Dr Benjamin Habib

Lecture Series: Political Economy of Contemporary North Korea

This playlist contains select lecture material from Dr Benjamin Habib’s undergraduate subject “Contemporary Politics of Northeast Asia” (POL2CPA) at La Trobe University. This subject examines key issues in the international politics of Northeast Asia, focusing on the Korean Peninsula as case study.

Political Economy of Contemporary North Korea Lecture Series

  1. Introduction: Korea’s Place in Northeast Asia
  2. The Role of Ideology in the Governance of North Korea
  3. The Kim Il Sung-era Command Economy
  4. Proposals for Economic Reform in North Korea
  5. North Korea’s Energy Sovereignty Strategy
  6. Environmental Degradation and Food Security in North Korea
  7. Evaluating Regime Transformation Scenarios for the DPRK

This lecture series also represents the capstone of my research into North Korea, as I announced at my presentation at the Australian Institute for International Affairs last month in Melbourne.  After ten years researching the DPRK it is time to embark on a new research project examining the relationship between grassroots agroecological projects, environmental movements and international climate politics.  I would like to extend my deepest thanks to all the wonderful people I have met and everyone who has assisted me with my work on North Korea over the past decade, both in Australia, Korea and China.

Ben at school sports carnival in Rajin, 2013
Ben at school sports carnival in Rajin, 2013