Book Review: North Korea: State of Paranoia by Paul French

Paul French has attempted to write about one of the world’s most secretive societies and one that has remained largely unknown to the general public, as well as listening to fears frequently expressed in the media about the threat posed by its nuclear weapons. The task may seem almost impossible, but the author has collected data from a number of North Korean watchdog research centers and the testimony of numerous flaws, including some who previously held high ranks in the long-established regime of the three Kims: the founder, Kim Il-sung, his son, Kim Jong-il, and his grandson, Kim Jong-un. The result is a fairly comprehensive, if somewhat dated, study of the political and economic status of a failed state trapped by its ideology and the need to preserve the infallibility of its ruling dynasty.

The most illuminating part of this book is its analysis of Juche, a uniquely Korean blend of Marxist-Leninist ideology, with elements of Chairman Mao’s Thoughts, Confucianism, traditional Korean attributes, and attitudes derived from the liberation struggle against the Japanese. In practice, it serves to preserve the Kim government and prioritizes the needs of the military. Juche has penetrated deeply into North Korean society and is the main factor preventing any serious political challenge to the status quo. The government has gone to great lengths to prevent knowledge of South Korea’s prosperity from being available north of the 38th parallel, and has persuaded generation after generation of its citizens that their continued poverty is not the fault of the rulers or their policies.

Although the book first appeared in 2014 and was republished with a revision in 2015, it gives the impression of being a decade earlier. Dates in references to North Korea’s internal affairs do not appear after 2003, although some US military deployments are mentioned as late as 2013. This may be due to the inevitable delay in anything emerging within a closed society, but some confirmation of this situation. it might have been helpful to the reader in defining the historical context.

According to the publicity note on the back cover of the book, one reviewer found that ‘Paul French writes with wit, eloquence, and exceptional clarity.’ This is a generous view of the author’s performance. The writing is in the style of official reporting and humor is not a feature but a text full of acronyms (about 120 are listed) and many foreign names will always struggle for fluency. The edition is incomplete, with remnants of the author’s draft revisions surviving in the published text. There seems to be little reason to rush the book into print in view of the inevitable obsolescence of its contents.