Victor Cha and his team of researchers demand a new mindset. They insist on novel approaches to unveiling the mystery of North Korea. Like the UN Commission of Inquiry, ten years earlier, they call for fidelity to the search for the truth. This is no small task, given the isolation of the country. The COI used transparent public hearings and digital media. This book goes a step further. It employs innovative research methodologies: data scraping, ethnography, and unique micro-surveys of ordinary citizens. It calls on privileged insights into North Korea. Peace, human rights, and change will only come about by adopting fresh approaches of inquiry, to which the authors of this important book summon us.
- The Hon. Michael Kirby, Chair of the UN Commission of Inquiry on North Korea (2013-14),
In this unique and timely book, Professor Victor Cha and his team of researchers dispel the well-trodden tropes of North Korea by emphasizing rigorous research methods and data-driven analysis. <i>The Black Box</i> will surely transform how scholars and practitioners study and think about North Korea and the future of Korean unification.
- Andrew Yeo, author of <i>State, Society, and Markets in North Korea</i>,