An enlightening look behind the curtain

This is a very intelligently thought out and written book. The temptation to visit the more lurid details of torture and death are avoided and the focus is on political problems and policies.
My only criticism is of the narration. Some odd pronunciations and rather robot style of delivery.

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Informational, thought provoking

The author provides much food for thought. Facts presented and conclusions drawn all make sense. I found this book highly interested, and pretty well written.

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Almost perfect.

A very interesting history of North Korea and a fair take on its possible future. The performance can be a little dry but it suits the subject matter.

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Illuminating

Very informative but a little repetitive at points. Would definitely recommend however. Eye opening.

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Interesting - I didn’t know much before

I bought this audiobook to learn something about a country I hear about a lot but know little about. I enjoyed all of the background and history, I thought it was well told too. I did not expect so much of the book to be about what might happen in future, but that turned out to be interesting too, even if it was not what I thought would be in the book. I’m glad I bought and listened to it. Narration a little dull, textbook-like but then the subject matter is not a barrel of laughs.

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1 person found this helpful

Enjoyable and interesting

Lots of interesting stuff, great to dig below the very limited picture we get in news media to see a bit more about what makes the regime tick, how like has changed for North Koreans over time etc.

Only minor negatives for me were that there was a bit of repetition at points, and some parts of the book felt like they were written several years before other parts of the book. Also note that it was written in 2013 so doesn't have much about Kim Jong Un's premiership.

Narration was nice and clear, good voice for it.

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Excellently read, excellently written

Loved it, finished it quickly and with great interest. The narrator is very good, would definitely listen to more. The author is also brilliant and would love to hear more from him.

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Great Insight

Would you consider the audio edition of The Real North Korea to be better than the print version?

Yes, the narration was very well done and made for an easy read. The narrators deep voice and American accent are clear and crisp.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The general theme of the book was what interested me, getting a real insight into the North Korean way of life has interested me for years. The book provides real knowledge into the North Korean regime and how the North live in comparison to the south, it also provides a look at possible outcomes for when the Kim dynasty fall's. Possible reunification or keeping the North as a separate state.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I would listen to this book in short stints as it can be very deep with a lot to take in, I did it within a week.

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Blows away the MSM narrative

As a long time North Korea observer, including visiting the country itself, one would ask, could The Real North Korea offer much to old or new North Korea enthusiasts alike? The answer is yes, and some profound insights.
What Lankov's book is not is sensationalist in any way. The insights Lankov provides are profoundly rational and provide a very different frame to the general mainstream media narrative. The insights offered by Lankov are thus; North Korea is not a place motivated by rigid ideology and its leaders are not hardline ideologues, rather, they are profoundly rational people, and North Korea's survival against the odds is a testament to this. North Korea's leaders are perhaps the most skilful practitioners of Machiavellian politics in the world today, and they do this with reluctance as there are no easy options before them.
North Korea is a profoundly economically inefficient state that is liable to collapse in the near or long-term and North Korea's nuclear program is a form of economic blackmail to the international community. Brinksmanship and provocation are in fact, profoundly rational and calculated actions designed to create the necessary tension to back up North Korea's nuclear diplomacy.
As Lankov reveals, North Korea has always depended on aid, even in the 1950s and 60s, its most prosperous period. It has successfully played off the Soviets against China, China against the Soviets and has maintained a careful balancing act throughout to maintain national independence.
The first part of the book examines the history of North Korea, with an interesting, though not romantic examination of the life of Kim Il Sung, following onto the eventual collapse of the North Korean economy in the arduous march of the 1990s, and the examination of the North Korea of Kim Jong Il, surprisingly, a very different North Korea from the North Korea of his father.
As a long term North Korea buff, this book was a true eye opener and really changed my views on the Hermit Kingdom. The book is very well researched, insightful, comprehensive and highly readable.
The narration by Steven Grimsley has a tone of seriousness that keeps the excitement throughout.
Overall, a superb book, one of the best books this reader has read in the past 2 years.

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12 people found this helpful

Fantastic

For those who have read or listened to many North Korean related articles and books, this one picks up where the others all finish. It does make a few assumption that you are aware of the basic facts of the nation, but this allows it to delve much deeper in to detailed potential solutions and drawbacks of the reunification issue that other books don't come close to addressing.

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3 people found this helpful