Goals: overcoming limitations using digital tools
Mindful of the issues in existing scholarship discussed in the Background section, the goal of this project is to explore the possibilities of digital tools in managing a sizeable historical dataset and conducting replicable analyses. Ultimately, the purpose is to pave the way to better history-writing and historical understanding about North Korea.
Ambitious aims nonetheless, but I first identify four basic problems in the study of North Korean history, some generic solutions, and how they relate to and are addressed in this project
1. Tampering with History
Problem: not only is current information from North Korea unverifiable and inconsistent, the regime has deleted and tampered with history, confusing many scholars
Solution: detailed knowledge of changes in material acquired from North Korea in different time periods, and awareness of the versions of North Korean information being used by different scholarly works
In this project: rely on reputable scholarly analyses of different sources of information on North Korea, including longtime Kim Il Sung expert Suh Dae-sook's comparisons of North Korean sources and analyses by the South Korean government research institute on North Korea, one of the biggest holders of organized information on North Korea
2. Time Gap in Information Transmission
Problem: it is difficult to accurately measure the effect of a domestic event in one country on another, as there appears to be a significant lag between information transmission and reception to and from North Korea and the rest of the world
Solution: the historian must make sure to pinpoint the exact date of the occurrence of events and, to the extent possible, its reception in order to avoid false attribution of causes to historical events
In this project: expand chronological knowledge from point of occurrence to points of transmission, reception, and declassification where available
3. Multiple Languages
Problem: due to the global nature of North Korean history, the best histories of North Korea must fuse information in not only Korean and English but also in Russian, Chinese and Japanese; another problem is that some of the best works in the field is not available in English, resulting in gaps of understanding on the subject that lead to wasted effort
Solution: all relevant information should be consistent and prepared in both Korean and English at least
In this project: maintain awareness of secondary sources in various languages; learn the origins of common loanwords of the era, which come from various languages including Russian, Chinese, and Japanese
4. Lack of Transparency in Methodology
Problem: limited access to primary and secondary sources not to mention authors' vagueness about their methodology in using extremely large archives in various languages have created and exacerbated controversies
Solution: develop databases that are ready for intuitive comparisons of historical information
In this project: retain transparent records of tools used and methods employed in the research process, including unsuccessful attempts, in order to make the analysis replicable by other researchers