Mick Hartley

Interesting interview here with Marcus Noland about his new book Witness to Transformation, which is based on extensive talks with North Korean refugees:

– What would you describe as the most remarkable changes in North Korean society you have seen during the 2000s?

Our surveys document just how quickly the old central planning system collapsed in the mid-1990s and how quickly markets developed to survey peoples’ needs. One of the things that we find is that in the period since then, the government has shifted economic policy, most obviously in 2002 and 2005, but for many people these changes do not seem to have had a big impact on their lives.

In some sense, they have become detached from the state. They report growing corruption and inequality. Those respondents who formerly worked in government or party offices report increased corruption among their peers, and increased time devoted to ideological indoctrination. The central authorities seem to understand that they have been losing control of parts of the society, and much of the state’s behavior since 2004 or 2005 seems to be aimed at re-asserting control.

– What about the currency redenomination?

Our surveys were carried out before the currency reform so we do not have any results that directly address that episode. However, our results indicate that people increasingly hold their own government, not foreign forces, responsible for their plight.

The currency reform was so obviously a self-inflicted disaster that I expect that it has reinforced this trend toward holding the government responsible for conditions. I should add that in association with the book we have launched a new blog, North Korea: Witness to Transformation, and I have put up a post demonstrating that food price inflation has accelerated dramatically in the aftermath of the currency reform. We also plan to discuss other issues including the security situation and succession in this blog.

Here's that new blog, which looks like a good place to go to in the future for matters North Korean. And here's a recent interview with Noland in the WSJ.

And here's someone else who thinks the currency reform was a disaster.