Historical Context

Since the Korean War the situation on the Korean Peninsula has been unstable. The war ended with an armistice but was not concluded with a peace agreement. North Korea considers itself still today technically at war.

Since the war the country is judged by outsiders a repressive militarized communist state. With the end of the Cold War North Korea is seen as the last remnant of an old social and economic system, which has been overtaken by the global development and the victory of capitalist system.

Perceptions and Reality

Particularly American sources consider the North Korean political system and its leadership as defunct. Actually, little is known about the country, which is labelled as hermit kingdom following largely irrational policies and threatening of world peace with WMD.

Author's Perspective

Based on my experience as a Chief Technical Advisor of UNDP and a consultant for a bilateral agency in North Korea and with the help of documents and academic studies, I question some of the generally accepted assumptions on the country and the mainstream opinion divulgated by the Western mass media.