North Korea at a Crossroads

Some fifty years after war, the Korean peninsula remains divided at the 38th parallel. The end of the Cold War in 1989 brought changes to many communist states, but North Korea remains embroiled in international crises. Looking forward, North Korea seemingly faces four choices: collapse, further war, peaceful reunification with the south, or status quo.
This historical and political analysis covers the period from the division of the peninsula in 1948 to the future of North Korea beyond 2003. Topics include the Korean War, Kim Il Sung, famine, the economic collapse of the 1990s, Kim Jong Il, South Korea’s sunshine policy, nuclear ambitions, “rogue state” status, George W. Bush’s “axis of evil” remark made during his 2002 State of the Union address, and the current state of diplomatic relations. The final chapter considers the case for reconciliation. Appendix A is a chronology of the Korean Peninsula from 2333 BCE to 2003 CE. Appendix B is a directory of Korean Studies institutes and think tanks. Tables and statistics are integrated throughout the text. Reader aids accompany each chapter, including lists of further reading, key terms and questions.

Suk Hi Kim, a professor of international finance, is the coordinator of finance and international business at the University of Detroit Mercy. He is the founding editor of Multinational Business Review. He lives in Plymouth, Michigan. Send editorial correspondence to Suk Kim, College of Business Administration, University of Detroit Mercy, 4001 W. McNichols Road, Detroit MI 48221, tel (313) 993-1264, fax (313) 993-1673, ink@udmercy.edu. (Other correspondence to McFarland.)

Suk Hi Kim
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 232
Bibliographic Info: tables, readings list, reader aids, appendices, index
Copyright Date: 2003
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1741-4
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8105-7
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments
v
Preface      1

PART I. INTRODUCTION
1. North Korea: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow      7

PART II. NORTH KOREA AT A CROSSROADS
2. The Korean War (1950–1953): Causes and Consequences      37
3. North Korea’s Continuing Survival: The Pathway of Confucianism and Self-reliance      51
4. Roads to Korean Unification      61

PART III. THE NORTH KOREAN ECONOMY AND ITS OPEN DOOR POLICY
5. The North Korean Economy      77
6. Inter-Korean Economic Relations      99
7. Doing Business with North Korea      115
8. The North Korean Famine and Korean NGOs      135

PART IV. THE CASE FOR RECONCILIATION WITH NORTH KOREA
9. Eight Compelling Reasons for a Policy of Reconciliation with North Korea      153

Appendix A: Chronologies      179
Appendix B: Think Tanks for Korean Studies      193
Index      217

“a must”—Midwest Book Review.