The history of Cold War North Korea through the five stages of grief



Features The history of Cold War North Korea through the five stages of grief The DPRK leadership's failure to unify the country during the Korean War left a deep scar on the national psyche Benjamin R. Young February 26, 2020 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON KCNA archives Everyone experiences loss and grief at some point in their lives. But can nations grieve? In this article, I argue that North Korea’s seemingly irrational actions during the Cold War era can be explained as collective grief due to Kim Il Sung’s failure to successfully reunify the country during the Korean War. The regime’s failure to do this between 1950 and 1953 left a deep psychological scar on the leadership. Everyone experiences loss and grief at some point in their lives. But can nations grieve? In this article, I argue that North Korea’s seemingly irrational actions during the Cold War era can be explained as collective grief due to Kim Il Sung’s failure to successfully reunify the country during the Korean War. The regime’s failure to do this between 1950 and 1953 left a deep psychological scar on the leadership. Become a member for less than $5.75 per week. Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis 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

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The history of Cold War North Korea through the five stages of grief

The DPRK leadership's failure to unify the country during the Korean War left a deep scar on the national psyche

Benjamin R. Young February 26, 2020

The history of Cold War North Korea through the five stages of grief

KCNA archives

Everyone experiences loss and grief at some point in their lives. But can nations grieve?

In this article, I argue that North Korea’s seemingly irrational actions during the Cold War era can be explained as collective grief due to Kim Il Sung’s failure to successfully reunify the country during the Korean War. The regime’s failure to do this between 1950 and 1953 left a deep psychological scar on the leadership.

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The history of Cold War North Korea through the five stages of grief

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Benjamin R. Young

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