The historical roots of North Korea's notoriously-unreliable statistics



Features The historical roots of North Korea’s notoriously-unreliable statistics From grain cultivation to heavy industry, manipulation of data made numbers larger than reality Natalia Matveeva June 27, 2019 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON DPRK Today “Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are pliable,” as Mark Twain once said. It is well-known that North Korea for the last fifty or so years has not been forthcoming with its statistical data, and there have been many discussions about the reliability of the data that is being provided by the state in recent decades. “Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are pliable,” as Mark Twain once said. It is well-known that North Korea for the last fifty or so years has not been forthcoming with its statistical data, and there have been many discussions about the reliability of the data that is being provided by the state in recent decades. Try unlimited access Only $1 for four weeks Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis Year-one discount if you continue past $1 trial period The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

Features

The historical roots of North Korea’s notoriously-unreliable statistics

From grain cultivation to heavy industry, manipulation of data made numbers larger than reality

Natalia Matveeva June 27, 2019

The historical roots of North Korea’s notoriously-unreliable statistics

DPRK Today

“Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are pliable,” as Mark Twain once said.

It is well-known that North Korea for the last fifty or so years has not been forthcoming with its statistical data, and there have been many discussions about the reliability of the data that is being provided by the state in recent decades.

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The historical roots of North Korea’s notoriously-unreliable statistics

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