays on Daily Life in North Korea

by Andrei Lankov

The Kim dynasty has ruled North Korea for over 60 years. Most of that period has found the country suffering under mature Stalinism characterized by manipulation, brutality and tight social control. Nevertheless, some citizens of Kim Jong Il's regime manage to transcend his tyranny in their daily existence. This book describes that difficult but f existence and the world that the North Koreans have created for themselves in the face of oppression. Many features of this world are unique and even bizarre. But they have been created by the citizens to reflect their own ideas and values, in sharp contrast to the world forced upon them by a totalitarian system. Opening chapters introduce the political system and the extent to which it permeates citizens' daily lives, from the personal status badges they wear to the nationalized distribution of the food they eat. Chapters discussing the schools, the economic system, and family life dispel the myth of the workers' paradise that North Korea attempts to perpetuate. In these chapters the intricacies of daily life in a totalitarian dictatorship are seen through the eyes of defectors whose anecdotes constitute an important portion of the material. The closing chapter treats at length the significant changes that have taken place in North Korea over the last decade, concluding that these changes will lead to the quiet but inevitable death of North Korean Stalinism. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may .

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Asia, Essays, Politics, Ebooks, International

358 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Andrei Lankov is a North Korea expert and professor of history at Kookmin University in Seoul. He graduated from Leningrad State University and has been an exchange student at Pyongyang Kim Il-sung University.

Reviews

[Yoonmee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to provide a disclaimer that I'm still learning more about North Korea, so I can't really assess this book as a scholar or even as a hobbyist. While Lankov provides some really fascinating information about North Korea, I can't say I completely agree with his political views. (I got a little tired of the snarky remarks made about South Korean leftists and liberals.) Also, I'm not sure how up to date some of the information he provides is -- this isn't the place to try to verify all his facts and figures, but, based on some readings I've done about NK in the past and recent news articles, I get the feeling some of his information is either plain wrong or out of date. The out of date part would make sense since he based the book on articles he'd written in the past for newspapers and journals; perhaps this is a case of poor editing, but who knows for sure. One good part about the book is that it's not too difficult to get through. Yes, many things were repeated several times in different essays, but I think that's due to him reworking old newspaper articles he wrote. The reader doesn't get bogged down with too many details about NK history and government; in other words, it doesn't read like a scholarly dissertation or academic tome. It reads like, well, like newspaper articles, which I appreciated b/c, call me lazy but, in my free time I don't want to have to slog through academic jargon in order to enjoy a book. Overall, it's an interesting book that anyone interested in NK would want to read.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started out strong. It really did. Except for the badly Photoshopped cover, I was enjoying it, and filing facts away just in case I ever find myself becoming the Benevolent Exalted Joyful Leader of some small impoverished nation. (There are so many things to consider, and it's wise to do your dictatorial research ahead of time, or employ a minion to do it. You don't want to flub anything.)

I really enjoyed the level of detail presented in the first half of the book, which, although un-sourced, is interesting and eye-opening. Though the author didn't present as much information about himself as I would have liked, he has a pretty easygoing style and he breaks down the sometimes confusing rules of society in North Korea well.

Unfortunately I didn't enjoy the second half of the book as much, and found myself flipping through the pages, skimming the text. While the first half is devoted mostly to North Korean citizens' average, day-to-day life, the second half concerns itself with politics, economics, and defectors. I didn't really know how relevant or possibly out-of-date the information was, nor am I really interested in economics; also, the length of the articles/chapters seemed to be extended and the author seemed to grow more repetitive.

I think if I were reading this as a weekly article in a newspaper (as most of it seemed to be), I would enjoy it a lot more than trying to sit down and digest so much information about a tiny country in one sitting.

[La Petite Américaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a decent place to start if one wants to learn more about North Korea (although I think Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynastyis much better). However, most of the information in the first third of the book can be found on online travelogues.

Two stars have to come off for his conviction that the two Koreas will be united one day soon and for his nonchalance about human rights abuses in that country. Reunification is not guaranteed, especially if the current regime is able to hold on to its power. As for the human rights issues that the author blatantly shrugs off, I think the some 200,000 people currently in North Korea's gulags just may beg to differ with the author.

Meh. Whatever.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is mixed review because it needed a better editor. I liked the idea of essays and he has a clear groupings, the right length and content but they don't tell you when the essay was written or if it was updated in 2007 publishing. The author has a long history of following North Korea, from 1984 to 2007, and it makes a difference to the reader to know what time periods he is discussing. He does have an unique background to compare the Soviet experience with the North Korean one and his musings on how things will change as the Kim regime fades and reunification happens are considered and interesting. The book is quite long and although a certain amount of repetition is to be expected in this collection of essays, a good editor could have sharpened the overall impact of the book.

