Less than 50 kilometers from the stadiums of the most recent Football World Cup, North Korea is still a black mark on the face of the planet. The Pyong Yang regime, which practices a combination of the worst kind of Stalinist Communism and a demented personality cult, is keeping a population of 22 million inhabitants in an almost unimaginable state of oppression and famine. Paradoxically, under the yoke of the impenetrable Kim Jong Il, the “hermit kingdom” only survives thanks to international aid, as well as to various types of illegal trafficking and weapons sales. He has encouraged terrorism, and no one knows the extent of his arsenal of biological, chemical and perhaps even nuclear weapons.
Reviewing the history of the People’s Republic of Korea, describing the wheels of power, as well as the daily life of North Koreans, Pierre Rigoulot paints the portrait of one of the most notorious members of the exclusive club of outlaw nations.