Introduction
1. Building a Reputation, 1956–1967
2. Kimilsungism beyond North Korean Borders, 1968–1971
3. Kim Il Sung's "Korea First" Policy, 1972–1979
4. Kim Jong Il's World and Revolutionary Violence, 1980–1983
5. Survival by Any Means Necessary, 1984–1989
Conclusion
Benjamin R. Young is an Assistant Professor in Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness at Virginia Commonwealth University. He has previously taught at Dakota State University and the U.S Naval War College. He received his PhD in 2018 from George Washington University and was also a member of the 2018-2019 CSIS NextGen Korea Scholars Program. His research primarily revolves around East Asian studies, Cold War international history, security studies, and international relations.
"By calling attention to relations with the Third World as a
critical component of North Korea's developing national identity,
Guns, Guerillas, and the Great Leader offers a significant and
refreshing contribution to understanding the historical development
of North Korea that moves beyond the familiar narrative of an
emerging state situated amongst China and the Soviet Union in the
Cold War context."
—Hanmee Kim, Wheaton College "Benjamin R. Young's book is
beautifully written, thoroughly researched, and absolutely
eye-opening. Guns, Guerillas, and the Great Leader provides an
unprecedented look into the causes and consequences of North
Korea's struggle for international influence."
—Mitchell Lerner, Ohio State University "North Korea has been an
isolated nation since the 1990s, but interestingly Young points out
odd relics of a time the so-called Hermit Kingdom reached out to
the world, such as Kim Il Sung Avenue in Mozambique's capital
Maputo. For the casual Korea watcher this book is a surprise: it
shows the country's story hasn't been all bad."—Frank Beyer, Asian
Review of Books "This is a serious work of history, not a light
read, but it's really well researched. More importantly, it manages
to say something new and interesting about North Korea, which
frankly is rare. Young shows how North Korea was once extremely
active in the Third World, building movements against western
imperialism that today look militantly quixotic but at the time had
revolutionary potential. The dense networks of exchange and
patronage that North Korea forged, across the Third World but in
Africa especially, added to its own sense of purpose and informed
its vision of unification of the Korean Peninsula."—Van Jackson,
The Duck of Minerva "Today, the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea (DPRK), or North Korea, is widely viewed as a dangerous rogue
state that is irrationally pursuing nuclear weapons despite
international condemnation and the crushing poverty of its own
people... Benjamin Young's Guns, Guerillas, and the Great Leader
turns this picture on its head by taking the reader back to a time
when North Korea was competing with the world's superpowers by
presenting itself as an alternative model of development for Third
World audiences."—Daniel Connolly, The Middle Ground Journal "Guns,
Guerrillas and the Great Leader rightly underlines the North as the
Cold War success story. In the long post war liberation struggles
and the aftermath with the sweet success of victory there were
appreciations for solidarity and quests for new maps. The North had
provided the first home and away."—Glyn Ford, Asian Affairs
"[Young's] monograph is a valuable contribution to North Korean,
Cold War, and Third World studies, as it provides detailed factual
information on Pyongyang's interactions with over twenty Third
World states. Its colourful description of the heavy-handed methods
of North Korean diplomacy makes it easier to understand why many
non-aligned countries, having initially embraced the DPRK, soon
became disillusioned with its behaviour. At the same time, the
author also demonstrates that North Korea did manage to retain a
foothold in certain developing countries even after a series of
regime changes, precisely because of the same opportunistic
pragmatism that repulsed some other Third World leaders."—Balázs
Szalontai, Pacific Affairs "Guns, Guerillas, and the Great Leader
is a gem among several new books on North Korean diplomacy and
leadership. The book is also very accessible to a wider general
audience. Despite the book's weighty subject matter, its title
alludes to some of the fascinating anecdotes that fill its pages,
thus making Young's first monograph a thoroughly enjoyable
read."—Andrew Yeo, H-Diplo "The book is fascinating as it sets out
in readable form that inter-Korean legitimacy battle in the early
decades of the two states, an era when literally any sovereign
territorywith a vote in the UNbecame a sought-after target for both
North and South, all the way down to small island chains in the
waters of the Caribbean and Pacific."—Christopher Green, H-Diplo
"Young has written a compelling and thoughtful book on a subject
that has received little attention until now. Given readers'
seemingly inexhaustible curiosity about all things North Korea,
this is no small feat for a first book. I look forward to reading
what comes next."—Bridget Coggins, H-Diplo "Young does a fantastic
job highlighting how North Korea, under Kim Il Sung's rule, emerged
from a cruel Japanese occupation, rising to become a symbol for
states seeking autonomy from colonial rule and oppression. Young
pieces together North Korea's successes and failures insightfully,
from its perceived meteoric rise in the Third World to its collapse
into the 'Hermit Kingdom' of contemporary times."—Eric Ashe, H-War
![]() |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
![]() |