InfoTrac Reader North Korea North Korea remains one of the world’s most authoritarian and reclusive countries. Leader Kim Jong Il is the son of Kim Il Sung, the man who founded and led North Korea until his death in 1994. He has continued the cult of personality surrounding the leadership. North Korea continues to struggle with an inefficient industrial economy and agricultural sector. Famine and malnutrition are common in many parts of the country. Its unwillingness to integrate into the international system will likely mean continued economic problems, although the government has begun pursuing limited reforms that could increase economic efficiency, and it is allowing some foreign investment. Foreign relations continue to be the dominant focus for North Korea. It has maintained a dialog with South Korea, although normal relations between the two Koreas is unlikely to occur any time soon as long as Kim Jong Il remains as leader. By mid-2004 it was clear that North Korea likely possessed nuclear weapons and also the missile technology to deliver them to at least Japan and possibly even the United States. Talks between the United States, China, Japan, Russia, and South Korea have occurred sporadically to address the issue. Economic reform and military downsizing; a key to solving the North Korean nuclear crisis. Michael O'Hanlon, Mike Mochizuki. Brookings Review Fall 2003 v21 i4 p12(6) (3647 words) The hermit mouse roars: North Korea. Alexandre Mansourov. Asian Affairs: An American Review Summer 2003 v30 i2 p88(8) (3533 words) Where are the hawks on North Korea? Faced with a real crisis, Bush does nothing. (George W. Bush) Ivo H. Daalder, James M. Lindsay. The American Prospect Feb 2003 v14 i2 p27(2) (1615 words) North Korea's weapons of mass destruction: badges, shields, or swords? Victor D. Cha. Political Science Quarterly Summer 2002 v117 i2 p209(22) (11041 words) Passing the ammunition; Dealing with North Korea. (Would Democrats deal differently with North Korea?) The Economist (US) May 8, 2004 v371 i8374 p32US (562 words) Kim Jong Il must go. (North Korea) Henry S. Rowen. Policy Review Oct-Nov 2003 i121 p3(14) (6313 words) The North Korean conundrum. Nicholas Mele. America Sept 8, 2003 v189 i6 p18 (2108 words) Decoding North Korea. (What a Dictator Wants) Donald Kirk. The New Leader Sept-Oct 2003 v86 i5 p9(3) (2134 words) North Korea moving from isolation to an open market economy: is it time to invest or to continue observing? Sang T. Choe. Competitiveness Review Summer-Fall 2003 v13 i2 p60(10) (3531 words) North Korea's military strategy. Homer T. Hodge. Parameters Spring 2003 v33 i1 p68(14) (7122 words) Never mind. (Comment). (Bill Richardson, North Korea and George W. Bush's administration) Robert Kuttner. The American Prospect Feb 2003 v14 i2 p2(1) (785 words) Five reasons to do business with North Korea. Sang T. Choe, Kelly D. Huff. International Journal of Commerce and Management Summer 2002 v12 i2 p31(14) (4020 words) Kim takes control: the "Great Purge" in North Korea, 1956-1960. Andrei N. Lankov. Korean Studies Annual 2002 v26 i1 p87(34) (15178 words) Mortality in North Korea rises by 40% in seven years. (News). (Statistical Data Included) Joe Lamar. British Medical Journal Dec 1, 2001 v323 i7324 p1272(1) (303 words) Famine in North Korea: Causes and Cures(*). (Statistical Data Included) Marcus Noland, Sherman Robinson, Tao Wang. Economic Development & Cultural Change July 2001 v49 i4 p741 (11821 words) The North Korean Famine and Its Demographic Impact. DANIEL GOODKIND, LORAINE WEST. Population and Development Review June 2001 v27 i2 p219 (8840 words) Joining the major powers for the status quo: China's views and policy on Korean reunification. Fei-Ling Wang. Pacific Affairs Summer 1999 v72 i2 p167(1) (8819 words) North Korea: The Land Americans Aren't Permitted to Know. John M. Swomley. The Humanist May 1999 v59 i3 p6(1) (2176 words) Kim Il Sung's Campaign against the Soviet Faction in Late 1955 and the Birth of Chuch'e. Andrei N. Lankov. Korean Studies Annual 1999 p43 (12303 words) Stopping a North Korean invasion: why defending South Korea is easier than the Pentagon thinks. Michael O'Hanlon. International Security Spring 1998 v22 n4 p135(36) (16848 words) Women and revolution in North Korea. Kyung Ae Park. Pacific Affairs Winter 1992 v65 n4 p527(19) (7521 words) Riding a Tiger in North Korea. Selig S. Harrison. Newsweek International May 17, 2004 p33 (840 words) The First Signs of Life; Will economic reforms in the Hermit Kingdom save Kim Jong Il's regime--or hasten the fall? George Wehrfritz, B. J. Lee, Hideko Takayama. Newsweek International Feb 2, 2004 p28 (1507 words) Ready to leave the old time: North Korea wants to follow China's path. But will George W Bush let it do so? Glyn Ford. New Statesman (1996) Oct 27, 2003 v132 i4661 p33(1) (939 words) Desperate straits; North Korea's economy. (North Korea's desperate reliance on China) The Economist (US) May 3, 2003 v367 i8322 pNA (933 words) A Turn Of The Screw: How do you nix Kim Jong Il's atomic ambition? Squeeze him economically. Nicholas Eberstadt. Time International March 3, 2003 v161 i8 p43 (795 words) Psst, Wanna Nuke? (Asia/North Korea)(international weapons trade) Donald Macintyre. Time International March 3, 2003 v161 i8 p38+ (864 words) Nothing left to lose: Weekly Reader editor Laura McClure recently spent a week in South Korea talking with kids who dared to flee North Korea. The teenagers' names have been changed to protect the members of their families who are still in North Korea. (Feature Story)(Cover Story) Laura McClure. Weekly Reader, Senior Edition (including Science Spin) Oct 3, 2003 v82 i6 p2(3) (920 words)