This episode of the Korea Now podcast features an interview that Jed Lea-Henry conducted with Meredith Shaw. They speak about the importance of studying North Korean literature, the insight this gives the reader into North Korean ideology and culture, the trends that are present in recent North Korean literature, the ways in which the slogan of the ‘Strong and Prosperous Nation’ has been re-interpreted/managed since 2012, how this literature is constructing the image and legitimation of Kim Jong-un, and the changes that can be gleaned about North Korean society.

Meredith Shaw is an Associate Professor in the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Tokyo and the Managing Editor of Social Science Japan Journal. Meredith has worked as a research associate and translator at the Korean Institute of National Unification, and her current research focuses on the analysis of North Korean literature. Her article, ‘The Sun Sort-of Rises: The “Strong and Prosperous” Slogan in Recent North Korean Fiction’ can be found at http://www.keia.org/sites/default/files/publications/kei_aps_shaw_final.pdf and, importantly, her ongoing blog on North Korean literature is available at http://dprklit.blogspot.com/

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