<html><head><title>Re: [KS] Striking photographs of the DPRK from AP's David Guttenfelder, in The Atlantic</title>
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<span style=" font-family:'Arial'; font-size: 12pt;">Dear all,<br>
I should add in Aidan's defense that he is of course quite aware of that problem - people going to NK and getting excited over allegedly new stuff that has been known to others for years. As an economist, I suspect some marketing tactics behind these claims of exclusivity. But guess what, it works. Nicely and sharply, as always, Aidan called this the "Columbus effect" in a chapter (DPRKrazy, Sexy, Cool: The Art of Engaging North Korea) he and his wife Kate Hext contributed to a book that has just been published:<br>
Exploring North Korean Arts. Nuremberg: Verlag für moderne Kunst, available at <br>
<a href="http://www.amazon.de/Exploring-North-Korean-R%C3%BCdiger-Frank/dp/3869842148/ref=sr_1_1?s=books-intl-de&ie=UTF8&qid=1312714927&sr=1-1">http://www.amazon.de/Exploring-North-Korean-R%C3%BCdiger-Frank/dp/3869842148/ref=sr_1_1?s=books-intl-de&ie=UTF8&qid=1312714927&sr=1-1</a><br>
Other contributors are Koen DeCeuster, Brian Myers, Sonja Haussler, James Hoare, Jane Portal, Frank Hoffmann, Keith Howard, Ross King, Marsha Haufler and Dafna Zur. <br>
Speaking of marketing: This book was hard work, in many respects. But I dare saying it was worth all the effort, for it is systematic, rigorous, controversial, balanced, and full of highly interesting information and discussion. Well, of course I think so; I am the editor. So you better see for yourself. I have to work out the copyright details yet; but soon the introductory chapter along with a table of contents will be available at <a href="http://wirtschaft.ostasien.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/lehrstuhl_wirtschaft_ostasien/Konferenzen/KOREA_FolderSymposium_04.pdf">http://wirtschaft.ostasien.univie.ac.at</a> I'll send out a note to this list once this is done.<br>
For now, you might want to have a look at the program of last September's related symposium for an impression: <br>
<a href="http://wirtschaft.ostasien.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/lehrstuhl_wirtschaft_ostasien/Konferenzen/KOREA_FolderSymposium_04.pdf">http://wirtschaft.ostasien.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/lehrstuhl_wirtschaft_ostasien/Konferenzen/KOREA_FolderSymposium_04.pdf</a><br>
If anyone on the list is interested in doing a review, please contact me for a review copy (and indicate where/when the review is going to appear). My contact details are below. Or just convince your librarian to order it so that your students have access, too.<br>
Best,<br>
Rudiger <br>
PS: A short note on Arirang, since it came up in the discussion (the same could be said about posters and the rest of the propaganda stuff): I have been there a couple of times, and it does change, like adding a full new chapter on cho-chung ch'insOng. Most of this is a reflection of changing priorities/nuances in domestic and foreign policy. Some people find it hard to believe, but the White Man is not the center of the world, and not everything North Korea does is meant as a signal to us. I know; it's tough. <br>
<br>
<span style=" font-size: 8pt; color: #c0c0c0;"><i>-- <br>
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Rudiger Frank<br>
Chair of East Asian Economy and Society<br>
Secretary, Association for Korean Studies in Europe<br>
Deputy Head, Department of East Asian Studies<br>
University of Vienna<br>
Department of East Asian Studies<br>
Spitalgasse 2 Hof 2.3<br>
1090 Vienna<br>
- Austria -<br>
<br>
phone: +43-1-4277 43871<br>
fax: +43-1-4277 43849<br>
institutional website: <a style=" color: #c0c0c0; font-style: normal;" href="http://wirtschaft.ostasien.univie.ac.at">http://wirtschaft.ostasien.univie.ac.at</a><br>
email: <a style=" color: #c0c0c0; font-style: normal;" href="mailto:ruediger.frank@univie.ac.at">ruediger.frank@univie.ac.at</a><br>
<br>
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