North Korea’s model of totalitarianism has proved remarkably resilient and resistant to change. As the 70th anniversary of the state’s foundation looms, Dr Christopher Richardson explores North Korea’s past, present and future, with an emphasis on the evolution and imposition of the Kim Family Cult of Personality and the consequences of this Kim Cult for the state’s security and military posture, its culture and daily life (with a special emphasis on children’s lives).

Dr Christopher Richardson from Sydney University is an expert on North Korea with a particular focus on policies affecting children. He has published widely in both academic and fictional modes and is author, among other things, of a novel for children – Empire of the Waves: Voyage of the Moon Child.

Recommended reading on North Korea