Amazon.com: Customer reviews: North Korea's Hidden Revolution: How the Information Underground Is Transforming a Closed Society

Top positive review

5 people found this helpful

An inkling of capitalism in North Korea

ByS. Warfieldon April 3, 2017

Jieun Baek's 2016 book,"North Korea's Hidden Revolution: How the Information Underground is Transforming a Closed Society", is an insightful look into North Korea today and how the people are slowly getting information about the outside world at the risk of harsh punishment. The author also interviews some North Koreans who have defected to South Korea and a few to the U.S. It is fairly easy to cross at certain times at narrow points of the Tumen River into China, but there are armed guards on both sides. Some of the guards can apparently be bribed to look the other way, though.

The Information Underground refers to the illegal radios that allow North Koreans to listen to broadcasts from South Korea and other parts of the world in addition to DVDs that are smuggled in from China into NK with South Korean movies and television shows that have enlightened many to the fact that they have been brainwashed and not allowed to know anything about the rest of the world. Young people like the fashions that they see on South Koreans in the movies and soap operas, but dare not be caught trying to emulate them.

A bit of capitalism has entered the country in the form of small markets where people sell food, clothing and other items. It is a way of making more money to buy food with and provides places for people to purchase food. During the famine in the 1990s, housewives would make anything they could, such as rice cakes or cookies, and sell them to make money to buy more food for their own families. These little home-grown markets have become bigger with more items for sale and the author tells about one woman who gets used clothes in bulk from China to sell.

Jieun makes an interesting observation that there are no experts on North Korea, and she considers herself a North Korea watcher. The country is so closed off from the rest of the world that it's impossible for an outsider to study it from the inside. The prison camps are still in operation and school children are taken to watch public executions. The Kim regime governs with fear.

This is quite a well-written book and allows the reader to learn about a changing society whether the regime knows it or not.

Top critical review

See the critical review›

so fast, receive it next day ,

ByWillon May 24, 2017

my brother like it , fast shipping. great and good experience. Nice and valuable. Great product. Works really well on bagels.

Sort by:

Filter by:

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Showing 1-7 of 7 reviews(Verified Purchases). See all 10 reviews

An inkling of capitalism in North Korea

ByS. Warfieldon April 3, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

0Comment 5 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

A View of How North Koreans Exist Under Their Repressive Regime

ByAlan E. Negrinon April 28, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

An interesting look at how people really function inside the tightly controlled society of North Korea. Drawn from interviews with defectors, the author concludes that there is an underground that has some vision of how life really is outside the regime, but cautions that most North Koreans aren't ready to come forth and confront the government, preferring to exercise their enjoyment of TV and movies clandestinely. The only book of its type I have seen and well worth reading.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Great insight into a huge Calamity

ByAmazon Customeron April 28, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Although a little redundant at times, it remained very interesting and made me feel blessed to have been born in a free country. Fantastic insight into the world's most serious and horrific humanity crisis. Great read!

0Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Five Stars

ByJohn E. Locuitoon March 4, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

A fascinating look into North Korea from people from all walks of life in the Hermit Kingdom

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Korea - brilliant.

ByPaul H. Karreron February 10, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

The author has some very deep wells of perception she plumbs. She was the Google expert on N.Korea - brilliant.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Amazing and Thought-Provoking

ByAmazon Customeron November 11, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Amazing and thought-provoking. Jieun provides heart, insight, analysis on North Korea and its hidden transformation through the use of information. A must read for anyone interested in learning more about North Korea.