A Socioeconomic History of North Korea

188 Pages·2011·8.058 MB·English

by  Daniel Schwekendiek

A Socioeconomic History
of North Korea

A Socioeconomic
History of
North Korea
Daniel Schwekendiek
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
lefferson, North Carolina, and London
Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Schwekendick, Daniel, 1975-
A socioeconomic history of North Korea / Daniel Schwekendick.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7864-6344-2
softcover : 50# alkaline paper (<2)
1. Korea (North) —Economic conditions. 2. Korea
(North) —Social conditions. 3. Korea (North)—History. I. Title.
HC470.2.S39 2011 330.95193 - dc22 2011011384
British Library cataloguing data are available
© 2011 Daniel Schwekendick. All rights reserved
No pan of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
Front cover image © 2011 Shutterstock
Manufactured in the United States of America
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
www. mcfarlandpub. com
For Beate and Uwe

Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Preface 1
Abbreviations 3
1. Ibackground 3. Anthropometric Perspectives
1.1 Introduction 5 3.1 Perception 91
1.2 Terra incognita 10 3.2 Concept 93
1.3 Reliability of data 17 3.3 Sources 101
1.4 Historical setting 22 3.4 Evidence 108
1.5 Colonialism and rise of socialism 26
1.6 Political formation 29 4. Economic Perspectives
1.7 Ideological foundation 31 4.1 Structure 115
4.2 Central planning 121
2. Social Perspectives 4.3 Classical sectors 131
2.1 Social status 38 4.4 Performance 136
2.2 Family and friends 46 4.5 Questionable activities 141
2.3 Gender 50 4.6 Structural deficits 145
2.4 Food and necessities 53 4.7 Marketization 151
2.5 Public health 61
2.6 Education 68 5. Conclusion
in Media and mobility 74 5.1 Summary 157
2.8 National security 84 5.2 Outlook 159
Note 163
Bibliography 165
Index 171
vii