North Korean studies, off the beaten path



Evergreen North Korean studies, off the beaten path NK News series presents emerging, lesser-known names in N. Korean studies Gianluca Spezza April 24, 2014 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON E. Lafforgue The longevity of North Korea baffles most observers, as does the apparent lack of information about the country. However, we know much more about it today than we did a few decades ago, and this is due not only to a steady rise in interest in the country, but the development of new generations of scholars and authors. Granted, there are aspects of North Korea that are still very difficult to analyze, as the DPRK is essentially closed to real fieldwork from outside scholars, while access to its internal documentary sources is, to say the least, hard. Despite such difficulties, © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update & Podcast Updates Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

Evergreen

North Korean studies, off the beaten path

NK News series presents emerging, lesser-known names in N. Korean studies

Gianluca Spezza April 24, 2014

North Korean studies, off the beaten path

E. Lafforgue

The longevity of North Korea baffles most observers, as does the apparent lack of information about the country. However, we know much more about it today than we did a few decades ago, and this is due not only to a steady rise in interest in the country, but the development of new generations of scholars and authors.

Granted, there are aspects of North Korea that are still very difficult to analyze, as the DPRK is essentially closed to real fieldwork from outside scholars, while access to its internal documentary sources is, to say the least, hard.

Despite such difficulties,

About the Author

Gianluca Spezza

Gianluca Spezza earned his PhD in 2017 from the University of Central Lancashire under the supervision of Professor Hazel Smith, on the strength of research on the cooperation between UNICEF and the DPRK in education and childcare. Dr Spezza is an assistant professor of international relations and a senior researcher at the DPRK Strategy Center at KIMEP University in Almaty, Kazakhstan; he is writing a monograph on education, international cooperation, and human capital in North Korea (Palgrave 2021). His work on the DPRK, articles or interviews, can be found, among others, on the websites of the BBC, The Guardian, The Diplomat, IRIN News, NK News, DR.dk, Newsweek Korea, and El Confidential.

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