{"product_id":"north-korea-in-a-nutshell-kongdan-oh-9781538151389","title":"North Korea in a Nutshell: A Contemporary Overview","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eExplore North Korea, one of the most secretive countries in the world.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis thoughtful book provides a concise introduction to North Korea. Two leading experts, Kongdan Oh and Ralph Hassig, trace the country's history from its founding in 1948 and describe the many facets of its political, economic, social, and cultural life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe authors illuminate a hidden nation dominated by three generations of the secretive Kim regime, a family dynasty more suited to the Middle Ages than the contemporary era. North Korea has a robust if outmoded military force, including a growing arsenal of weapons of mass destruction, to deter and defend against foreign attacks and to maintain independence and isolation from the rest of the world. The struggling economy, disconnected from the global marketplace, operates under harsh international sanctions. All North Koreans, from the highest party cadres to the youngest children living in prison camps, are essentially servants of the leader. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDespite Kim Jong-un's despotic control, the authors argue that North Korea cannot continue on its current path indefinitely. Kim treats even his closest associates harshly, and the gap is widening between his elite supporters, numbering a million or so, and the other twenty-four million North Koreans. The economic and technological gap between South Korea and North Korea is increasing as well, and younger people are becoming disenchanted as they gradually learn more about the outside world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Kongdan Oh, Ralph Hassig\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1538151383\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781538151389\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Rowman \u0026amp; Littlefield Publishers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/11\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 280\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.20lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.69d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/01\/2022","brand":"Kongdan Oh","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44051850133759,"sku":"9781538151389","price":36.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_87eb9af9-3574-4e86-9b58-fd39c22249b2.jpg?v=1685015542","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/north-korea-in-a-nutshell-kongdan-oh-9781538151389","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}