Only Beautiful, Please
A British Diplomat in North Korea
Published on 26. June 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-1-931368-25-4 (ISBN)
Description
Coverage of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) all too often focuses solely on nuclear proliferation, military parades, and the personality cult around its leaders. As the British ambassador to North Korea, John Everard had the rare experience of living there from 2006, when the DPRK conducted its first nuclear test, to 2008, just before Kim Jong Il's stroke. While stationed in Pyongyang, Everard's travels around the DPRK provided him with numerous opportunities to meet and converse with North Koreans.
Only Beautiful, Please goes beyond official North Korea to unveil the human dimension of life in that hermetic nation. Everard recounts his impressions of the country and its people, his interactions with them, and his observations on their way of life. He provides a picture as well of the life of foreigners in this closed society, considers how the DPRK evolved to its current state, and discusses the failure of current approaches to tackle the challenges that it throws up. The book is illustrated with striking and never-before-seen photographs taken by Everard during his stay in North Korea.
Only Beautiful, Please goes beyond official North Korea to unveil the human dimension of life in that hermetic nation. Everard recounts his impressions of the country and its people, his interactions with them, and his observations on their way of life. He provides a picture as well of the life of foreigners in this closed society, considers how the DPRK evolved to its current state, and discusses the failure of current approaches to tackle the challenges that it throws up. The book is illustrated with striking and never-before-seen photographs taken by Everard during his stay in North Korea.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Stanford
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 154 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
496 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-931368-25-4 (9781931368254)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
John Everard's career as a British diplomat spanned nearly thirty years and four continents, and included a number of politically sensitive posts. As the youngest-ever British ambassador when he was appointed to Belarus, he built an embassy from the ground up just a few short years after the fall of the Soviet Union. He also skilfully managed diplomatic relations as the UK ambassador to Uruguay during a period of economic crisis and the country's election of its first left-wing government. Following a year as a Pantech Fellow at Stanford University's Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, USA, Everard now works as a consultant for the UN in New York City, USA.