Let Them Eat Potatoes: Communism, Famine and the Case of North Korea

Purpose—This article seeks to investigate differences and similarities in how communist states respond to famine conditions, focusing on North Korea as a central case study. The purpose is to understand how North Korean government propaganda conceived of the reasons for, and the solutions to, the famine of the 1990s. Design, Methodology, Approach—Using primary North Korean sources such as speeches by the leadership (and Kim Jong-il in particular) to analyze the government’s propaganda response and its conceptions of the famine, the article takes a comparative, qualitative approach and places North Korea in the context of other communist countries that have gone through famines. Findings—The research finds that the North Korean government, like China and the Soviet Union during famine periods, refused to outright acknowledge systemic causes of the famine and instead focused its attention on solutions such as growing potatoes and raising rabbits, rather than reforming the economic system itself. Practical Implications—These findings, in light of recent signs of crackdowns against semi-private business and the market system, suggest that the North Korean regime may not have fully adapted its core views on economic planning despite the devastating famine and collapse of central planning. Originality, Value—Several excellent studies look at the causes and process of the famine. This paper seeks to add a dimension by studying how the North Korean regime expressed its understanding of the famine and compares and contrasts it to similar cases.