Although the capital of the new Hermit Kingdom is not a popular tourist destination, we now have this interesting detailed guide to the socialist showcase with its triumphalist monuments and gigantic buildings. We have also, as the subtitle suggests, the means to discover discrepancies between official history and the truth.
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has, writes the author, "imposed a draconian policy of national isolation . . . attempting to leave the country or to contact foreigners without permission can land the offender in a prison camp."
Regardless of whether the attractions of capitalism will prove as irresistible as they have in contemporary China, it was the Beijing model that originally helped create DPRK policy.