North Korea: Yesterday and Today

Main Ideas

• Andrei Lankov's book presents North Korea as a unique historical and political phenomenon, shaped by the tragic events of the twentieth century and a harsh struggle for survival. The author skillfully shows how the Stalinist system, once rooted on the Korean Peninsula, evolved into a closed and paranoid world where the state controls every aspect of human life. Lankov explores the origins of North Korean ideology, tracing its evolution from revolutionary enthusiasm to a totalitarian cult of personality, where the leader becomes a sacred and untouchable figure. Special attention is given to the mechanisms of internal terror, the system of informants, and collective responsibility, which cement fear and obedience in society. The author analyzes the paradoxes of the North Korean economy, the combination of autarky and forced openness, as well as the phenomenon of the «shadow» market life that emerges through cracks in the official doctrine. The book reveals the complex relations of the DPRK with the outside world, where diplomacy balances on the edge of threats and concessions, and isolation becomes not only a curse but also a shield. Lankov shows that behind the façade of a monolithic regime lies a vibrant mosaic of human destinies, hopes, and fears, and that North Korea itself is not a frozen archaic monster, but a living and changing organism searching for its path between past and future.