Seoul correspondent for Reuters James Pearson will give a talk to the Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch on how the North Korean famine of the 1990s was a catalyst for the country’s nascent capitalism.

Pearson is coauthor with Daniel Tudor of the forthcoming book “North Korea Confidential.” In it, they argue that while the famine was devastating, it accelerated North Korean marketization and paved the way for a form of capitalism that now keeps North Korea going.

He will discuss the increased use of gray market currency rates to price goods in shops and markets, and talk about venture capitalists in the country who he says are funding a construction boom.

The lecture runs Feb. 24 from 7:30 p.m. at the Residents’ Lounge of Somerset Palace. Admission is free for RASKB members and 7,000 won for nonmembers.

(paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)