**Bring passport or photo ID**
North Korea is often described as ’strange’ or ‘paranoid’ country. Nothing can be further from the truth, leading North Korea-watcher Andrei Lankov argues. North Korea’s leaders are rational and far-sighted, and they are successful survivors and master diplomats who have outsmarted even the most formidable adversaries.
They know that doing as many tell them to — surrender the nuclear programme and emulate Chinese reforms — will be almost suicidal. The existence of the rich (and free) South makes their situation completely different from that of China. Their stubborn unwillingness to abandon the old system, however inefficient and brutal it might be, is a rational strategic choice.
That said, North Korea is changing — often against the clearly expressed wishes of its rulers, says Dr Lankov. The North Koreans have discovered markets and the old hyper-Stalinist system of surveillance lost much of its efficiency. In the long run, these changes will probably be decisive.
For all the predictions of North Korea’s impending collapse, Dr Lankov, who is based in Seoul, argues that the endgame is probably years ahead — and is unlikely to be smooth.
DATE: Tuesday, December 15th
TIME: 11am
VENUE CONFIRMED: German embassy, details below
ENTRANCE: free to FCCC members, 50 rmb on the door to non-members
REGISTRATION: email fcccadmin@gmail.com so we know numbers and for security clearance, as it’s likely to be in an embassy
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Leading North Korea-watcher ANDREI LANKOV is Associate Professor of History at Kookmin University, in Seoul.
He was born in Leningrad (now St Petersburg) in 1963. Dr Lankov graduated with a PhD from the Leningrad Sate University and then studied at Pyongyang’s Kim Il-sung University between 1984 and 1985. He taught Korean history and language at the Australian National University, and since 2004 has been teaching at Kookmin University. He researches North Korean history and politics.
Dr Lankov has written columns for the New York Times, Financial Times, and Newsweek, and has had a number of articles in academic journals, including the latest issue of Foreign Affairs.
His books in English include From Stalin to Kim Il Sung: The Formation of North Korea, 1945-1960; Crisis in North Korea: The Failure of De-Stalinization; North of the DMZ: Essays on Daily Life in North Korea; and The Dawn of Modern Korea.
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
17, Dongzhimenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District,
Beijing 100600
德意志联邦共和国驻华大使馆
北京市朝阳区东直门外大街17号
100600
Tel: 8532 9000
Click here for map
China was “guest of honour” at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, the world’s largest publishing trade event. More than a thousand officials, publishers and writers from the People’s Republic travelled to Germany.
Chinese officials called Frankfurt the “Cultural Olympics”: a showcase for its new strategy of exporting “soft power” and bringing China´s culture to the world – to complement China´s global economic and political rise.
For the rest of the world this was an unprecedented opportunity to get up close and personal with Chinese contemporary authors and their work.
But the question of censorship proved to be the elephant in the room right from outset. Officials, Frankfurt Book Fair organisers, authors and journalists did not always find common ground.
Journalists Kristin Kupfer and Zhou Wenhan as well as Michael Kahn-Ackermann of the Goethe Institute in Beijing were in the thick of things at the fair. At this panel discussion, they will talk about their experiences and publishing expert Jo Lusby will share her observations.
DATE: Friday, December 4
TIME: 7.30pm
VENUE CONFIRMED: Sequoia cafe, beer and wine available, click here for map
ENRANCE: free to FCCC members, 50 rmb on the door to non-members
REGISTRATION: capacity is limited so priority will be given to those who register at fcccadmin@gmail.com
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Zhou Wenhan is a freelance author in Beijing who focuses on arts and culture. He contributes to Nanfang Zhoumo (Southern Weekend) as well as travel and art magazines. He was was with Xinjingbao (The Beijing News) until 2008.
Kristin Kupfer is a German freelance journalist based in Beijing. She has studied and lived in China for many years. Her articles appear in a wide range of publications in Europe including Profil magazine and Die Zeit online.
Jo Lusby is General Manager (China) of the Penguin Group, the international publishing comany, in Beijing since 2005. She has lived in Asia for the last 14 years. Her work with Penguin encompasses establishing local publishing partnerships and aquiring Chinese titles for international publication.
Michael Kahn-Ackermann is head of the Goethe-Institute in Beijing. He first came to China as a student in 1975. In 1988 he opened the German Goethe-Institute in Beijing — at that time was the first western cultural institute allowed in China. After stints in Moscow and Rome, he came back to Beijing in 2006 to his old posting.