[Rima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Šią ir kitas mano apžvalgas galima rasti štai čia: http://knygoholike.blogspot.lt/2016/0...

"Drąsūs dėdės iš Korėjos liaudies armijos susprogdino šešis tankus, kurie priklausė piktiems kaip vilkai amerikiečiams. Tuomet jie susprogdino dar du. Kiek tankų iš viso jie sunaikino?" Klausimas protmūšių mėgėjams: kurios Korėjos pradinukai sprendžia šį uždavinį?

Andrejaus Lankovo "North of the DMZ"/"Demilitarizuotos zonos šiaurė" - esė rinkinys apie kasdienį gyvenimą Šiaurės Korėjoje. Šios esė buvo spausdinamos viename iš Pietų Korėjos laikraščių, o po to buvo surinktos ir išleistos atskira knyga. Ši knyga tiks ir pradedančiajam "interesantui" apie Šiaurės Korėją, ir pažengusiam.

A. Lankovas - rusas, apie 1980-uosius metus išvažiavęs pagal Sovietų Sąjungos ir Šiaurės Korėjos studentų mainų programą mokytis į tuo metu ne tokią uždarą "draugiškąją" valstybę. Tuomet tai dar buvo galima: iš Sovietų Sąjungos studentai važiuodavo į Korėją, korėjiečiai - į Maksvos universitetus. Šiais laikais tokių mainų net įsivaizduoti negalime - Šiaurės Korėja laikoma uždariausia pasaulio šalimi.

Užpernai ažiotažą sukėlė Holivude pastatyta komedija "Interviu su diktatoriumi". Ji įsiutino Šiaurės Korėjos lyderį, kuris ėmė švaistytis grasinimais. Kai pažiūrėjau aš tą filmą, sakiau: jei prasidės Trečiasis pasaulinis, mes būsim žuvę dėl kvailiausios, kokia tik įmanoma, priežasties. Karas neprasidėjo, bet, manau, filmo kūrėjai ir aktoriai vis dar tebėra Kim Jong-Uno juodojoje knygutėje.

A. Lankovas, istorikas, Rytų specialistas, ilgai domisi Šiaurės Korėja ir turbūt viską, ką žino, apibendrino šioje knygoje - "The North of the DMZ". Minusas tas, kad A. Lankovas per daug žino apie šią šalį ir, kai pradeda pasakoti apie skirtingus šios šalies politinius laikotarpius, gliaudo juos kaip riešutus, bet paprastam skaitytojui darosi per painu.

Tačiau visa kita - puiku. Apipasakotos visos - visos - gyvenimo sritys. Ne tik politika, kalėjimai, mirties bausmės, militarizmas ir diktatūra, bet ir maistas, mada, prekyba, kelionės, laisvalaikis, švietimas.

Labiausiai, aišku, glumina sudievinto vado kultas. Jau net nebepamenu, kur konkrečiai mačiau, bet tai buvo vienas iš labiausiai šokiruojančių mano matytų vaizdų - tai buvo dokumentika apie Korėją ir kataraktą (ar kitas akių ligas). Žmonės masiškai buvo vežami operuotis, po to grąžinti į savo kaimus ir surinkti visi viename kambaryje urmu lankstėsi priešais vadų portretus ir dėkojo už atliktą operaciją (štai kam reikia dėkoti, žmonės, už gydymą - kyšius siųskite į prezidentūrą, o ne gydytojui į kišenę).

A. Lankovas irgi rašo apie panašius dalykus: kaip visur turi kabėti vadų portretai, kokiomis legendomis apipintas jų gimimas, valdymas ir gyvenimas, kaip jie švaisto lėšas savo reikmėms, nors šalyje siaučia badas ir energijos stygius. Pavyzdžiui, botanikai išveisė kimilsungiją ir kimdžongiliją - dvi gėles, pavadintas vadų vardais.

"Panašu, kad ekonominiai sunkumai kimdžongilijai ir kimilsungijai įtakos nepadarė, nors tropinės gėlės vargu ar klestės bado kamuojamoje vidutinių platumų klimato zonos šalyje. Šiltnamiai, kuriuose auginamos kimdžongilijos ir kimilsungijos, laikomi tokiais svarbiais objektais, kad net badmečiu ar beveik visiškai išsekus energijos ištekliams, šiltnamiams buvo tiekiami didžiuliai karšto vandens ir elektros kiekiai. Žmonės mirė masiškai, bet indonezietiškos orchidėjos ir japoniškos begonijos išliko."

Tačiau ne mažiau įdomu skaityti ir paprastų žmonių gyvenimą: namus, laisvalaikį, mokslą. Žinojot, kad kone prestižiškiausia, labiausiai geidžiama ir sunkiausiai įgyjama profesija Šiaurės Korėjoje - vairuotojas? (Pasakykit tai kokiam dušmanui, su kuriuo važiuosit ateinantį kartą.) Mat Korėjoje praktiškai nėra automobilių. O ir dažnai gatvėse ir laukuose galima pamatyti tokių dalykų, kaip garo varikliai, malkomis varomos mašinos ar kitos technologinės atgyvenos.

