ARYAN KAUL (U6) Introduction When we hear the words “North Korea”, What comes to mind? An isolated country with a strict Communist regime? A country run by a brutal dictator with a cult of personality? A country whose frequent missile launches and nuclear tests we should be afraid of? During its seventy-four year history, North Korea has been the subject of much speculation. The West has condemned North Korea for its nuclear tests and human rights abuses, and North Korea is perhaps best known for its family of mysterious and wealthy supreme leaders - the Kims. In this regard, North Korea could either be perceived as an ideal society, or an illusion altogether. An ideal society, because of its Communist principles and their totalitarian application by the Kim dictators, and due to the fact that it was built on the scars of the Korean War. This in turn gives it an ethos that promotes its self-interest, while treating the West with contempt. On the other hand, North Korea coul...