PREVIOUS ARTICLE ALL CONTENTS Next ARTICLE

North Korea and the Geopolitics of Development, Kevin Gray and Jong-Woon Lee

Reviewed by Axel Patrick Catellier

BUY

 

More than two years after the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, North Korea's self-imposed isolation measures remain in place, denying the international community even the modicum of knowledge it previously had of the country's economic and humanitarian situation. At the same time, the geopolitical environment outside North Korea's borders continues to increase in complexity as U.S.-China competition accelerates and South Korea embraces a greater role in international affairs. Kevin Gray and Jong-Woon Lee's book North Korea and the Geopolitics of Development is therefore well situated for the current state of affairs, and it is a welcome and insightful examination of how three geopolitical “moments” shaped the development of North Korea's political economy.

North Korea and the Geopolitics of Development posits that North Korea's geopolitical environment provides a more holistic explanation for its unique development and catch-up industrialization as opposed to a more traditional focus on the decisions and preferences of the Kim family regime. Gray and Lee analyze three geopolitical moments: colonialism and the rise of developmental nationalisms, the structure of Cold War competition, and shifts accompanying the rise of China. Each section is based on robust research, particularly from underutilized Korean-lan

To continue reading, see options above.

About PSQ's Editor

ROBERT Y. SHAPIRO

Full Access

Join the Academy of Political Science and automatically receive Political Science Quarterly.

CONFERENCES & EVENTS

Academy Forum | The Transatlantic Relationship and the Russia-Ukraine War
January 9, 2025
4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. ET
WEBINAR

MORE ABOUT THIS EVENT VIEW ALL EVENTS

Editor’s spotlight

Virtual Issue

Introduction: Black Power and the Civil Rights Agendas of Charles V. Hamilton
Marylena Mantas and Robert Y. Shapiro

MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC

Search the Archives

Publishing since 1886, PSQ is the most widely read and accessible scholarly journal with distinguished contributors such as: Lisa Anderson, Robert A. Dahl, Samuel P. Huntington, Robert Jervis, Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Theda Skocpol, Woodrow Wilson

view additional issues

Most read

Articles | Book reviews

Understanding the Bush Doctrine
Robert Jervis

The Study of Administration
Woodrow Wilson

Notes on Roosevelt's "Quarantine" Speech
Dorothy Borg

view all

New APS Book

Political Conflict in American Politics   POLITICAL CONFLICT IN AMERICAN POLITICS

About US

Academy of Political Science

The Academy of Political Science, promotes objective, scholarly analyses of political, social, and economic issues. Through its conferences and publications APS provides analysis and insight into both domestic and foreign policy issues.

Political Science Quarterly

With neither an ideological nor a partisan bias, PSQ looks at facts and analyzes data objectively to help readers understand what is really going on in national and world affairs.

Stay Connected

newsstand locator
About APS