Book edited by two significant american North Korea researcher had good , no propaganda picture of North Korean State and Society. This information is very needed now after Korean Summit. The book is divided for four chapters. In first part of first chapter autor prof. Suh Dae-suk presented north korean leader Kim Jong Il.He presented preconditions prsonality Kim Jong Il , Childhood ,relations with father Kim Il Sung, stepmother,family relations , education , work expierence, Study in East Germany in Air Miltary Academy interst for movie and arts. Prof. Suh Dae -suk is the best in the world knowner Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.Intersting are remarks on the future political activity Kim Jong Il. Second chapter written by prof. Marcus Noland analysed perspectives opening North Korea,s economy. Second part of book egsamineed american - North Korea relations. The authors are wide known experts like: Selig s. Harrison ,B.C.Koh ,C.Kenneth Quinnones. Third part book pay attention to security and nuclear issues . Authors are american scholars: Doug Bandow , Edward A. Olsen.They presented north korean stategy in this field. Fourth chapter egsamined the relations North Korea with China and Japan . The neighbour,s enviroment North Korea is very significant for the future interkorean dialogue . The last article tell about North South relations . Author is Lee Chong-sik. Prof.R. Scalapino in the introduction noted that North Korea have very limited possibility involve to international coopperation. That Kim Dae -jung engagement and sunshine policy give the chance open in the future Hermit Kingdom. The book is very useful for Scholars and students try understand Noth Korean Issue. Marceli Burdelski Ph. D. The Department Asia Pacific Studies Institute of Political Studies polish Academy of Sciences Warsaw Poland polmb@univ.gda.pl

This book tells about the enchanting truth of Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il. I found it amazing and surprisingly accurate with abslutly no propoganda. Dae Sook Suh is one of the best authors of our time!

Ever wonder why North Korea is such a ... arrogant little country? This book will tell you exactly why. Guerrilla leaders scarred by years of eating rats, living in the hills, and butchering Japanese invaders do not necessarily possess the skills needed to run a country! This book is a must for anybody interested in the current standoff between America and Pyongyang, which North Korea seems to believe will end with the Korean peninsula being devoured by a sea of fire. Kim Il Sung's early days as a revolutionary and guerrilla fighter are given much attention, as are the purges he carried out in order to become the supreme leader. If you're looking for a play-by-play account of the Korean War, look elsewhere though- this book sweeps quickly through that period. The author focuses primarily on Kim's tight-rope act between the Soviet Union (which gave him the job in the first place), China (which saved his butt from the American-led U.N. forces), and the U.S. (which has refrained from crushing lil' Kim's summer camp of starvation in the name of East Asian harmony). Other topics addressed by the author include: Kim's frustration at not being acknowledged as the Emperor of the Third World, Kim's frustration at not being able to feed his population while spending 99.99% of his country's slight earnings on military hardware, Kim's frustration that the rest of the world didn't care much about the Korean problem (until now, of course), and Kim's frustration at not receiving a THIRD honorary degree from some university in Africa or Southeast Asia (naw, just kidding...but you get the point). The only complaint I have is this: the avalanche of names and details that sometimes disrupts the narrative. Perhaps a little too scholarly for anybody not specifically interested in the history of the North Korean Communist Party from 1946-1980's. Still, if you can get past this, the book is rewarding, and one will walk away knowing who Kim Il Sung was, how his son maneuvered into power, and why North Korea is a country with a Napoleonic complex.

This is essential for understanding North Korea and how it relates to the world of today. To undestand North Korea you must understand it's founder Kim Il Sung. The book goes on to show how he created a Stalinist State and huge army to insure it's survival. It talks about the many attempts on the lives of south korean presidents and his unpredictable nature that he passed on to his son and successor. Understandin Kin Il Sung will help the reader understand why Noth Korea is today run more like a cult than a country and why it is the most secretive country in the world today and a failed society.

In 2001 I visited North Korea and found this book very helpful because our guides would only give us the official version of their history. The book is packed full of information and the only one I have found that explains how Kim Il Sung gained and kept power. Dae-Sook Sue has put a great deal of reseach into the book and let's hope he writes another book on North Korea covering Kim Jong Il present reign and the future of the country. There is no other county like North Korea so I recommend reading the book then visiting the country.