| Publication |
2012.
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| Summary/Abstract |
The article investigates the political and diplomatic factors influencing the prospects of North Korea's post-2002 experiment with market-oriented economic reforms. Comparing the North Korean situation with the experiences of Yugoslavia, China and Vietnam, it concludes that a certain degree of political liberalisation, the successful normalisation of P'y[ocheck]ngyang's relations with the US, South Korea and Japan, and the decoupling of foreign economic assistance from military negotiations are essential preconditions of a successful reform process in North Korea. In the absence of these preconditions, economic crises alone are insufficient to stimulate a comprehensive reform programme, although they might inspire certain superficial corrective measures.
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