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Apr 9, 2012 @ 07:35 pm Joshua A Story Of A North Korean Prison Camp

Today I'm just linking to a radio interview on a man born and raised in the North Korea prison camp system. Prepare yourself before listening since it gets serious.

It speaks for itself. I understand the North Korean government generally states it has no prison camps. Visiting North Korea through the government tour, you would see no evidence of this story.

Apr 9, 2012 @ 07:34 pm Joshua North Korea, The Environment, And Trees

This NY TImes article on North Korea and its environment, Q. and A.: North Korea’s Choked Environment, reminded me of other routes to create bonds and understanding with North Korea -- nature and science.

The article describes the current environmental situation there, some history, and how a conference on it went. Since the Korean War North Korea has lost trees, exacerbated by famine, mismanagement, flooding, and so on.

Apr 9, 2012 @ 07:32 pm Joshua Obama's Missed North Korea Opportunity

When I first saw this picture, reading in the New York Times how "In South Korea Visit, Obama Visits Border and Warns North," I thought little of it, until I thought back to my earlier post on leadership opportunities for U.S. Presidents.

Apr 9, 2012 @ 07:31 pm Joshua The Slides From My North Korea Talk At Columbia Business School

Saturday's talk on North Korea at Columbia Business School went great -- a full room, an attentive audience, and great questions at the end.

I didn't leave as much time for questions as I wish I had, but the organizer told me people told her they liked the talk a lot.

Several people asked for copies of the slides so I'm posting them here instead of sending multiple emails.

Apr 9, 2012 @ 07:30 pm Joshua A Question On My North Korea Talk At Columbia

A Columbia student responded to the announcement of my talk:

I would be interested in why a human rights club is putting on what appears to be a sympathetic presentation on one of the world's most notorious human rights abusers. Shouldn't you be focusing on the plight of north Koreans rather than the "misunderstood" nature of an autocratic regime?

Mar 23, 2012 @ 07:22 pm Joshua Another Review Of Understanding North Korea: Demystifying The World's Most Misunderstood Country

Joseph Ferris, who took the most breathtaking and evocative pictures of North Korea I've seen -- see them on Flickr (I recommend watching the whole slide show) -- reviewed my book, Understanding North Korea: Demystifying the

Mar 16, 2012 @ 11:37 am Joshua See Joshua Spodek On Understanding North Korea From A Business Strategy Perspective At Columbia Business School

Columbia Global Initiative for Human Rights

Proudly Presents

North Korea: Demystifying the Business Strategy of the World's

Most Misunderstood Country

* * * * *

Mar 16, 2012 @ 11:35 am Joshua A North Korean Vegan Food Blog

Who would have believed a North Korean vegan food blog could exist?

And written by someone in New York City, home to no North Korean restaurants.

Maybe this means I will get to try some reasonably authentic naengmyeon.

Check it out: juchevegan.com: "The world's first English-language vegan food blog devoted to North Korean cuisine."

Mar 16, 2012 @ 11:35 am Joshua Planet Money On The North Korean Economy

A podcast from NPR called Planet Money did a twenty-minute podcast last summer on the North Korean economy. I thought they did a great job, covering its size, its challenge of getting hard currencies other countries will accept, and its solutions. Since the country can't feed its people or fuel its army, the leaders have had to solve how to get themselves luxury goods.