[KS] Striking photographs of the DPRK from AP's David Guttenfelder, in The Atlantic

Tue Aug 9 19:56:44 EDT 2011

The article recommended by Ruediger, "The black hole of North Korea" is an
interesting one. But for me the most interesting passage was the one that
followed the author's description of his efforts to explore and describe the
extent of meth addiction in the DPRK:

      "I have no idea how many of my U.S. college classmates tried crystal
meth, and I spent four years among them in one of the most open societies in
the world."

When we compare the (relative) lack of information we have about North
Korea, we should probably remember that all too often we resort to
caricature, stereotype, and simplistic conclusions about people, places and
modes of behavior about which we ostensibly know much, much more. Yes, we
may indeed view the DPRK through an orientalist lens but we probably also
view even friends and neighbors through "the glass darkly" as it were.

On Tue, Aug 9, 2011 at 4:31 PM, don kirk <kirkdon at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Right, good questions. Many more than "one or two" -- including a few
> hundred thousand who've fled to China and elsewhere.
> Thanks,
> Don
>
> --- On *Tue, 8/9/11, Werner Sasse <werner_sasse at hotmail.com>* wrote:
>
>
> From: Werner Sasse <werner_sasse at hotmail.com>
>
> Subject: Re: [KS] Striking photographs of the DPRK from AP's David
> Guttenfelder, in The Atlantic
> To: "list korean studies" <koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>
> Date: Tuesday, August 9, 2011, 10:26 AM
>
>
>  Dear Don,
>
> Please read Charles' plea again: "that North Korea occupies the same planet
> that we do, and that it is populated by human beings with the same needs,
> desires, and general level of intelligence as people anywhere else. It seems
> to me that any useful criticism has to begin with this recognition of
> commonality, rather that the idea of North Korea as an unknowable Other.
>
> To clarify my position: I am German and have for centuries been a victim of
> black-white press coverage where the Russians, East Germans ertc. were
> un-human... (and which idiot invented the "axis of evi"l? Let us get away
> from phrases and return to issues)
>
> By the way: how do your books on Korean history explain the 19th century
> (another un-common country?)
>
> Which rock song has the beautiful phrase "the Russians love their children,
> too...?
>
> "...gulag system, dynastic succession and numerous other issues ..." YES,
> but there maybe still one or two N-Korean who is only trying to make a
> living..
>
> Good thoughts,
>
> Werner
>
>
> ------------------------------
> Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2011 12:47:53 -0700
> From: kirkdon at yahoo.com
> To: koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws
> Subject: Re: [KS] Striking photographs of the DPRK from AP's David
> Guttenfelder, in The Atlantic
>
> Or could it be that NKorea, with its gulag system, dynastic succession and
> numerous other issues and constraints, is, in fact, not an "ordinary"
> country at all? It doesn't seem to me that it helps a lot to try to put
> NKorea in the "ordinary" category -- that's sort of an affront to a number
> of other places and nations, not least SKorea.
> Don Kirk
>
> --- On *Mon, 8/8/11, Charles K. Armstrong <cra10 at columbia.edu>* wrote:
>
>
> From: Charles K. Armstrong <cra10 at columbia.edu>
> Subject: Re: [KS] Striking photographs of the DPRK from AP's David
> Guttenfelder, in The Atlantic
> To: koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws
> Date: Monday, August 8, 2011, 9:42 AM
>
> Dear Ruediger and all,
>
> I would like to expand a bit on my brief comments last week. They were not
> meant as a criticism of Aidan's taste or the perfectly fine photos in the
> Atlantic. What troubles me, however, it the continued exoticization of North
> Korea in the Western (particularly, perhaps, American) media that the
> article reflects. After all, it is unlikely that there would be a major
> spread in a leading American journal of equally fine photos of, say, Canada
> or France -- or South Korea for that matter. These images of North Korea
> warrant such attention because North Korea is supposedly so isolated,
> inaccessible, and alien that any representation other than the usual stock
> images is greeted with astonishment (not by members of this listserve, of
> course, but the general reading public). Anything that goes beyond the
> narrow standard narrative of military threat, starvation and gulags is
> jarring to an American media audience. This is not to say these things don't
> exist -- they certainly do -- but obviously that's not all there is, and I
> am dismayed that the evidence that everyday life exists in North Korea is
> treated in this country as a journalistic discovery. My hope is that someday
> North Korea will be treated as an ordinary country. "Ordinary" here is not
> meant as a value judgment, as there is obviously plenty to criticize about
> the DPRK. Rather, I simply mean that one would never guess from most media
> representations of the place (at least in this country) that North Korea
> occupies the same planet that we do, and that it is populated by human
> beings with the same needs, desires, and general level of intelligence as
> people anywhere else. It seems to me that any useful criticism has to begin
> with this recognition of commonality, rather that the idea of North Korea as
> an unknowable Other.
>
> best,
>
> Charles
>
> --Charles K. Armstrong
> Professor of History
> Director, Center for Korean Research
> Columbia University
> 930 International Affairs Building
> 420 West 118th Street
> New York, NY 10027
>
> Tel: 212-854-1721
> Fax: 212-749-1497
>
>
> Quoting Ruediger Frank <ruediger.frank at univie.ac.at>:
>
> > Dear all,
> > 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:
> > Exploring North Korean Arts. Nuremberg: Verlag für moderne Kunst,
> available at
> >
> 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
> > Other contributors are Koen DeCeuster, Brian Myers, Sonja Haussler,
> James Hoare, Jane Portal, Frank Hoffmann, Keith Howard, Ross King,  Marsha
> Haufler and Dafna Zur.
> > 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
> http://wirtschaft.ostasien.univie.ac.at I'll send out a note to this  list
> once this is done.
> > For now, you might want to have a look at the program of last
> September's related symposium for an impression:
> >
> http://wirtschaft.ostasien.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/lehrstuhl_wirtschaft_ostasien/Konferenzen/KOREA_FolderSymposium_04.pdf
> > 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.
> > Best,
> > Rudiger
> > 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.
> >
> > --
> > Univ.-Prof. Dr. Rudiger Frank
> > Chair of East Asian Economy and Society
> > Secretary, Association for Korean Studies in Europe
> > Deputy Head, Department of East Asian Studies
> > University of Vienna
> > Department of East Asian Studies
> > Spitalgasse 2 Hof 2.3
> > 1090 Vienna
> > - Austria -
> >
> > phone:  +43-1-4277 43871
> > fax:    +43-1-4277 43849
> > institutional website:   http://wirtschaft.ostasien.univie.ac.at
> > email: ruediger.frank at univie.ac.at
> >
>
>
>
>

-- 
Kirk W. Larsen
Department of History
2151 JFSB
BYU
Provo, UT 84602-6707
(801) 422-3445
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