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NKRG's 2009/2010 executive is currently in the process of revising and editing NKRG's past research portfolio and present research activities for online publication. Stay tuned!
Current Research Projects
Research topics for the 2009-2010 academic year:
1) Following the disintegration of the Soviet bloc that effectively ended the Cold War in 1991, international scholars and theorists predicted North Korea's imminent regime collapse. Almost two decades later, the present day political theorists no longer subscribe to such pessimistic outlook of North Korea's survival. This research paper aims to investigate the source of the DPRK’s national resilience throughout the crisis of the Soviet Union collapse and the subsequent (Group Leader: Jamie OH).
2) NKRG’s study of North American interest groups with ties to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is twofold: its first aim is to create a comprehensive catalogue of interest groups with varying types and depths of interaction with the DPRK. This will aid researchers seeking groups that have had recent contact with the DPRK, and will also provide a better understanding of North American-DPRK relations. The second aim of this study is to examine the state of public diplomacy and discourse in North America as represented by these interest groups.
There is a wide variety of interest groups representing a diverse array of interests. The level of contact that each group has had with the DPRK varies, and some groups’ involvement is constrained by their size and resources. In spite of this, there remains a wide array of interest groups focused on the DPRK representing a diverse range of agendas.
2008-2009 Research Projects
North Korea in Popular North American Culture
(Team Leader:
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By focusing on over 150 articles in the Globe and Mail and the National Post between January 2000 and December 2005, it is possible to obtain a snapshot of how these two national papers address topics relating to North Korea, ranging from nuclear capabilities and human rights crises to the more mundane but no less important issues of personnel changes within the Workers’ Party of Korea and governance of the autarkic economy. Two specific questions thus frame this project: first, are some subjects addressed more than others, and second, is there any significant difference between how the Globe and the Post cover North Korea, either in quantity or in content?
A Study of Canadian and North American Interest Groups regarding the DPRK
(Team Leader:
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The North Korea Research Group’s study of North Korean interest groups in North America is one which seeks to create a comprehensive and dynamic catalogue of these groups in order to better understand their attitudes, motivations and actions, as well as the overall state of discourse in North America concerning North Korea.
The focus of these groups vary immensely, ranging from issues of human rights, missile defense, unification, refugees, academic study and a myriad of other subjects that have emerged since the founding of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. While several interest groups are dedicated solely to North Korean affairs, many others’ involvement in North Korea is limited relative to their own resources and the weight they give it within their larger global initiatives. Despite this, interest in the region is not in short supply in North America as a plethora of groups have emerged and continue to emerge in order to push forward their respective agendas.
An Analysis on the Circumstances of North Korean Refugee Claimants in Canada
(Team Leader:
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)
Information on North Koreans in Canada is extremely sparse. Specific numbers on refugees or refugee claimants are difficult to find and presently, there is no legal precedent on North Korean refugee claimants. Sparse information also raises the question on the experiences faced by the North Koreans in adjusting to the new circumstances in Canada. In light of the growing discourse and awareness on North Korean human rights, foundational groundwork on North Koreans in Canada is an issue not to be neglected.
2007-2008 Research Projects
Emile Dirks et al., An Overview of the Gaesung Industrial Complex, (May 2008)
Jisoo Lee et al., A Broad Analysis of the Health Care System in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, (May 2008)
Michael Miller et al., A Study of Canadian and North American Interest Groups regarding the DPRK - phase I, (May 2008)
Other Papers:
Helen Bao, Economic Sanctions Against a Nuclear North Korea Since 2002, (April 10, 2008)
Elliot Storm, Totalitarianism, Post-Totalitarianism, and Ideological Transition in North Korea: Juche and Songun in State Propaganda 1997-2007, (21 August 2008)
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