At its core this is a book about industrial work, in which North Korea serves as an example. As stated at the outset, the central questions of this study are “What does it mean to work? What does it mean to be a labor hero?” and “How is the state or the nation tied to the activity of work?” (2). Situating North Korean industrial work alongside other examples—capitalist and socialist—throughout the world, Heroes and Toilers promises to fill a gap in the labor history of North Korea among English-language publications, and Kim is at his best when using North Korean sources to illustrate the detailed texture of work in North Korea as part of state policy (chapter 2) and in shaping the rhythm of everyday life (chapter 4). Using primary sources such as Rodong, the journal published by the General Federation of Trade Unions in Korea (GFTUK), in chapter...
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