[KS] Re: queries on North Korea

[Keith Pratt]

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Dear Stephen

I can't answer your queries myself, but members may like to know that
following the appointment of the President of the British Association for
Korean Studies, Dr James Hoare, as British Charge d'Affaires in Pyongyang,
and the recent British Museum delegation to PY led by our Council member
Mrs Jane Portal, BAKS intends to arrange a short seminar in London on
North Korean cultural topics in the autumn, probably October or November.
Details have yet to be fixed, but I will post them to the List as soon as
they are known. I'm not saying that we can keep politics out of a
conference on DPRK, but the intention is to try and begin answering
questions such as yours.

If any List members want to receive further information about the
conference as it emerges, please let me know.

Best wishes,

Keith Pratt
Immediate Past President, BAKS
University of Durham, UK


On Sun, 25 Mar 2001, Stephen Epstein wrote:

> 
> 
> Although mindful of the policy against double posts, my query to the open list
> pretty much struck out, so I'm trying again here (and adding another question
> to make it more legit...):
> 
> 1)  Does anyone know of any North Korean fiction translated into English?  As
> far as I can tell there are only the translations that accompany Bryan Myers'
> book and Marshall Pihl's article in _Korean Studies 1_, as well as two short
> stories that appeared in _Kkachi_, a one-shot translation journal from BYU in
> the early '90s. Anything else?
> 
> 2)  What about reading habits in the DPRK?  I have found little on the
> circulation of literary magazines or newspapers.  How widely read is the
> Rodong Sinmun within the country?  I have now come across a reference
> suggesting that it is generally read within work group study sessions.  Can
> anyone tell me if the same is true of stories from "ChosOn Munhak" or other
> novels?  Any information on DPRK libraries would also be very welcome.
> 
> 3) Can anyone offer information about DPRK cinema and or literature since 
> the death of Kim Il Sung?  Does anyone know of any books or films that have 
> been particularly successful?  I've come across a decent web site on N. Korean
> films but was unable to get any info on anything post-'94.  Pointers to
> sources in any European languages or readily available in S. Korea would be
> most welcome.
> 
> Thanks, Stephen
>