Buy new:
$35.00
FREE delivery Monday, May 20
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$35.00
FREE Returns
Only 2 left in stock - order soon.
$$35.00 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$35.00
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day easy returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$24.93
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
Very Good Condition. Fast Shipping. Very Good Condition. Fast Shipping. See less
FREE delivery Monday, May 20 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$35.00 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$35.00
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the authors

Andrei Lankov
+ Follow
A. N. Lanʹkov
+ Follow
See all
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

North of the DMZ: Essays on Daily Life in North Korea

by Andrei Lankov (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 68 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$35.00","priceAmount":35.00,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"35","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"00","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"bAhOXEsmh8OuRpudyJ35KjgPiBcbbKCScswUzmrraZF3I5yQY8HJnPrxod%2BzUFGd%2FGh8WlrCoznhmyMiu0KE5W%2FBO%2Bg9%2FQEgnfmdFrbzJDH4l4a1fcpZr4Ec8p7nE%2FbP557MVzkn9ww%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$24.93","priceAmount":24.93,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"24","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"93","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"bAhOXEsmh8OuRpudyJ35KjgPiBcbbKCSiAYijrXn4uHxziGRDQsqLOCQx2QY%2BkOZuOy731z%2BpLVxeZfsFX3SdTWuFh%2B4zRXP%2B%2BZZI7CXjqeYaEefX8%2BlxvRLzH57IQARXGNtgmE5dIJsUAXlIv1nCuct4i8Vr4UrayOT0PyNlYlg9qjrqY5EuY8p5QgNsrTJ","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The Kim dynasty has ruled North Korea for over 60 years. Most of that period has found the country suffering under mature Stalinism characterized by manipulation, brutality and tight social control. Nevertheless, some citizens of Kim Jong Il's regime manage to transcend his tyranny in their daily existence.

This book describes that difficult but f existence and the world that the North Koreans have created for themselves in the face of oppression. Many features of this world are unique and even bizarre. But they have been created by the citizens to reflect their own ideas and values, in sharp contrast to the world forced upon them by a totalitarian system.

Opening chapters introduce the political system and the extent to which it permeates citizens' daily lives, from the personal status badges they wear to the nationalized distribution of the food they eat. Chapters discussing the schools, the economic system, and family life dispel the myth of the workers' paradise that North Korea attempts to perpetuate. In these chapters the intricacies of daily life in a totalitarian dictatorship are seen through the eyes of defectors whose anecdotes constitute an important portion of the material. The closing chapter treats at length the significant changes that have taken place in North Korea over the last decade, concluding that these changes will lead to the quiet but inevitable death of North Korean Stalinism.

Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. ISBN-10
    0786428392
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0786428397
  3. Publisher
    McFarland & Company
  4. Publication date
    May 8, 2007
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    6 x 0.72 x 9 inches
  7. Print length
    358 pages
  8. See all details
Next page
Books with Buzz
Books with Buzz
Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. Explore more

Frequently bought together

North of the DMZ: Essays on Daily Life in North Korea
$35.00
Get it as soon as Monday, May 20
Only 2 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History
$21.99
Get it as soon as Friday, May 17
Only 15 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
$12.79
Get it as soon as Friday, May 17
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“if anything is missing here, it’s probably not worth knowing...well written, comprehensive and relevatory...valuable”―School Library Journal; “deserves ongoing mention and recommendation as a powerful survey...must have this rare insider’s look at the North Korean psyche”―Midwest Book Review; “we are obliged to Lankov for this insight...Lankov is one of the most illuminating North Korea watchers around...uniquely perceptive...especially good on the details of everyday life”―The New York Review of Books; “offers an intriguing and informative peek into North Korea through the lens of daily life”―Pacific Affairs; “valuable...a detailed description of North Korean life...one of the best guides to the daily life of North Koreans available in English”―Korean Quarterly.

