Understanding North Korea: Totalitarian dictatorship, Highly centralized economies, Grand Socialist Family

by Institute for Unification Education South Korea (editor)

The Institute for Unification Education, which constitutes the Ministry of Unification of the Republic of Korea, has published annual editions of Understanding North Korea since 1972, as an endeavor to promote greater understanding of North Korea for South Korean readers.Understanding North Korea depicts the reality faced by the Northern regime in areas of politics, diplomacy, military, economy, society, culture, and many more. The publication has been translated into English, with the aim to help the international community better understand the northern half of the Korean peninsula. English translations of the referred editions will be published on an biennial basis. We hope that this book enables readers around the world to better grasp the reality of North Korea. The regime in North Korea exhibits three it is a totalitarian dictatorship governed by the sole leadership of the suryǒng , who stands above the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and the state; I. How should we view North Korea?Section 1. Nature of the Northern RegimeSection 2. North Korea’s Dilemma Ⅱ. Political System and Governing PrinciplesSection 1. History of the North Korean Regime and Establishment of its Political SystemSection 2. Formation of Governing Ideology and its Changing NatureSection 3. Power Structure and Form of Government 1. Power structure 2. Workers’Party of Korea 3. Central InstitutionsSection 4. Hereditary Succession of Power and the Kim Jong-un Regime Ⅲ. External Policies and RelationsSection 1. Goals and Directions of Foreign Policies 1. Basic Ideas and Goals of Foreign Policy 2. Policy Directions 3. North Korea’s Foreign Policy-making StructureSection 2. Changes in Foreign Policy 1. Foreign Policy during the Cold War Era 2. Foreign Policy after the Cold War EraSection 3. Foreign Relations Ⅳ. Military Strategy and CapacitySection 1. Characteristics and Functions 1. Establishment of the KPA 2. Nature and Status 3. Functions and CharacteristicsSection 2. Military Policy and Strategy 1. Basic Objective 2. Military StrategySection 3. Structure and Institutions 1. Military Structure 2. Military InstitutionsSection 4. Military Capacity 1. Standing Forces and Equipment 2. Reserve Forces 3. Development of Nuclear and Other Strategic WeaponsSection 5. Military Relations and Provocations against the South 1. External Military Relationship 2. North Korea’s Provocations against the South Ⅴ. Economic Structure and PolicySection 1. Characteristics of Economic System and Basic Economic PolicySection 2. Economic Status by SectorSection 3. Changes in Economic Policy and Outlook for Reform and Opening Ⅵ. Education and CultureSection 1. Education System and School LifeSection 2. Literary Art Policy and Current Status 314Section 3. The Media and its Functions VII Society and LifeSection 1. Class Structure 1. Social Classes 2. Social Mobility and Class StructureSection 2. Value System and Everyday Life 1. North Korean Citizens’ Values 2. Daily Life and Life Cycle 3. Organizational Life 4. Clothing, Food, and Housing 5. Leisure and HolidaysSection 3. Religion in North Korea 1. View on Religion 2. Actual Conditions of Religious BeliefsSection 4. Deviations and Social Control 1.

Kindle Edition

Published January 6, 2016