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The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why It Matters Hardcover – January 26, 2010

by B.R. Myers (Author)

4.3 240 ratings

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Understanding North Korea through its propaganda

What do the North Koreans really believe? How do they see themselves and the world around them?

Here B.R. Myers, a North Korea analyst and a contributing editor of The Atlantic, presents the first full-length study of the North Korean worldview. Drawing on extensive research into the regime’s domestic propaganda, including films, romance novels and other artifacts of the personality cult, Myers analyzes each of the country’s official myths in turn—from the notion of Koreans’ unique moral purity, to the myth of an America quaking in terror of “the Iron General.” In a concise but groundbreaking historical section, Myers also traces the origins of this official culture back to the Japanese fascist thought in which North Korea’s first ideologues were schooled.

What emerges is a regime completely unlike the West’s perception of it. This is neither a bastion of Stalinism nor a Confucian patriarchy, but a paranoid nationalist, “military-first” state on the far right of the ideological spectrum.

Since popular support for the North Korean regime now derives almost exclusively from pride in North Korean military might, Pyongyang can neither be cajoled nor bullied into giving up its nuclear program. The implications for US foreign policy—which has hitherto treated North Korea as the last outpost of the Cold War—are as obvious as they are troubling. With North Korea now calling for a “blood reckoning” with the “Yankee jackals,” Myers’s unprecedented analysis could not be more timely.

Print length

208 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Melville House
Publication date

January 26, 2010
Dimensions

7.27 x 0.8 x 8.75 inches
ISBN-10

1933633913
ISBN-13

978-1933633916
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A particularly nasty strain of racist propaganda has enabled North Korea's dictatorship to maintain power, according to this fascinating cultural survey. An American-born, South Korea-based instructor of North Korean literature, Myers (A Reader's Manifesto) combines his cultural and linguistic fluency with sharp analysis to throw light on one of the world's most closed-off cultures. Examining North Korean books, news broadcasts, and films, Myers finds that the country's supremacist propaganda can be traced to imperial Japan, which sought to convince Koreans that they were part of the "world's purest race." Myers acidly discredits Western interpretations of North Korea as "hard-line communist" or "Confucian," noting the prevalence of maternal rather than paternal imagery and the societal scorn for the former Soviet bloc. Esoteric cultural markers-e.g., the heavy use of flashbacks in film and literature-are mined for compelling clues to the North Korean sensibility. Myers' greatest feat is his explanation of how the regime has maintained power despite its failures in almost every area of governance-how it has convinced average North Korean citizens that shipments of U.S. food aid, for example, are actually reparations for past "Yankee" crimes. A sharp and smart introduction to one of the world's most secretive societies.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Electrifying... finely argued and brilliantly written." —Christopher Hitchens, Slate

"Provocative... A fascinating analysis." —Dwight Garner, The New York Times

"[A] scary... close reading of domestic propaganda [that] goes a long way toward explaining the erratic behavior and seemingly bizarre thought processes of Dear Leader Kim Jong Il." —The Wall Street Journal

"Myers' book is worth buying and reading."—The Quarterly Review

"The definitive book on the subject." —The Atlantic

"There are few books that can give the world a peek into the Hermit Kingdom.The Cleanest Race provides a reason to care about how those in North Korea see themselves and the West. It is possibly the best addition to that small library of books on North Korean ideology."
—Andrei Lankov, Far Eastern Economic Review

"Myers renders great service to the global foreign policy establishment with his lucid and well documented profile of the North Korean polity. If only it were made mandatory reading for all the stakeholder leaders, particularly the American establishment, who feel compelled to deal politically with North Korea. Maybe then, Myers' wisdom might lead them to adopt the only possibly policy toward North Korea that will work: that of 'benign neglect.'"
—Mike Gravel, US Senate 1969-1981

"In his new survey of North Korean propaganda, The Cleanest Race, B.R. Myers insists that the ongoing support of the North Korean public for the regime doesn't reflect any great faith in communism. Instead, he argues, it is rooted in a kind of paranoid racial nationalism adapted from the Japanese fascism that flourished before World War II.... Myers feels that the racialism at the heart of the regime's ideology will sustain it even as it fails to provide the prosperity it promises."
—Laura Miller, Salon.com