About the Author

Andrei Lankov is a senior lecturer at the Australian National University.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ McFarland & Company (May 8, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 358 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0786428392
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0786428397
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.01 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.72 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 68 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Previous page
  1. Andrei Lankov

    Andrei Lankov

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Andrei Lankov is a historian and analyst of Korea past and present. He at present runs a research project that investigates daily life in North Korea through interviews with North Korean refugees. He is a professor of Kookmin University in Seoul, South Korea, and is also a regular commentator on Korean issues in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The International Herald Tribune, as well as on CNN, Fox, and Al Jazeera.

    See more on the author's page
  2. A. N. Lanʹkov

    A. N. Lanʹkov

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

    See more on the author's page
Next page

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
68 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Merrily Baird
5.0 out of 5 stars a real eye-opener on north korea
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2007
Verified Purchase
For years now, Western observers of North Korea have tended to use absolutes in describing the country. It is, for example, said to be the last Stalinist nation on earth and the world's most secretive, isolated, autarkic society, while its leader (Kim Chong-il) is characterized and caricatured as odd and ruthless in the extreme. None of these descriptors is necessarily wrong, but individually and collectively they tend to obscure the fact that a great deal has changed over the past several decades.

Riding to the rescue, so to speak, is the distinguished Russian scholar Andrei Lankov, who has gathered together in "North of the DMZ: Essays on Daily Life in North Korea" articles originally printed in the "Korea Times" and "Asia Times." Lankov brings to his musings and this book exceptional skills and credentials: he writes beautifully, has a fine sense of humor, attended Kim Il-song University several decades ago, knows South Korea as well as its northern counterpart, and has personally experienced growing up in a Communist country. The resulting book is a delight to read and certainly one of the most valuable primers ever published on North Korea, with its 100-plus essays at once both anecdotal in tone and exceptionally well-researched.

