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영어

North Korea represents a broad variety of challenges for many nations in major issues, including nuclear weapons, human rights, and international crime. To make sense of these issues, North Korean studies has evolved over several decades. This research surveys the present state of the field, within the context of Korean studies, in several regions beyond the Asia Pacific: North and South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The main research questions are, first, what is the broad state of the field of North Korean studies in regions beyond the Asia Pacific? Second, from the survey and case studies, what can be uncovered about international and area studies? Third, in these regions, how can the application of relevant anthropological approaches and insights help to improve teaching and learning in North Korean studies? After the survey of Korean and North Korean studies in major world regions, the third section examines several brief case studies from the Americas/the United States (the University of Washington at Seattle), Europe/the United Kingdom (the University of Central Lancashire) and Eurasia/Russia (St. Petersburg State University). The conclusion presents major findings from the survey and case studies on the study’s research questions. Utilizing world systems theory, the paper concludes that even though the influence of South Korean funding is pervasive in Korean studies throughout these regions, there is no South Korea-dominated “world system” of Korean studies beyond the Asia Pacific. The research also finds no evidence of intentional limitations placed on the development of North Korean studies in these various world regions. The conclusion also notes significant perspectives from anthropology, on human rights, cultural globalization, language-informed area studies and other issues, that offer exciting opportunities to reinvigorate North Korean studies and other area studies fields.