Pyongyang on the Brink
Sixteen Crises That Shaped North Korea
A briskly written primer on the North Korean decisions, foreign interventions and accidents of fate which have both threatened and, ultimately, preserved the country’s dictatorship.
Description
This nimble tour through North Korea’s history revisits sixteen knife-edge moments when collapse, reform or war nearly shattered the Kim dynasty. Structured in four acts—from the peninsula’s partition in 1945 to Kim Jong-un’s 2020 health scare—each chapter reconstructs a crisis and asks, what if?
Regime change has come within reach far more often than we realise: defeat in the Korean War, leadership challenges in 1956, aborted coups, unrest during a currency crisis—even an armed clash with the US in the 1990s. Kim Il-sung’s acclaimed biographer, Fyodor Tertitskiy, guides readers through these events, and explores why change failed to materialise on each occasion. His narrative blends the twists and turns of palace intrigue and battlefield drama with crystal-clear dissections of ideology, institutions and great-power competition.
Drawing on Korean, Russian, Chinese and Japanese sources, Tertitskiy offers nuance without special pleading. By tracing the decisions, miscalculations and foreign interventions that locked the peninsula into stalemate, Pyongyang on the Brink offers a swift, fresh look at deterrence, engagement and the future of millions living under the Kims’ yoke. Is North Korea truly doomed to never-ending tyranny?
Reviews
‘North Korea’s survival through decades of turmoil is an ongoing puzzle. In this thought-provoking new book, Fyodor Tertitskiy looks at the numerous crises the Kim regime has overcome—and asks what might bring it down.’ — Anna Fifield, Asia-Pacific Editor, The Washington Post, and author of The Great Successor
‘A masterful and original exploration of North Korea’s past. Drawing on impressive archival research and incisive counterfactual analysis, Fyodor Tertitskiy reveals how crisis and contingency forged one of the world’s most enduring and enigmatic dictatorships.’ — Sheila Miyoshi Jager, Professor of East Asian Studies, Oberlin College, and author of The Other Great Game: The Opening of Korea and the Birth of Modern East Asia
‘Ruled by the Kim family for seven decades, North Korea is one of the world’s most stable countries. Or is it? Drawing on his extensive knowledge, Tertitskiy provides a fascinating account of how North Korea could have collapsed—and how and why it was able to survive.’ — Ramon Pacheco Pardo, Professor of International Relations, King’s College London, and author of Shrimp to Whale: South Korea from the Forgotten War to K-Pop
‘Periods of crises and shock have moved the wheels of North Korean history, as Fyodor Tertitskiy expertly surveys in this must-read book. Careful historical appraisal, paired with compelling counterfactuals, makes this work an essential contribution to our understanding of North Korea.’ — Ankit Panda, author of Kim Jong Un and the Bomb
Author(s)
Fyodor Tertitskiy researches North Korean political, social and military history from South Korea, where he has been living for more than a decade. He has authored several books in English and Korean, including Accidental Tyrant: The Life of Kim Il-sung (also published by Hurst), and The North Korean Army.
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