After the collapse of the Soviet world, North Korea alone has continued on the rigid communist way, in spite of its economic consequences leading the state beyond ruin to famine. What are the reasons behind this peculiar choice of direction? Why did the leaders in Pyongyang pursue a policy abandoned not only by the Soviet Union, but also by China and Vietnam? The author of this book spent three years as head of the embassy of Sweden in Pyongyang. Until a few years ago, it was the only Western embassy in North Korea. His unique experiences are related with descriptions of day-to-day life and with analyses of economic, political and ideological conditions. A picture is drawn of a society and a political order that defy both human nature and common sense.

Part I Introduction 1. Historical Review Part II In Pyongyang 1975-7 and 1988 2. To Pyongyang 3. Diplomacy in the 20th century 4. Daily Life in Pyongyang 5. The Song of Paradise 8. On the North Korean Judiciary 9. Australian Interlude 10. The Smuggling Crisis 11. The Road to the Policy of Smuggling 12. Between Peking and Moscow 13. The Question of Reunification 14. Pyongyang Revisited 15. Carnival in Pyongyang 16. 1988 The Year of Trials 17. The Equations of Reunification Part III The Issue of Ideology 18. The Issue of Ideology 19. Confucianism and Communism: An Inquiry into North Korean Ideology 20. The Doctrines of Marx and Engels 21. The Epoch of Lenin: The Theories Confronted with Practice 22. The Epoch of Stalin: The Theories Subordinated to Practice 23. After Stalin :The Official Ideology of the Soviet Union 24. Towards the Breakdown 26. The Marxism of Kim Il Sung Part IV Epilogue 27. As Long as the Game Lasts Bibliography Index