Reviews

The Strength to Concede in Developmental Asia

By | November 02, 2013

Do autocrats cede power to democracy when in fear of the alternative, or is there an alternative hypothesis: that strength increases the likelihood of democratization? East Asian case studies give food for thought. Let Steven Denney be your guide.

A Roundtable Review of Charles Armstrong’s Tyranny of the Weak: North Korea and the World, 1950-1992 (updated)

By | October 03, 2013

What does Sino-NK think about the history of the DPRK? Collect a myriad of opinions and perspectives in Sino-NK’s roundtable review of Charles Armstrong’s latest book, Tryanny of the Weak: North Korea and the World, 1950-1992. Introduction by Benjamin R. Young.

[Sino-NK Exclusive] North Korea Through the Lankov Prism: Welcome to “The Real North Korea”

By | April 13, 2013

A Sino-NK exclusive cornucopia of perspectives on Dr. Andrei Lankov’s forthcoming book, The Real North Korea: Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia.

All the World’s a Stage. Looking Again at North Korea: Beyond Charismatic Politics

By | March 25, 2013

In a contrarian take on one of SinoNK’s favorite texts on North Korean ideology, Peter Ward, a young scholar in Seoul, delves into “Charismatic Politics” in the DPRK.

Exit the Dragon: Sino-NK’s Roundtable on 2012 Reads

By | February 16, 2013

The editorial team discusses the most stimulating reads and debates of lunar year 2012, the Year of the Dragon.

The Passing of Kim Jong-il: North Korea Still Mired in “Charismatic Politics”

By | December 17, 2012

Charisma is hard to obtain and harder to retain. It is also ephemeral. Kim Jong-un wants it, has some, but needs more. Roger Cavazos starts watching the sky in the first of our anniversary extravaganza.

Engagement in an Age of Division: Moon Chung-in’s Sunshine Policy

By | November 11, 2012

In this second YJIS-SinoNK collaborative effort, Eunsil Esther Park, reviews Moon Chung-in’s latest book, The Sunshine Policy: in Defense of Engagement as a Path to Peace in Korea.

Mad Dogs and Englishmen: Moon Chung-in’s Vision of Sunshine

By and | November 10, 2012

As a companion to Eunsil Esther Park’s special review of Moon Chung-in’s latest book, SinoNK editors Christopher Green and Steven Denney give their own critical take on Moon’s spirited defense of the sunshine policy.

Before Unhasu Encores, a Memoir

By | March 10, 2012

by Adam Cathcart Apart from Escape from Camp 14, this spring’s “must-read” refugee memoir is by Eunsun Kim, 26, whose book,« Corée du Nord, 9 ans pour fuir l’enfer », a collaboration with Le Figaro‘s Sebastian Faletti, just came out in French.  (The title translates as “North Korea: 9 Years to Escape from Hell / 逃离地狱–朝鲜9年.”)  Unlike […]