North Korea : a country study

2008·37 MB·English

by  Washington, DC : Federal Research Division, Library of Congress : For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O.

area handbook series
North Korea
a country study

North Korea
a country study
Federal Research Division
Library of Congress
Edited by
Robert L. Worden
South Country Library
22 Station Road
Beilport, NY 11713
may i 8 im
On the cover: Statues of a worker, a peasant, and a party intellectual in
front of Chuch’e Tower in Pyongyang
Courtesy Pulmyol ui t’ap (Tower of Immortality), Pyongyang: Munye
Ch’ulpansa, 1985, 325
Fifth Edition, First Printing, 2008.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
North Korea: a country study / Federal Research Division, Library of
Congress; edited by Robert L. Worden. — 5th ed.
p. cm. — (Area handbook series) (DA Pam ; 550-81)
“Research completed October 2007.”
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8444-1188-0
1. Korea (North). I. Worden, Robert L. II. Library of Congress. Federal
Research Division.
DS932.N662 2008
951.93—dc22
2008028547
Use of ISBN
AUTHENTICATED
This is the Official U.S. Government edition of this
U.S. GOVERNMENT
INFORMATION
publication and is herein identified to certify its
GPO
authenticity. Use of the ISBN 978-0-8444—1188-0 is
for U.S. Government Printing Office Official Editions
only. The Superintendent of Documents of the U.S.
Government Printing Office requests that any printed
edition clearly be labeled as a copy of the authentic work
with a new ISBN.
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free [phone]; DC area [phone]
Fax: [phone] Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-00001
ISBN 978 -0-8444-1188-0
Foreword
This volume is one in a continuing series of books prepared by the
Federal Research Divison of the Library of Congress under the Coun¬
try Studies/Area Handbook Program, formerly sponsored by the
Department of the Army and revived in FY 2004 with congressionally
mandated funding under the sponsorship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate (J-5).
Most books in the series deal with a particular foreign country,
describing and analyzing its political, economic, social, and national
security systems and institutions, and examining the interrelationships
of those systems and the ways they are shaped by historical and cultural
factors. Each study is written by a multidisciplinary team of social sci¬
entists. The authors seek to provide a basic understanding of the
observed society, striving for a dynamic rather than a static portrayal.
Particular attention is devoted to the people who make up the society,
their origins, dominant beliefs and values, their common interests and
the issues on which they are divided, the nature and extent of their
involvement with national institutions, and their attitudes toward each
other and toward their social system and political order.
The books represent the analysis of the authors and should not be
construed as an expression of an official U.S. government position, pol¬
icy, or decision. The authors have sought to adhere to accepted stan¬
dards of scholarly objectivity. Corrections, additions, and suggestions
for changes from readers will be welcomed for use in future editions.
David L. Osborne
Chief
Federal Research Division
Library of Congress
Washington, DC 20540-4840
E-mail: [email protected]
in
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2018 with funding from
Kahle/Austin Foundation
https://archive.org/details/northkoreacountrOOOOunse
Acknowledgments
This edition supercedes North Korea: A Country Study, published
in 1994. The authors wish to acknowledge their use of portions of that
edition in the preparation of the current book.
Various members of the staff of the Federal Research Division of
the Library of Congress assisted in the preparation of the book. Sandra
W. Meditz made many helpful suggestions during her review of all
parts of the book and managed the editing, indexing, and production
of the book. Catherine Schwartzstein edited the manuscript, made
many very useful suggestions, and helped clarify obscure points. She
also performed the final prepublication editorial review and compiled
the index. Sarah Ji-Young Kim provided valuable assistance in check¬
ing facts, reviewing and revising maps and figures, collecting illustra¬
tions, and assisting with the preparation of the Country Profile and
Bibliography. Margaret L. Park, a Library of Congress intern from
Rutgers University, prepared the preliminary drafts of the maps for the
book. Janie L. Gilchrist performed word processing.
The authors also are grateful to other individuals in the Library of
Congress who contributed to the book. Foremost was Sonya Sungeui
Lee, Korea Reference Specialist in the Asian Division, who gave
important advice and clarified many points. She also helped identify
illustrations from the Library of Congress collections to use in the
book. Paul Dukyong Park of the Asian Division assisted in locating
and providing copies of North Korean publications. Youngsim Leigh
of the African/Asian Acquisitions and Overseas Operations Division
provided various sources and contact information for photographs and
other information on North Korea. Sarah Byun, Elaine Hyojoung
Kim, and Young-ki Lee of the Regional and Cooperative Cataloging
Division clarified points on the romanization of Korean-language
words. Suk-Young Kim, a fellow in the John W. Kluge Center of the
Library of Congress, on sabbatical from the University of California
Santa Barbara, read parts of the manuscript and made valuable sugges¬
tions both on the text and on North Korean propaganda posters that
could be used for illustrations. The extensive research assistance on
Chapter 4 by Lucia Selvaggi of Boston University must be acknowl¬
edged as well.
Christopher S. Robinson prepared the book’s maps and charts and
also performed the photocomposition and preparation of the final digi¬
tal manuscript for the printer. Both he and Katarina David of the Fed-
v
eral Research Division performed digital conversion of photographs
and illustrations used in the study.
Finally, the authors acknowledge the generosity of individuals and
public and private organizations that allowed their photographs to be
used in this study; they have been acknowledged in the illustration
captions. Additionally, thanks goes to Boon-hee Jung and Chan-ho
Lee of the Ministry of Unification of South Korea and to Jung-woo
Lee of the Overseas Pan-Korean Center in Washington, DC, for pro¬
viding recent photographs of North Korea.
vi