Back when I was a working political scientist I spent a lot of time in the library reading newspapers (in translation) from Japan, principally about security issues. (We could not get this news online as recently as the 1990s.) Occasionally I would also peek in at the North Korean press, which was--if you could set aside the fact that millions of lives were ruined or ended by the regime that publishes the stuff--hysterically funny. Sadly, the Western press does not nearly make up for all the deficiencies in that ludicrous propaganda from Pyongyang. Much worse, we have too many pundits and policymakers who know little about North Korea yet confidently carry on contributing to the stupidity of others.
Given all the junk punditry, where should one turn for enlightenment on how to think about North Korea?
In a blog post over at Spot-on I suggest a couple of worthwhile review essays that are available online.--Marshal Zeringue
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