"The text offers a clear picture of the peculiar worldview of this profoundly inward-facing country, its character and continuous subtle alterations, and its under-appreciated ramifications in world affairs." —Reference & Research Book News

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Melville House; First Edition (January 26, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1933633913
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1933633916
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.16 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.27 x 0.8 x 8.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,852,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #210 in North Korean History
- #1,806 in Customs & Traditions Social Sciences
- #3,951 in Popular Social Psychology & Interactions

Customer Reviews:
4.3 240 ratings

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Suzanne W

The Best Book Ever Written on North Korea

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2010

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This is the rarest of books: a genuinely original analysis that demolishes most of what we thought we knew about something, in this case North Korea. For decades, virtually all of us have blithely assumed that North Korea's ideology was Juche, Stalinism, Confucianism, or some combination thereof. Myers makes a meticulously researched, closely reasoned argument that it is none of these things. On the contrary, the DPRK is an ethno-centric nationalist state led by a beloved, androgynous Parent Leader. In Pyongyang's world view, Koreans are a pure, childlike race, virtually incapable of sin, or of surviving in a world of vicious foreigners. Thankfully, the Great Leader -- the mother-like Kim Il Sung -- is there to protect them, followed by the even more maternal Kim Jong Il. These innocent people are constantly threatened, of course, by those vicious, cowardly, hook-nosed Americans, who must be resisted at all costs. This analysis is of great value in itself, but it also has important policy implications, not the least of which is that since the Americans are the mortal enemies of the Korean people, genuine compromise with them on something like the DPRK's nuclear programs is unthinkable.

Until recently, virtually the only books available in English on North Korea (or even South Korea) were the tendentious, self-indulgent polemics written by Bruce Cumings, professor of history at the University of Chicago. Cumings was largely discredited long ago, and Myers finishes the job. It is hard to imagine he will ever be taken seriously again. Rather, for anyone involved in international relations or Asian affairs, "The Cleanest Race" is quite simply the best book ever written on North Korea, and, for as long as that wretched place endures, this book will be the definitive study of the regime and the starting point for all analysis of the DPRK.

I have a couple complaints: many of the North Korean propaganda pictures Myers uses to support his argument are so small one can barely make them out, and, incredibly for such an otherwise serious piece of analysis, this book contains no index. (Note to Myers: Next time, consider another publisher.) Perhaps these problems will be addressed in the next edition. But these are mere quibbles. All that matters is this: if your work involves East Asia or international relations, stop reading and order this book. Do it now. And resume reading the minute "The Cleanest Race" arrives.

80 people found this helpful

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Robert Bolton

A Great Glimpse Into the North Korean Worldview

Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2019

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North Korea is a country that seems to be defined by a few choice adjectives: "Stalinist," "communist," "pariah," "crazy," and "Confucian." Each of these descriptors is thrown around regularly in Western media, but what Dr. Myers' book shows is that these assumptions are largely incorrect. Yes, North Korea is a country born during the early Cold War and has been ruled by the same family for seventy years, but its worldview is not driven by a Marxist-Leninist view of history. Instead, North Koreans see the world through a lens of Koreans as the purest, most childlike race.

When this book arrived in the mail, my first reaction was surprise at the page size. Myers' book is formatted differently from the average dissertation reedited for mass consumption. As such, the type is slightly larger than average. It also includes numerous glossy photos (along with smaller black-and-white reproductions) of propaganda. The book is a quick read that does not suffer from the fault of so much academic writing in using jargon that makes it incomprehensible to laymen.

Myers, both through excerpts of North Korean propaganda and summaries in their voice, explains the North Korean worldview. Although the DPRK identifies as communist, Myers argues this was simply a tool to extract aid from fellow Eastern Bloc nations. The country with the greatest similarity to North Korea is fascist Japan. This is unsurprising because Korea was a colony of the Japanese Empire from 1910 to 1945. In its use of xenophobic, extremely nationalist language, North Korea is able to create a bunker mentality in which its citizens are constantly surrounded by hostile powers.

Even more important to its self-conception, however, is the DPRK's belief that Koreans are too pure, too spontaneous for this world unless they have a dear leader to rule them. This is how the Kim family justifies its stranglehold on power: yes, things are bad in North Korea now, but imagine what they would be like if the Yankee imperialists gained control. Kim il-Sung extracted loyalty from the nation through his role as national liberator and, in peace, by assuming a maternal role rebuilding the country. Kim Jong-il further emphasized his maternal aspects, alleged brilliance, and adopted a military-first stance that made the ability to strike out against any perceived opponents as the highest priority.

