B.R. Myers - The Cleanest Race
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Show Notes
In this episode we spoke to B.R. Myers, author of “The Cleanest Race” and regular contributor to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic. Having been raised in South Africa and having received his MA in Soviet Studies just in time for the fall of the Berlin Wall, Myers went on to earn a PhD in North Korean literature in the early 1990s. Now based in South Korea, Myers is an associate professor of international studies at Dongseo University in Busan
From his book “The Cleanest Race”, Myers stands out from the rest for arguing that North Korea’s political system is based neither on Communism or Stalinism and that attempts to understand North Korea as a Confucian patriarchy operating within a Cold War framework are misguided. His views have received mixed opinions from the think-tank orthodoxy. While some regard his outlook as a fresh approach to the topic, others have rebutted his interpretation of North Korea as a national socialist country and continue to view it through the lens of cold war politics.
Join us for a fascinating interview with Myers about his feelings on the North Korea watcher community’s reception to his work, his feelings of North Korea’s current situation and about the future of North-South relations.