Stephan Haggard Comments on Rising N. Korean Dissent
N. Korea dissent on rise: US study
02/01/2011
Shaun Tandon,
AFP
Long imagined as docile followers, North Koreans are increasingly skeptical of their leaders as a burgeoning marketplace and foreign media broaden their worldview, a study said Monday.
Two US academics surveyed North Koreans who fled the country and found that virtually none believed that Kim Jong-Il's regime was improving, while a vast majority backed Korea's reunification on the terms of the US-allied South.
"I think of the North Korean state as a surfer. They're trying to maintain their balance on top of this dynamic, shifting foundation," said Marcus Noland, co-author of the new book "Witness to Transformation."
Noland, deputy director of the Washington-based Peterson Institute for International Economics, acknowledged that the survey sample was not representative as refugees by definition had problems in their home country.
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Related Links
Stephan Haggard can provide commentary on current developments in the Asia-Pacific, including particularly Korea, and on the politics of economic reform and globalization.
For more information on Stephan Haggard's new book, Witness to Transformation: Refugee Insights into North Korea, please see the Peterson Insitute's book release.
Click here to read Professor Haggard and Marcus Noland's related blog on North Korea.
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