Fri, 18 Jan 2019, 18:00
Red Haus Books, Sheffield (UK), Red Haus Books, 232 Abbeydale Road, Nether Edge, Sheffield, S7 1FL
North Korea’s regime is often called ‘crazy’. But what if we tried to understand the motivations of its leadership? This provocative insider account challenges the media myths which paint North Korea as a rogue state run by a mad leader, myths which are invoked by Western governments to support sanctions or even a military strike against the country.
Informed by extraordinary direct access to the leadership of the DPRK, Glyn Ford investigates the internal logic of the regime, providing game-changing insights. Acknowledging that North Korea is a deeply flawed state with an atrocious record on human rights, he shows that sections of the leadership are in fact desperate to modernise and end its isolation. But the country is trapped in an arms race against its enemies and is dependent on its nuclear program. What if, instead of forcing regime change, the West talked to those who want to change the regime from within?
Demanding a dialogue between East and West, Talking to North Korea provides a road map for averting the looming threat of a war in North East Asia that would threaten the lives of millions in the region and the wider world.
Glyn Ford is Director of Track2Asia, a representative on Labour’s National Policy Forum and a member of the Labour Party’s International Committee. He is the author of Talking to North Korea (Pluto, 2018) and North Korea on the Brink (Pluto, 2007). He has visited North Korea almost 50 times as an MEP amongst other professional capacities.
We will be serving beer and vegan korean fried chicken as usual!