| Publication |
2008.
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| Summary/Abstract |
Since the formal establishment of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in 1948, the Korean Peninsula has witnessed regular crises, repeated tensions, and occasional attempts at negotiation and conflict management. Most scholars and analysts seek to explain this record with reference to balance-of-power dynamics between the two Koreas, with particular attention to the evolving alliance and adversarial relationships of Pyongyang and Seoul, to explain the past five decades of Korean history. Perhaps equally important in comprehending the Korean conundrum is to understand the internal dynamics in the countries concerned over the past half century. This paper examines the historical evolution of the DPRK's political system to analyze what, if any, impact domestic political realities have had on that country's potential to pursue conflict management on the Korean Peninsula.
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