Lankov's main focus in "North of the DMZ" is the life of everyday North Koreans, and in this regard the essays cover everything from the arts, media, social structure, and recreation to love and marriage, transportation, education, and food supplies. Another large portion of the essays cover policies and control systems that the government has tried to impose, with the emphasis here on how poorly these are actually working. The essays were not written with the intent of answering strategic questions about the viability of the North Korean state, and the book does not address the perspectives of those who rule or such issues as the role of nuclear weapons in ensuring the survival of North Korea. Nonetheless, "North of the DMZ" paints a compelling picture of a society and economy in flux. This society bears little resemblance to the tightly-controlled and idealized country described in official propaganda, and anyone seeking to answer strategic questions about North Korea's future will want to factor in the tactical ground truth uncovered by Lankov.
41 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Ron L
4.0 out of 5 stars I wish he'd write an update...
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2017
Verified Purchase
Let’s be clear from the start that this is a compilation of articles written for periodicals, and as such it suffers from a certain ‘jerkiness’ as the subject is constantly changing. Plus we also get more than a little repetition, as, for instance, a term is (once more) defined for a presumed new reader. Further, there are inconsistencies since it seems that as new data became available numbers might change; see the number of deaths from the 1990’s famine for example. Suffice to say, it could have been improved by a more attentive editor. Add to that, the photos are often not very clear; certainly not pro-quality. And then my (used) copy came with marginal notes; not as advertised.
It is certainly worth the read regardless.
I’ve read some few books on the subject of North Korea, but there seems to be a serious disconnect between them.
Some claim that we in the west are misled; that the lives of those in North Korea are not drastically different from those who live in the westernized nations of Asia.
Others are clear regarding how the population of NK is mistreated by the government and how the NK people manage to live their lives as a result of, and in spite of, that mistreatment. Lankov is no apologist for the disaster known as North Korea.
Lankov is a survivor of the disaster known as the USSR. He, tellingly, takes the western left to task for its fashion of propagandizing in support of the failing commie states, including, finally, the DPRK, as the others collapsed. The western left’s fantasies of free stuff and utopias only finds limits when mass starvation is obvious and becomes too clear to ignore, and with regard to NK, some still haven’t opened their eyes,
It would seem that those right across the border in South Korea would be immune to such foolishness, given the abundant NK corpses, but it seems not, and those fools get a critique also.
But Lankov is still subject to wishful thinking at times: the preface makes the claim (Pg 2) that “Most people’s lives remain nearly untouched by high politics…” (whatever “high” politics means), and then spends the next 300 pages presenting evidence that the lives of North Koreans are impacted by politics (high or low, I’m not sure) in 24/7/365 fashion. Never do those in North Korea ever get to ignore politics; a slip of the tongue can put you and your family in a ‘camp’ from which you will hope you escape by dying. Perhaps they might appear to be able to ignore politics, but after reading the book, you might (as I did) come to believe the NK population has simply developed deception to a fine art.
Similarly, he claims the communists here and elsewhere delivered better healthcare than the democracies, citing WHO ‘estimates’ for longevity and infant mortality. Any digging at all tells you that WHO uses the data provided by the government of the country in question to develop those estimates; the same Communist governments which constantly and blatantly lie in every other form of data.
In the case of North and South Korea, we also have the clear evidence of poor health in the decreased stature (some several inches) of NK people as a result of life-long malnutrition. And we have Lanklov’s information on the same page regarding shortages or lacks of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment. Evidence beats claims (and estimates) always and everywhere.
Then, questionably, he assumes the founders of the North Korean government were idealists rather than power-hungry thugs and toward the end, he details a lavish dinner for the Kims and associates during the famine when thousands were dying of starvation daily and rhetorically asks whether they were “cruel”. He decides they were “indifferent”. Regarding the first, it is purely opinion and mine is different. Regarding the second, I’m not sure I see a difference.
Aside from those instances, he seems clear-headed regarding the dishonesty, mistreatment, constant indoctrination, imprisonment, and starvation of the North Korean population at the hands of the government, and the transgressions of that government in many other areas, including outright kidnapping of foreign nationals.
But one anecdote caught my eye: Regarding the NK workers engaged in logging in Russia, he notes the poor treatment (by western standards), but also the extremely high pay by comparison to what it is possible to earn in NK. Further, he states that the workers have about 1/3 of that amount collected by the supervisors for use by the NK government. Compared to most Western governments, the Norks are in a low-tax area!
Unlike any other account I’ve read, he does take a long view of the circumstances, often wondering what will occur when the Kims lose power, as they must. None of the alternatives are pretty and there’s much worthy of consideration. He touches on one effort which gets little attention: The South really has no interest in unification by now. They have watched what happened when East Germany collapsed and seen the tremendous costs involved in cleaning up the messes left by Communists world-wide. They’d rather the North ‘progress’ such that they do not have to play the savior to one more batch of Communist victims.
Flawed, but well worth reading.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2012
Verified Purchase
This is a fascinating journey through several decades of North Korean modern history. Mr Lankov was an exchange student there in the early 80's, a fate I share albeit in a country close by. I wish he had spent some time on some of the concrete experiences he had while there, providing more of a glimpse of everyday life as an exchange student in Pyongyang, an experience few have encountered.

The book is a compilation of columns, as such much is regurgitated, hence a vigilant copy editor would have provided a tighter text and perhaps some re-writes as well. His conclusions at the end of most of the columns seems a bit "beige" for lack of a better word, not bland just beige. Having most likely lived on a steady diet of kimchi I would have expected more spicy conclusions.

I read the Kindle edition. It is unfortunately laced with bad or lazy formatting, new columns (chapters) begin in the middle of a page, photos are not re-sized to fit the Kindle format and there is no interactive ToC. This is most likely no fault of Mr. Lankov, but his agent or publisher has made him a dis-service by not reviewing the digital file more thoroughly. It is unfortunate because Mr. Lankov's text deserves to be handled with more respect.

Some people might find a three star review critical, but the review takes the whole package into consideration. The text itself is clearly worthy of four stars, and even five with a more comprehensive editor. The sloppy formatting is what holds down the overall impression.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report