Su visa savo politine sistema Šiaurės Korėja tapo Sovietų Sąjungos karikatūra - Korėjoje stalinizmas įsišaknijo giliau ir stipriau, o politinio marazmo lygis jau nebesuvokiamas. Palyginus su Šiaurės Korėjos standartais, Sovietų Sąjunga atrodo kaip liberali šalis.

Kaip tik "Kino pavasaris" rodo režisieriaus Vitalijaus Manskio filmą apie Šiaurės Korėją - "Čia visad šviečia saulė". Puikus papildinys knygai - mačiau keletą ištraukų, pasirodė labai stipru. Turit progą - pažiūrėkit.

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting content but needed more depth and a better editor

[Kimberly Schlarman · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Nothing to Envy, Barbara Demick occasionally cited North of the DMZ: Essays on Daily Life in North Korea by Andrei Lankov. In my quest for more knowledge on North Korea, I decided to read Lankov's book too. While North of the DMZ provides a lot of excellent information on North Korea, it is not nearly as readable as Demick's book. Andrei Lankov is a Russian scholar who studied in North Korea in the '80s when the Soviet Union and North Korea were allies. Lankov currently writes a column for The Korea Times and the book is comprised of a selection of these columns. He should have edited the work more to give the book a better flow. Instead, the book feels like a series of disjointed essays that often repeat themselves. There is a lot of good information here but the disjointed feel and dry tone makes it rather dull. If someone wants to learn more about Korea, I would suggest setting up an RSS feed of Lankov's columns in The Korea Times (which are fascinating) instead of reading his book.

[Aaron Schlafly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book shortly after reading "Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea" by Barbara Demick, which I also really enjoyed very much Both books are very interesting, at least for me, since I lived in South Korea for seven years and always found the contrast between North and South Korea quite amazing. However, where the other book is written by an American and includes more intimate stories about a few individuals in a smaller city, this book touches on many smaller subjects, mostly in Pyongyang, providing more variety of topics. Mr. Lankov, having grown up in the Soviet Union can give some additional insights, but from a very different background from my own. So my recommendation to anyone who wants to know more about the Hermit Kingdom is to read both books; they make a great combination.

[Zinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a systematic approach to explaining North Korea that I thought was very useful. Each chapter had a series of essays touching the main topic of the chapter. I loved the authors side remarks pointing out the absurdity of logic most of the policies have.

This is a nation that really does everything wrong as far as individual liberty is concerned, but still the regime survives. This book explains why. It has been subsidized by Soviet Russia and communist China, and now by South Korea that doesn't want N. Korea to collapse and have everyone migrating to South Korea all at once.

I thought the book gave very little attention to the gulags and prison systems that enslave so many of its citizens.

The author having been their in the 80's had great insight into North Korea and I am glad he wrote the book to share with us.

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Russian living in Australia, Andrei Lankov is probably the only English speaking author capable of writing anything reasonably nuanced about North Korea. He spent a few years living there himself and speaks the language fluently. His Soviet upbringing gives him a more realistic perspective on the ideology of the North Korean state and the motivations and priorities of regular citizens. The only other English language book worth reading on North Korea is "Comrades and Strangers" and autobiography of a Brit who spent 9 years in North Korea as an English language editor at a publishing house.

[Trey Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Russian author Lankov brings us an insiders look (as close as a foreigner can get) to North Korea. Lankov studied in North Korea during the 1980s, and his familiarity with North Korea and Korean culture in general is readily apparent.

This is a book less on the geopolitical drama on the Korean Peninsula, and more a series of glimpses into the life of the average North Korean; the small details of a culture which flesh out our understanding of 60+ years of tension. There are many books on the cult of personality which marks North Korea as a unique feudal-Stalinist state, but this one's ground level approach (who rides buses for free? How is alcohol regulated?) really makes it stand out.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable book. Surprised to see Lankov is a professor because the writing is very lively and presented in relatively short essays that are perfect for short bouts of reading in a busy life. I find it to be an interesting primer on a wide vriety of North Korean history from daily life to political machinations. I don't suppose it's necessarily meant to be read cover to cover, but browsed for areas of interest. There are not many books like this, so it is well appreciated. As for his occasional remarks about South Korean leftists, if you read the context and don't understand they are well-deserved, you're probably blinded by ideological dogmatism or wishful thinking yourself.

