The extent of what we “know" about the strange country dubbed part of the socalled “Axis of Evil” reduces to a few stereotypes patched over our basic lack of knowledge.
It is so easy to point the finger at this country in the dark, to make fun of the
bizarre staging of North Korean identity in the shape of this regime that has developed isolation to perfection. We may laugh at the bizarre personality cult, but it seems to bring a foothold to the 25 million North Koreans swimming in their information vacuum.
It is all the more important that we take this first step precisely because the bizarre nature of the current situation will dictate our picture of North Korea for some time to come. There is more to the Sugarloaf than just the Samba, and not all Scots are misers wearing kilts. Only a look behind the scenes can bring us nearer to the whole picture.
