Book review: Dialogue with North Korea? Preconditions for talking human rights with a hermit kingdom

"Dialogue with North Korea? Preconditions for Talking Human Rights with a Hermit Kingdom." Geir Helgesen and Hatla Thelle. NIAS Press. March 2013. --- There is hardly another country as isolated and with such a bleak image as North Korea. Portrayed in the western media as a ‘hermit kingdom’ ruled by an outdated, communist dictatorship whose clandestine nuclear programmes alarm its neighbours, prospects look bleak for any improvement in relations let alone the start of a dialogue on human rights. Offering an informed analysis of the North Korean situation, this book argues that not only is a constructive and fruitful dialogue on human rights possible but it is also desirable for both parties. However, it is odd that a book which seeks to promote the discussion of human rights has nothing whatsoever to say about North Korea’s network of prison camps, writes Andrew McCracken.