North Korea: Tame or Destroy?

Main Ideas

• Andrei Lankov masterfully reveals the paradoxical nature of the North Korean regime, presenting it not as a faceless embodiment of evil, but as a complex, resilient, and rational organism surviving under perpetual siege.
• The book is imbued with the idea of North Korea’s inevitable internal evolution: the author argues that the country cannot remain unchanged, and any attempts at external pressure only strengthen its isolationism and paranoia.
• Lankov analyzes the phenomenon of North Korean propaganda, which turns fear and deprivation into a tool of national unity, where the cult of personality becomes the cement holding society together under constant threat.
• A key concept is the impossibility of a «quick fix» to the North Korean problem: the author is convinced that neither military intervention nor economic blockade will bring the desired result, but will only worsen the suffering of ordinary people.
• Lankov suggests viewing North Korea as a state driven by the logic of survival rather than ideological fanaticism, and calls for cautious, gradual engagement with the country through dialogue and exchange.
• The book raises the question of the outside world’s moral responsibility: the author prompts readers to consider where the line lies between the need for change and the danger of destroying a fragile stability behind which the fates of millions are hidden.