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Andrei Lankov

Andrei Lankov

Could North Korea finally be enacting Chinese-style economic reforms?

SEOUL, South Korea — Is change brewing in North Korea, one of the world’s most totalitarian nations?At first glance, it would seem unlikely. For more than two decades, the fortress-like regime has evaded predictions of collapse and chaos, surviving war, famine, and economic ruin. It has mystified the world with its ability to stay put — despite its nuclear brinkmanship and naval skirmishes with neighbors.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Jan 8, 2015

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Can you solve North Korean math?

SEOUL, South Korea — I’m now reading an advance copy of Andrei Lankov’s upcoming book, “The Real North Korea: Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia,” due out from Oxford University Press on May 8.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Apr 24, 2013

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Will a Korean conflict go nuclear?

SEOUL, South Korea — Well, we don’t really know the answer. Last time there was a Korean War from 1950 to 1953, some historians say it nearly did go nuclear — although there’s disagreement over the extent President Harry Truman was willing to consider the Bomb based on vague public statements.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Apr 11, 2013

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Kim Jong Un in the shadow of the Dear Leader?

SEOUL, South Korea — He was once thought to be a Swiss-educated cosmopolitan taking the side of reform in North Korea. But some say Tuesday’s nuclear test has squandered hopes that Kim Jong Un will open the militarized nation to the world.

By Geoffrey Cain
PRI’s The World

Feb 15, 2013

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