North Korea After Kim Jong-il

Our latest edition of Korean Kontext focuses on the recent death of Kim Jong-il and the prospects for North Korea under the stewardship of his son, Kim Jong-un.  In this special length episode recorded in the United Kingdom,  Korean Kontext spoke to four European experts and practitioners: 1) Britain’s long-time North Korea watcher Mr. Aidan Foster-Carter (Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Sociology & Modern Korea, Leeds University); 2) Mr. Andray Abrahamian (the Executive Director of Chosun Exchange - a not-for-profit focusing on educational issues in the DPRK); 3)  Ms. Marie-laure Verdier (a specialist studying humanitarian NGOs active along the China-North Korea border; and 4) Mr. Gareth Johnson (a British entrepreneur who lives in China and does business in North Korea). With North Koreans idolizing the Kim family for over six decades, it was no surprise to see the country shut-down in widespread grief for an official period of mourning following news of Kim Jong-il’s death.  But how was the news received elsewhere in the world like Europe? How was the quality of the general news coverage?  What was the impact on Western business and NGO activities along the border regions and within North Korea? How did North Korea’s interaction with the outside world change after the death especially with international NGOs and businesses?  The Korean Kontext explores these questions and more with European experts that give their assessment of North Korea’s tenuous future. Come listen to the conversations as the Korean Kontext analyzes one of the most significant developments North of the DMZ this millennium.