[…] auch gelegentlich mit erfrischenden Foki. Darüber hinaus spricht mir das, was er in seinem “about” über den Hintergrund und die Idee seines Blogs schreibt (Erkenntnisse über die akademische […]
You should not feel bad and its very courageous of you to write this post because it will help others. It’s also extremely powerful for others to see and understand that even the brightest academics and experts in their fields, are human, like we all are. Most of us have our own personal battles of one sort or another, but we mostly cover them up or avoid situations where we will be exposed. As human beings we tend to remain firmly our comfort zones so good on you for putting yourself out there and facing one of your greatest fears and to have a career where you do that every day. Others would run a million miles rather than do that. I don’t know if it would make it less challenging if interviews were pre-recorded but either way – we all need to learn more about North Korea so keep up the good work and thank you for your courage and inspiration to others.
Great videos on the DPRK but one thing that I lack from analysts like yourself is insight int othe WPK;
If all decisions are ultimately decided within the party and the people chosen from it then what would be the most interesting and important thing to learn and understand would be how this party works.
What relics if any of democracy exist *within* the party?
Are there any debates or discussions?
How are people chosen within it to represent the state?
etc.
From what I understand reading some South Korean research the PY upper class strata is like the communist court of China on steroids. Personal relationships and back-scratching lifts and demotes people, often from within this group or those that manage to associate itself with it.
Thanks for your great comment and question Boris. My working theory on this is as you say, that there’s the formal mechanics of the WPK and then there’s the informal jockeying for promotion and power, along with periodic purges from the top of officials that outlive their usefulness. The reason few analysts are able to speak in detail on this is because of the difficulty finding people who have been in that system who can/will talk about it. Without their direct testimony, we can’t know for sure the minutiae of the informal process, beyond what we can triangulate from the testimony of high-level defectors, memoirs from foreigners who have engaged with high level officials, and the informed speculation of Pyongyang-ology. It’s the flip-side of how we know a great deal about informal processes within democratic political systems, because the actors involved are more able to talk about their experiences. Interested to hear your thoughts on this.
Benjamin Habib, PhD 
[…] auch gelegentlich mit erfrischenden Foki. Darüber hinaus spricht mir das, was er in seinem “about” über den Hintergrund und die Idee seines Blogs schreibt (Erkenntnisse über die akademische […]
I saw your interview on ABC News Breakfast the other day and wanted to give you a “granny hug.”
“Granny hug” accepted with a smile! Thanks for your support 🙂
You should not feel bad and its very courageous of you to write this post because it will help others. It’s also extremely powerful for others to see and understand that even the brightest academics and experts in their fields, are human, like we all are. Most of us have our own personal battles of one sort or another, but we mostly cover them up or avoid situations where we will be exposed. As human beings we tend to remain firmly our comfort zones so good on you for putting yourself out there and facing one of your greatest fears and to have a career where you do that every day. Others would run a million miles rather than do that. I don’t know if it would make it less challenging if interviews were pre-recorded but either way – we all need to learn more about North Korea so keep up the good work and thank you for your courage and inspiration to others.
Thanks for your support 🙂
Hey Ben.
Great videos on the DPRK but one thing that I lack from analysts like yourself is insight int othe WPK;
If all decisions are ultimately decided within the party and the people chosen from it then what would be the most interesting and important thing to learn and understand would be how this party works.
What relics if any of democracy exist *within* the party?
Are there any debates or discussions?
How are people chosen within it to represent the state?
etc.
From what I understand reading some South Korean research the PY upper class strata is like the communist court of China on steroids. Personal relationships and back-scratching lifts and demotes people, often from within this group or those that manage to associate itself with it.
But is that all there is?
Thanks for your great comment and question Boris. My working theory on this is as you say, that there’s the formal mechanics of the WPK and then there’s the informal jockeying for promotion and power, along with periodic purges from the top of officials that outlive their usefulness. The reason few analysts are able to speak in detail on this is because of the difficulty finding people who have been in that system who can/will talk about it. Without their direct testimony, we can’t know for sure the minutiae of the informal process, beyond what we can triangulate from the testimony of high-level defectors, memoirs from foreigners who have engaged with high level officials, and the informed speculation of Pyongyang-ology. It’s the flip-side of how we know a great deal about informal processes within democratic political systems, because the actors involved are more able to talk about their experiences. Interested to hear your thoughts on this.