Contemporary East Asia

Introduction and Instructions The North Korea Problem Japan's Schools

The North Korea Problem

The major objective of this lesson is to assist teachers in better understanding significant contemporary issues in North Korea.

Kongdan Oh, Institute for Defense Analyses

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is a communist dictatorship whose leader, Kim Jong Il, is unpredictable and heads one of the most secretive regimes of the 21st century. The DPRK and its intentions constitute a major geopolitical concern for Northeast Asia and the world. The regime also has created a society with an almost total absence of freedom for its citizens. This lack of freedom is the major focus of the content below. Kongdan Oh, one of the leading experts on the DPRK is featured. You have the option of viewing Dr. Oh’s lecture, reading a print version of the presentation she prepared, or listening to audio of the lecture. Dr. Oh originally presented this address at a Foreign Policy Research Institute conference for middle and high school history and social studies teachers in May 2007 in Philadelphia.

Assignment
(Please only answer two of the three questions below. Each answer should be 200 to 250 words.)

1. (required) In what ways has the assignment increased your understanding of North Korea?
2. (optional) What concepts, content, or materials from this topic can you use with students and how might you use the concepts, content, or materials?
3. (optional) If you are not able to use this topic in your own class, how might you share it with other teachers in your school? What particular aspects of the topic will you stress with your colleagues? Why?

Assignment Links

• Read North Korea: The Nadir of Freedom, FPRI FootNotes, 5/2007
• View in RealPlayer
• Listen to streaming MP3
• Download MP3 audio file (MB)