Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Executive director's note: This paper is extracted from Mathew Ha's ongoing Ph.D. research.
Abstract
This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the overall social and political changes that have developed in North Korea following the development of underground black markets in response to the Arduous March famine in the 1990's. The objective of this paper is to provide an informed assessment of the revolutionary potential inside North Korea based on these major changes. To conduct this analysis, this paper primarily employs qualitative methods that comprehensively review and synthesize the relevant literature on political revolutions and social protest by leading experts such as Dr. Jack Goldstone. Upon conducting this literature review, the paper then juxtaposes these expert assessments to the historical narrative of what occurred inside North Korea to evaluate the significance of these major social and political changes induced by these developing markets. Overall, this paper finds that while North Korea experienced major social and political changes due to the development of these private markets. The populace is still far from reaching the capacity to initiate a political revolution, primarily due to the lack of elite defections to their cause.
