<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Dear Prof. Boyton,<div>On the appeal of Juche in the 1970s, one might look at the case of Guyana, which in the 1970s under the leadership of Linden Burnham developed a close relationship with North Korea. I once had a student write a senior thesis on this topic; he showed quite convincingly that the north Korea model appealed greatly to a leadership that faced social unrest, a failing economy and a military threat from next door (Venezuela). North Korea in that period appealed as a postcolonial country that had developed rapidly, ostensibly through its 'self-reliant' policies. What is most remarkable is that among the many advisors that arrived to Guyana were experts in the mass-games - this was precisely the type of popular discipline they hoped to instill in their population. Apparently, many Guyanese of a certain generation recall -- fondly or not, I'm not aware -- the childhood experience of spending hours drilling for their own mass games.</div><div><br></div><div>Perhaps the gruel was not so thin as we often think today.</div><div><br></div><div>Andre Schmid</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div> <br><div><div>On 28-May-12, at 1:52 AM, Robert S Boynton wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite">I've been an enthusiastic consumer of this listserv for the past two years, and although I<br>have found it extremely helpful and informative, I've never posted before. I'm finishing writing<br>a book about North Korea's abduction project in the 1970s and 1980s, and am having trouble<br> writing a chapter having to do with the Yodogo hijackers, juche study groups and juche thought.<br><br>My problem is that I can't find a way to explain the allure that juche has for some people, especially<br>young Japanese in the 1970s. I'm sure that leftist enthusiasm for the North Korean experiment played a role,<br> but it couldn't have been that entirely. The juche ideas I've encountered have seemed like pretty thin gruel, and<br>I was hoping someone could direct me to literature or individuals who could hep me understand why some <br> people have felt compelled to change their lives and become followers of juche. <br><br>I'm familiar with BR Meyers argument that juche is little more than philosophical nonsense produced purely<br>for export. Perhaps it is, but I'd like to understand why some have found it worth importing. Thank you. I welcome any <br> responses either via the listserv, or to my email, which is bellow. <br clear="all">-- <br>Robert S. Boynton<div>Director of Literary Reportage Concentration<br><div>Associate Professor</div></div><div>Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute</div> <div>New York University</div><div>20 Cooper Square</div><div>New York, NY 10003</div><div><a href="mailto:robert.boynton@nyu.edu" target="_blank">robert.boynton@nyu.edu</a></div><div>212-998-7594<br><br><u><b>TOKYO CELL NUMBER: 080-3413-2370</b></u><br> </div><br></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>