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Mysterious Pyongyang: Cosmetics, Beauty Culture and North Korea

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Focuses on understanding the intentions behind the three leaders of North Korea, Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, and Kim Jong-un

  • Analyzes the governing style of Pyongyang through women’s life and beauty culture

  • Is the earliest book of its kind in the women’s life and beauty culture of socialist country, North Korea

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Table of contents (6 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxiv
  2. Women in North Korea: Ideal and Reality

    • Sung-wook Nam, Su-lan Chae, Ga-young Lee
    Pages 1-60
  3. The Beauty Culture and Perspective of North Korean Women

    • Sung-wook Nam, Su-lan Chae, Ga-young Lee
    Pages 61-140
  4. North Korean Policy for Cosmetic Industry

    • Sung-wook Nam, Su-lan Chae, Ga-young Lee
    Pages 141-186
  5. Chemical Compositional Analysis of North Korean Cosmetics

    • Sung-wook Nam, Su-lan Chae, Ga-young Lee
    Pages 187-270
  6. North Korea’s Economic Development and Cosmetic Industry Outlook

    • Sung-wook Nam, Su-lan Chae, Ga-young Lee
    Pages 301-325
  7. Back Matter

    Pages 327-339

About this book

This book is written with the belief that the peaceful unification of Korean Peninsula will be upon us on the day that every woman in North Korea uses South Korean and global cosmetics. The authors focus on understanding the intentions behind the three leaders of North Korea, Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un, based on their comments on the cosmetics industry and their field guidance tendencies, analyzing the governance style of Pyongyang through women’s life and beauty culture. It is the earliest book of its kind in the women’s life and beauty culture of North Korea.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Graduate School of Public Policy, Korea University, Seoul, Korea (Republic of)

    Nam Sung-wook

  • Asiatic Research Institute, Korea University, Seoul, Korea (Republic of)

    Chae Su-lan, Lee Ga-young

About the authors

Sung-wook Nam is an East Asia expert with the theoretical and practical experience in academia, government and intelligence services on North Korea and China. He has worked as an analyst for Korean National Intelligence Service and an advisor to Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of National Unification and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Nam is Dean of Graduate School of Public Policy, Korea University, and Director of Center for North Koreanology at the Asiatic Research Institute, Korea University, since 2013. He is co-author of South Korea’s 70-Year Endeavor for Foreign Policy, National Defense, and Unification (Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018).


Su-lan Chae is a Researcher at Asiatic Research Institute, Korea University.


Ga-young Lee is a Researcher at Asiatic Research Institute, Korea University.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Mysterious Pyongyang: Cosmetics, Beauty Culture and North Korea

  • Authors: Nam Sung-wook, Chae Su-lan, Lee Ga-young

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-7703-1

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Singapore

  • eBook Packages: Political Science and International Studies, Political Science and International Studies (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-981-15-7702-4Published: 24 October 2020

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-981-15-7705-5Published: 25 October 2021

  • eBook ISBN: 978-981-15-7703-1Published: 23 October 2020

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XXIV, 339

  • Number of Illustrations: 4 b/w illustrations, 125 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Asian Politics, Economics, general, Cultural Studies

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access