Chapter 1: Historical Setting / Bruce Cumings -- The origins of the Korean nation -- The three kingdoms period. Paekche ; Koguryŏ ; Silla ; Korea under Silla -- Unification by Koryŏ̆ -- The Chosŏn Dynasty. Florescence ; Dynastic decline -- Korea in the nineteenth-century world order -- Japanese colonialism, 1910-45 -- The rise of Korean nationalism and communism -- National division in the 1940s. Tensions in the 1940s ; U.S. and Soviet occupations ; The arrival of Kim Il Sung ; The establishment of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea -- The Korean War, 1950-53 -- The postwar period. The economy ; Corporatism and the chuch'e idea ; International relations -- North-south relations in the twenty-first century -- Chapter 2: The Society and Its Environment / Helen-Louise Hunter -- The physical environment. Topography and drainage ; Climate ; Environmental factors -- Population -- Social structure and values. Creating a new society ; The cult of Kim Il Sung ; A class society ; The new socialist society ; The work unit as the basic social unit ; A thought-controlled society ; The elite life in P'yŏngyang ; The privileged life beyond money ; Daily life ; A society in crisis ; A militarized society ; Family life ; Children ; Leisure activities ; Religion -- Education. Primary education ; Middle school and beyond ; Higher education -- Healthcare -- Chapter 3: The Economy / David Kang -- Economic development, 1940s-90s. The economy after World War II ; North Korea's development strategy -- Economic infrastructure since the early 1990s. Comparisons with South Korea ; Organization ; Natural resources ; Energy and power generation ; Transportation ; Forestry and fishing ; Telecommunications and the Internet ; Government budget -- Agriculture, the famine of 1995-98, and economic changes. Collapse in the 1990s ; Causes of the famine ; Effects of the famine ; Post-famine situation ; Economic reforms ; Reform of the public distribution system ; Banking and finance ; Legal and administrative reforms ; Special economic zones ; Top-down reform measures ; Assessment of the economic reforms -- Foreign economic relations -- North-South relations. Sunshine Policy and new economic developments ; Kaesŏng industrial venture -- The economy in transition -- Chapter 4: Government and Politics / Victor D. Cha and Balbina Y. Hwang -- Relationships among the government, party, and military -- The Korean Workers' Party -- The constitutional framework -- The structure of government. The legislature ; The executive ; The judiciary ; Local government -- Political ideology. The role of chuch'e ; The origins of chuch'e ; Application of chuch'e in the North Korean state -- Party leadership and elite recruitment. Composition ; Party members ; Party cadres ; The ruling elite ; Leadership succession -- Mass organizations -- The media -- Foreign policy. Inter-Korean affairs ; China and the Soviet Union/Russia ; Japan ; The United States -- Prospects: the significance of reform -- Chapter 5: Natinoal Security / James M. Minnich -- Military heritage -- National command authorities. National defense organizations ; National security policy formulation -- Organization and equipment of the armed forces. General staff department ; Army ; Special operations forces ; Air force ; Navy ; Reserve forces ; Strategic weapons ; Officer corps professional education and training ; Enlisted conscription and training ; Military ranks -- Doctrine, strategy, and tactics -- Defense industry -- Internal security. Control system ; Punishment and the penal system ; Judicial and prosecutorial systems ; Ministry of People's Security ; State Security Department ; Guard Command ; Border Security Command and Coastal Security Bureau -- National security prospects -- List of figures. Administrative divisions of North Korea, 2007 ; Korea in the fifth century A.D. ; North Korea in its Asian setting ; Topography and drainage ; Population by age and sex, 2005, and estimated for 2025 ; Selected industrial and mining activity, 2005 ; Primary roads and expressways, 2005 ; Primary railroads, ports, and airports, 2006 ; Special economic zones, 2006 ; Party, state, and government power, 2006 ; Simplified national military command structure, 2006 ; Deployment of ground and naval forces and air wings, 2006 ; Officer ranks and insignia, 2007 ; Enlisted ranks and insignia, 2007.