This attitude of racial superiority leads to some situations that might seem bizarre to outsiders. North Koreans have no problem accepting foreign aid because they perceive it as tribute. They will admit foreigners may be more intelligent or physically stronger, but the Korean people retain a superior morality. The North Koreans alternatively deny and hint that they possess nuclear weapons because chicanery is a way to fool their opponents. Even their acts of hostility, such as attacking foreign vessels or individual soldiers, come from the value the DPRK places on spontaneity.

Myers cautions that there is little likelihood of a peaceful resolution emerging from the nuclear tensions on the Korean peninsula. The North Korean propaganda apparatus looks with disdain at the U.S.S.R. for dissolving "without firing a shot" and barely tolerates its closest ally, China. The Kim family knows to allow political reform or meaningful contact with South Koreans will result in the collapse of their regime. Myers suggests the only way the DPRK might fall peacfully is if the people of North Korea slowly realize the southern half of the peninsula is content to not reunify so long as the Kim family remains in power.

This book is an excellent introduction to one of the most pressing geopolitical challenges of our time. There are only two limitations to the book, neither of which is the fault of the author. The first is many of his sources are not available in English translation. This is unsurprising; there is a paucity of material from Korean in general, let alone propaganda texts with almost no demand. The second is the passage of time. This book was published in the final full year of Kim Jong-il's rule. Although Myers briefly mentions Kim Jong-un, it was published before we were even certain what he looked like, let alone what policies he would pursue.

Nonetheless, this book would be a useful read for Donald J. Trump or any future president as they deal with the newest Kim. North Korea is a country that survives because it has embraced a very narrow worldview. Convinced of their superiority vis-a-vis any other people, compromise and concession is treated as polluting the people. It leaves the United States and other world powers with few options as they try to come to grips with this rogue state.

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BM Cawton

Fascinating study of North Korean propaganda

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 29, 2023

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The book is exactly what it seems and delivers an intelligent analysis that goes beyond the usual "it's a a hardline communist state" narrative. We do, however, need an updated edition filling in the changes of the last 10 years.

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interessante

Reviewed in Italy on September 25, 2017

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il libro è volto a dimostrare la tesi dell'autore secondo cui la "worldview" coreana non è nè confuciana nè di tipo marxista-leninista, ma, piuttosto, strettamente basata sul culto della personalità e sull'idea di razza pura. Esso si divide in due parti. La prima scorre la storia della Corea del Nord, evidenziando gli eventi salienti a partire dall'occupazione giapponese sino al secondo dopoguerra e sottolineando gli effetti che tali eventi hanno avuto sulla "worldview" coreana. La seconda analizza gli elementi principali della propaganda di potere.

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Derek S.

A window into the culture and propaganda of possibly the strangest nation.

Reviewed in Canada on May 4, 2015

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A concise summation of Korea's history, the relationship between North and South, and that with China, Japan and of course, the USA. It takes us up to the introduction of Kim Yong Un, but this is when the book was published so not much of anything was known of him at the time. The author, respectfully, doesn't try to fill in the gaps but leaves it as is.

Ultimately it’s shows us just how wrong our view of North Korea is, and has been from the start. A nation so isolated yet so dependent on the world beyond their own walls, their constant “battle” with the evil United States, and a regime desperately holding on to power. Whether "Dear Leader" was a genius or just as delusional as the rest is up for debate.

You almost feel sorry for them, the way you’d feel sorry for a misguided child. A feeling which plays right into the propaganda. Definitely worth a read.

Ashley

Four Stars

Reviewed in Canada on November 29, 2016

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Very interesting read.

DCinLondon

Scholarly

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 9, 2014

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I really enjoyed Professor Myers' book. We in the West like to think of North Korea as a Stalinist state, but it's not, really - Myers portrays it (very convincingly) as a weird kind of National Socialist matriarchy, with Kim Il Sung as God the Mother. Through a very thorough examination of North Koreans' paranoid racism and xenophobia, Myers casts fresh light on the utterly schizophrenic North Korean soul. My only criticism would be that it could be longer and even more detailed - but then again, it'd probably just be even more depressing if it was. Definitely worth it for any casual Nork-watcher.

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