Hunter provides a glimpse inside North Korean society, detailing the everyday life of people living in perhaps the most isolated, secretive society of the 20th century. In this declassified CIA study, she describes the world's most extreme cult society under the charismatic totalitarian leader, Kim Il-song, who ruled his people for 45 years—longer than any other leader of the 20th century.
Kim Il-song's totalitarian cult society comes closest to George Orwell's 1984 than any society yet contrived. Hunter brings to life what it is like to live in a thoroughly thought-controlled society—which also is the world's most class-conscious society. Based on all the sources available to the CIA at the time, this book is the most comprehensive look at North Korean life ever published. It is essential reading for foreign policy officials, Asian Studies scholars, and the general public interested in world affairs.
| Illustrations | ||
| Foreword | ||
| Introduction | ||
| Pt. 1 | The Twin Pillars of Society | 1 |
| 1 | Songbun | 3 |
| 2 | The Cult of Kim Il-song | 13 |
| 3 | The Kim Il-song Man: Good Songbun and Dedication to Kim | 31 |
| Pt. 2 | Kim's Blueprint for Life: From the Cradle to the Grave | 35 |
| 4 | Family Life | 37 |
| 5 | Children: "Living Like Kings and Queens" | 45 |
| 6 | The Teenage Years: A Rude Awakening | 53 |
| 7 | Leisure Activities | 67 |
| 8 | Romance | 73 |
| 9 | Hoodlums | 77 |
| 10 | The Long Years in the Military | 83 |
| 11 | The Women Left Behind | 95 |
| 12 | Marriage | 99 |
| 13 | Working to Death: An Exhausted Population | 109 |
| Pt. 3 | The Dream versus Reality | 115 |
| 14 | Pyongyang: Kim's Dream City | 117 |
| 15 | The Privileged Life | 129 |
| 16 | Real Life | 141 |
| 17 | Consumer Goods and Services | 159 |
| 18 | Personal Savings | 185 |
| 19 | Housing | 187 |
| 20 | Education | 207 |
| 21 | Health Care | 221 |
| Epilogue | 239 | |
| Further Reading | 243 | |
| Index | 245 |
Anonymous
Posted August 12, 2001
This is a very interesting book about life in North Korea. The only problem is the decreption true. Hard to say but a must read for anyone interesting in North Korea. I highly recommend this b
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Overview
Hunter provides a glimpse inside North Korean society, detailing the everyday life of people living in perhaps the most isolated, secretive society of the 20th century. In this declassified CIA study, she describes the world's most extreme cult society under the charismatic totalitarian leader, Kim Il-song, who ruled his people for 45 years—longer than any other leader of the 20th century.
Kim Il-song's totalitarian cult society comes closest to George Orwell's 1984 than any ...