Is isolated and reclusive North Korea tinkering with Chinese-style economic reform? In the hope of reviving a shattered economy, Beijing has been pressing North Korean leader Kim Jong Il to do so for years. Now, there are some intriguing signs that Kim just might be listening.
U.S.-China Institute Senior Fellow Mike Chinoy has just completed his fifteenth visit to North Korea. He began his talk by noting that conventional thinking of North Korea consists of the "five Ms":
misery malnutrition missiles mania menace
During his recent visit, however, Chinoy observed "five new Ms":
money mobiles markets motorcars middle class
For a quarter century, Chinoy reported from Asia for CNN. He's the author of China Live: People Power and the Television Revolution and Meltdown: The Inside Story of the North Korean Nuclear Crisis. At the USC U.S.-China Institute, he's worked on our documentaries, including the just released first segment of Assignment: China.
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Please view the video of Mike Chinoy's talk at USC U.S.-China Institute below:
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