Duncan Bowie on photos of North Korea
“Picturing the DPRK” by Glyn Ford published by Spokesman
Ford is a supporter of and regular reviewer for Chartist. He is probably the leading British expert on North Korea having visited the country some 50 times since 1997. He has written two previous books on the country: North Korea on the Brink: Struggle for Survival (2008) and Talking to North Korea (2018), both of which were also published in Korean. This new book is a little different -it contains photographs of North Koreans taken over the 25 years – a rather curious kind of coffee table book, with a short commentary in English and Korean. The book does not focus on the Korean leadership – the dynastic autocracy or dictatorship, or on the country’s relationship with other countries, but seeks to picture the lives of ordinary North Koreans at work and at leisure. The photographs are undated, so it is difficult to get any idea of any dynamic change in the country – to Westerners, the images tend to appear as if they are from an earlier era, but maybe this is because the country is largely unchanged. It is difficult to tell. Moreover, although Ford was clearly a rare welcome guest from the West to the country, it is not possible to tell what freedom Ford was given to take any pictures he liked, or whether his visits were managed by government officials. Nevertheless, Ford’s book is interesting in that it does give a new perspective on the world’s most isolated and isolationist country.
Interesting. I suppose there must still be some reports in South Korea from those with family in the North, but I don’t suppose they get published. What a sad case – and now NK is Putin’s new best friend.