Paved with Good Intentions: The NGO Experience in North Korea

(Hardback)

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Description

Following disastrous floods in 1995, North Korea appealed to the international community for assistance. An unprecedented number of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) responded, bringing humanitarian assistance and reflief. With their arrival came hopes for a more open, engaged North Korea. The authors of Paved with Good Intentions explore the varying experiences of U.S., South Korean, and European NGOsand some of the obstacles that have placed those hopes on hold. Intended to assist policy makers, the NGO community, and others interested in engaging North Korea, Paved With Good Intentions is the first book to take an inside look at the NGO experience in North Korea. Through this study of humanitarian relief activities in North Korea, the authors shed light on what is arguably the world's most inaccessible and closed nation. Experts in their field, the authors have spent considerable time in North Korea and are in a position to analyze the experiences of NGOs there. The book begins with a look at the humantitarian response to the disastrous 1995 floods in North Korea. It was the first practical opportunity to learn about North Korea and its internal structure, organization, and intentions. A unique compilation of the results of numerous in-depth interviews and workshop discussions, the study examines and compares the responses and differing experiences of U.S., European, and South Korean NGOs in North Korea.

Reviews

"This is a balanced and hard-nosed assessment of an ongoing struggle that reveals both the best and the worst sides of human nature. The book also sheds revealing light on the differing approaches and objectives of NGOs from Europe, South Korea and the United States."-Donald P. Gregg, Chairman The Korea Society
"This is the book I have been waiting for....[It] crystallizes the dilemma of all engagement with the DPRK. Are we helping the people on the ground right now, and hopefully promoting peace long-term...For students of North Korea, this book will be indispensable. It will also be valuable for all involved in humanitarian and development aid, as a case study of a unique environment...."-Aidan Foster-Carter, Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Sociology and Modern Korea Leeds University
"This timely volume is filled with penetrating insights into the complex interplay between the DPRK, the NGOs, and the NGOs' home governments, and is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the Korean peninsula today."-Marcus Noland, Senior Fellow Institute for International Economics
This book should be an eye-opener for those who have followed events related to North Korea from a distance....NGOs operating in North Korea have confronted serious political and administrative constraints, but the overall picture is one of persistance in a frustrating job that is making an important contribution in terms of human lives and ultimately regional security.-The Journal of Asian Studies
"This book should be an eye-opener for those who have followed events related to North Korea from a distance....NGOs operating in North Korea have confronted serious political and administrative constraints, but the overall picture is one of persistance in a frustrating job that is making an important contribution in terms of human lives and ultimately regional security."-The Journal of Asian Studies

Author Bio

L. GORDON FLAKE is Executive Director of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation. SCOTT SNYDER is a Representative of the Asia Foundation, South Korea.