| Publication |
2014.
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| Summary/Abstract |
Purpose-To argue that North Korean elites are "true believers" in the Kim personality cult. To present the possibilities for and limitations on using travel to North Korea as a research tool for North Korean scholars.
Design/methodology/approach-I used a tourist trip to North Korea as an opportunity to probe and discuss sensitive subjects with my North Korean guides. I tried to gauge their level of belief in the regime's propaganda.
Findings-It is likely that many North Korean elites are "true believers" in the Kim regime, even though they may entertain doubts about some of its methods.
Practical implications-The underlying stability of North Korea may be stronger than most would suspect or hope.
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