[W · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a really interesting read. I knew almost nothing about North Korea before I started. The author really seemed to capture the essence of the country. My one complaint is the being a Soviet, he didn't take into account the Asian view of things. There were some things described in the book that were extreme (because N Korea is extreme in everything), but in a way smaller form is the way they would do things in S Korea or Japan. That was the only thing though and I would recommend this book.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wealth of interesting, completely non-footnoted, lightly sourced information about daily life in North Korea.
Sort of have to take the author's word for it, I guess.

(It's been a while since I read it-- there may have been some footnotes, but I distinctly remember being underwhelmed by the extent to which it's just The Author Saying Things. I don't remember doubting the veracity of what he was writing all that much, it just seemed sort of an uncomfortable lapse for a non-memoir, somewhat academic book to make.).

[Cor · Rating 4 out of 5]

North of the DMZ is a series of short essays, so it is easily digestible. However since the essays were written at different times and collected together later they can be repetitive.

This was my first book on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and it was all new to me. However, I think if I had a bit more background in the subject I would have found this book a bit too shallow.

The author has an interesting perspective, having come of age in the USSR, he frequently makes enlightening comparisons between DPRK and Soviet Russia.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fact that this was written in 2006 hampers it a bit just because so much has happened since (ramping up of the nuclear program, the death of Kim Jong-il and rise of Kim Jung-un). The format is also a bit grating because it is made up of what were originally published as single articles. I don't know how much editing/revision was attempted, but there does seem to be a lot of repeated information (especially "factoids" being mentioned over and over). Despite these drawbacks, lots of great information to be had here from a perspective that few people experience.

[Valarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is basically a collection of articles the author wrote for another publication, and very little work was put into making them a comprehensive book. There is quite a bit of repetition, and the transitions are sloppy (or nonexistent) because of this. Still, this book is full of good information for anyone researching the realities of living in North Korea. I would recommend it only for people very interested in the subject.

[AskHistorians]

Lankov saw the last of the "Soviet years" in North Korea as an exchange student, and is one of the very rare people to lend the Russian perspective on NK in the Western press. The book is a collection of articles that were initially published for the Korea Times. Topics range from matters as large as Soviet-North Korean relations to things as small as the Kim il-Sung pins that the population must wear.

[Diane Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because this book is adapted from a series of newspaper column, the essays are often repetitive. That, plus a slightly strange writing style due to either translation issues or the fact that the author is not a native English speaker, rendered this far more difficult to get through than I would have thought.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very insightful and detailed collection of essays describing the workings of life and politics in North Korea. I very much enjoyed reading this book. Also at the end of the book there is quite a huge list of other books which are recommended to the reader on North Korea of which I will be interested to look for.

[Gali · Rating 3 out of 5]

My main problem with this book was the fact that it read as if it had been written for middle schoolers. I understand that most of these essays (if they can be called that, given how short they are and how limited their content is) were articles written for a publication read mostly by non-native speakers, still they could have been edited to fit higher standards.

[Thao Hoang · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like reading about North Korea. I've read a lot of books about North Korea and this book is one of my least favorite. I like the idea of essays but at times, it feels a little bit too overwhelming to read. Nonetheless, the book does have a lot of information about North Korea so it might be a good read for those who want to get a bit more information about the country.

[Chris Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

With refreshing wit, Lankov shows how the citizenry of North Korea have been successfully coping with their uniquely brutal and dysfunctional society for decades and explains how the end may very well be near. Knocked off a star for poor editing and iffy grammar.

[Kylewong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inside: Undercover in North Korea
http://video.sina.com.cn/v/b/59430106...

Welcome to North Korea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ6E3c...
botanist example of showing the fake legendary story of Kim Sung Il 19:00

calendar

[Teresa M Brenner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very through

I've been reading a lot of books on North Korea, and this one is the best so far. It covers every aspect of life in "the hermit kingdom", from the top to the typical citizen.

[Aniko · Rating 3 out of 5]

the first part is typical for orientalizing 19th century travel books: tidbits of exotica. there are some useful chapter in the second part, though.

[Joe]

In light of the current sabre-rattling from Pyongyang, this survey of life in North Korea is interesting, if a bit dry.

[Krisna Partawindu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice Book, really open my eyes from North Korea

[Bert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection of essays on life in North Korea from a Russian who has lived in both North Korea and in the USSR.

[Andrew Daniels · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its a light read, full of shocking bits, but in the end, its not a very reliable book, its sort of a collection of rumours and things he's heard, but there is little fact-checking. The author clearly knows very little about Korean history, Soviet history, or history in general, so he's constantly saying random nonsense that he he's heard at some point. Ultimately, all of the reliability issues undermine the book fatally in my eyes, I was not able to just enjoy it, but was irritated by his lack of knowledge and education.

Normally when a book is called 'essays on', then it includes a series of discrete papers, but this does not, its just chapter after chapter of rambling by the same author