Reviews for Korea Versus Korea

The average rating for Korea Versus Korea based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-10-31 00:00:00 Alan Lueck I think it is safe to say that this book, written in 1999, is fairly out of date. Yet, it still offers a very rich and thorough analysis of the rise of the Kim regime. The book's core argument, which I found to be persuasive and well-argued, is that the bizarre and inward-looking approach of the North Korean state stems from founder Kim Il-sung's background as an anti-Japanese guerilla. This formative experience created in Kim a deep sense of paranoia and distrust of urban, cosmopolitan society. After all, Buzo notes, the paramount leader grew up in the rough Siberian hinterland without much real education and without any experience living in "civilized society." This background created a set of biases that pushed Kim toward distrust of others and veneration of self-sufficiency - it's for this reason that Kim strongly resisted promoting younger cohorts to high positions in the KWP, Buzo speculates. Unfortunately for the North Korea populace, the Sino-Soviet split meant that neither Beijing nor Moscow was willing to pressure Kim to reform, as both were reluctant to alienate the Hermit Kingdom and thus lose influence to the other. The result, Buzo argues, is that North Korea has become an ossified totalitarian state. I really enjoyed the book, and I think it provides some quite interesting historical examples, which are aided by Buzo's background as a diplomat stationed in North Korea. If you have any interest in the development of the North Korean regime, I think you'd still be well-advised to at least skim through this book. Given its age, though, I would not recommend it as your introduction to the topic.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-10-15 00:00:00 Beggi Palss Obsahově výborná, ale překlad?! Tfuj! Pokud číst dílo od Adriana Buzo, pak v originále. (překlad: Jiří Gojda)