Change in North Korea as Kim Jong-un remodels Fortress Juche
The colossal ideological fortress of Juche has stood firm for a long time as the cornerstone of North Korea's pursuit of revolution and defense against...
“Loyalty is a form of business marketing”
Recent defectors from North Korea are different from the earlier generation who have settled in South Korea in one notable aspect. That is, that they...
Is Kim Jong-un playing off Russia and China for gain?
A recent flurry of diplomacy activity suggests that Kim Jong-un may be reviving his grandfather's old strategy of playing off Russia and China against one...
North Korea tries again to rein in unsanctioned use of foreign currency
North Korea issued a fresh warning this month in what looks like its losing battle to crack down on private economic activity. Authorities on April...
Forced repatriation: Accountability
The last of our four-part series on the forced repatriation of North Korean defectors in China. For parts one, two, and three, see here, here...
By honoring defectors is South Korea unintentionally erecting a barrier to integration?
When I started English lessons again when I was 20, the first topic in the textbook was St. Patrick's Day in America. This celebration of...
Forced repatriation: Sent back to hell
Part three of a four-part series based on the writer’s personal experience. For parts one and two, see here and here. "If the Chinese police...
Defectors back ruling party this time in National Assembly elections
In the lead up to the parliamentary elections in South Korea on April 10, the campaigns of some North Korean defectors are gaining attention. These...
Are North Koreans tiring of being told to sacrifice for tomorrow?
Despite the 180 degree turn this year on the long standing goal of reunification and the removal of a monument he built to it, North...
Japan’s impasse over abductions. It’s the North Korean economy, stupid
Recent news suggests Tokyo was making efforts for a summit with North Korea. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 25 quoted Kim Yo-jong,...
South Korea is making it more difficult for defectors to send money to their families
“I once cried and swore all night, praying the broker who stole my money would die. I lost all I had. After that, I borrowed...
North Korean workers investigated for murder after China labor protest
Several North Korean workers have been repatriated and remain under investigation on possible murder charges after protests at an industrial complex in China erupted in...
Kim Jong-un rejects unification out of fear of South Korea
Like a wizard, Kim Jong-un waved his magic wand on March 23 and an entire organization vanished. The Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea,...
Secret police start annual propaganda performances
Propaganda teams organized by the secret police this month started touring the provinces and staging performances about attempted coups to educate the public in how...
A construction worker in Russia in the time of COVID
In Part 2 of his story, Kang, a North Korean laborer in Russia who escaped to South Korea at the end of 2022, recounts his...
When the enemy of my enemy becomes my friend: the South Koreans who scratch Kim Jong-un’s back
In a peculiar dynamic, North Korean media has been reporting on the activities of certain leftist lawmakers and activists in South Korea in a way...
Students under pressure to erase South Korea from textbooks before the school year starts
Since Kim Jong-un declared South Korea to be his implacable foe, authorities in North Korea have been issuing instructions to have all references to the...
Why North Korean news media don’t report news
One day in Pyongyang, in the summer of 1993, I was walking along Tongil Street in the city’s Rangrang district, heading for a bus stop,...