This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Balázs Szalontai. They speak about the origins and the evolution that occurred with in the North Korean socio-political system from 1945 to 1994 with the death of Kim Il-sung, the impact of Japanese colonial rule, the creation of this system under Soviet occupation, the impact of significant events such as the Korean War, the factionalism and in-fighting that happened, the purges and the eventual dynastic succession, and importantly why the North Korean socio-political system looks the way it does today and why it has been able to hold onto power for so long.
Balázs Szalontai is a Professor at Korea University, a former-Fulbright Scholar and Visiting Professor at Mongolian International University of Science and Technology, and a former-Research Associate at the Institute for International Education in Seoul. Balázs is the author of ‘Kim Il Sung in the Khrushchev Era: Soviet-DPRK Relations and the Roots of North Korean Despotism, 1953-1964’ and ‘North Korea Caught in Time: Images of War and Reconstruction’. He is also the author of ‘Captives of the Past: The Questions of Responsibility and Reconciliation in North Korea’s Narratives of the Korean War’, and his academic works can be found at: Balazs Szalontai | Korea University, Republic of Korea - Academia.edu
*** The Evolution of the North Korean Socio-Political System, 1945-1994 ((DOC) The Evolution of the North Korean Socio-Political System, 1945-1994 | Balazs Szalontai - Academia.edu).
*** Weathering the Storm, Toppled by the Storm: North Korea's Non-transition Compared with the Transitions of Romania and Albania, 1989-1991 ((PDF) Weathering the Storm, Toppled by the Storm: North Korea's Non-transition Compared with the Transitions of Romania and Albania, 1989-1991 | Balazs Szalontai - Academia.edu).
*** Immunity to Resistance? State-Society Relations and Political Stability in North Korea in a Comparative Perspective ((PDF) Immunity to Resistance? State-Society Relations and Political Stability in North Korea in a Comparative Perspective | Balazs Szalontai and C. Changyong - Academia.edu).
*** The Wilson Center's North Korea International Documentation Project (https://www.wilsoncenter.org/program/north-korea-international-documentation-project).
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The Korea Now Podcast #122 – Robert Winstanley-Chesters – ‘The Armstrong Affair and Questions of Authorship in Korean Studies’
The Korea Now Podcast #121 – Brad Glosserman – ‘War in Ukraine - Implications for East Asia’
The Korea Now Podcast #120 – Meredith Shaw – ‘Antagonisms in South Korean Politics - Anti-Japanism vs. Anti-Communism’
The Korea Now Podcast #119 – Balázs Szalontai – ‘The Chinese-North Korean Relationship’
The Korea Now Podcast #118 – Vladimir Tikhonov – ‘Korea’s Socialist Century’
The Korea Now Podcast #117 – Terence Roehrig – ‘South Korea’s Maritime Challenges’
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The Korea Now Podcast #115 – Stephen Nagy – ‘The China Challenge’
The Korea Now Podcast #114 (Literature Series) – Youngju Ryu – ‘Torture, Kim Chiha and South Korea’s Difficult Authoritarian Legacy’
The Korea Now Podcast #113 (Literature Series) – Chizuko Allen – ‘Choe Nam-son - Youth Magazines and Global Korea’
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The Korea Now Podcast #107 (Literature Series) – Ross King – ‘James Scarth Gale - Life, Translations, and Lost Works’
The Korea Now Podcast #106 – Hyunhee Park – ‘The History of Soju’
The Korea Now Podcast #105 – Ben Young – ‘Guns, Guerillas, and the Great Leader’
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