Power, the dinner table, and the cold sea
If a fisherman working for Songhak Fisheries dies on a boat on the icy winter waters of the Yellow Sea, the boat does not return...
“Patriots who gave their lives without compensation” — Apartments in Pyongyang for families of fallen soldiers
Kim Jong‑un attended the completion ceremony on February 15 of a new apartment district in Pyongyang that has been specially built for the families of...
Erased yet feared: How North Korea sees defectors
On the screen in my home in Seoul, a report was airing about how North Korea refers to defectors. Actually, when I lived there, I...
Kim observes missile test… More than a technical display, a signal to neighboring states
On January 27, North Korea tested an upgraded large-caliber multiple rocket launcher system, once again stressing the need to “strengthen strategic deterrence.” The test, carried...
The illusion of a photo with Kim Jong-un: The tears behind North Korea’s military parades
Pyongyang’s military parades are portrayed by global media as dazzling displays of power. The world is familiar with the images of thousands of soldiers goose-stepping...
Weapons modernization and anti-U.S. strategic calculations amid the Russia–Ukraine war
North Korea has supplied Russia with large quantities of artillery shells and military equipment during what Moscow calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine. This...
Briefing January 9 ~ January 13
In a strongly worded statement, North Korea denounced what it claims was a “serious violation of sovereignty” after shooting down a drone which it said...
“I defended the fatherland, but it did not defend me.”
Youth is not a time for making choices for North Koreans. Rather, it is a period of obligation to the state, a time when personal...