Discourses on the Natural Environment in North Korea: Changing Regime Dynamics in the 1990s

Abstract

ABSTRACT During the mid- and late 1990s in North Korea, a period marked by the “Arduous March”, discourse shifted from “conquering” the natural environment to “rationally using and protecting” it. It is argued in this article that this change was related to the dynamic character of the North Korean regime, which evolves according to changing circumstances. Thus, this study aims to examine this change in discourse about the natural environment, focussing on features of North Korean discourses that directly demonstrate the government’s identification of pending issues and its methods of address-ing them. It finds that the primary issues confronting the government during the Arduous March – overcoming food and economic crises and establishing the regime’s superiority – and the methods to cope with these dilemmas closely factored into the change. To enhance the reliability of this study, we examined key outlets for discourses in North Korea, including collections of the Supreme Leader’s speeches; newspapers and magazines published by the Korean Workers’ Party; and articles in academic journals authored mainly by scholars vetted by the state.