Forced repatriation: The suffering mothers and their abandoned children
This is Part Two of a four-part series based on the writer’s personal experience. See Part One here. In the 17th century, when Korean women...
With her Mount Paektu bloodline, there is nothing preventing Kim Ju-ae being the next leader
The Korea Institute for National Unification, a government think tank in Seoul, has released a report saying that, considering the increased role of women within...
Pro-North activist group in South Korea dissolves itself
A prominent civic group in South Korea dedicated to reunification and with counterparts in North Korea and overseas, announced its dissolution after a general meeting...
Private tutoring is catching on in North Korea
The American philosopher, psychologist and educator John Dewey, who advocated functional psychology and had a significant influence on the American school system, famously said that...
Kim Jong-un loves his luxury cars
Kim Jong-un is a big fan of luxury cars and doesn’t let the fact that most citizens can’t secure their next meal distract him from...
North Korea restructures government departments following policy shift toward South Korea
Agencies in North Korea responsible for inter-Korean affairs are being reorganized and, in some cases, closed down, following Kim Jong-un’s strategic decision in December to...
North Korea adopts the concept of “human rights abuse” for law enforcement training
The Ministry of Social Security, North Korea’s main law enforcement agency, is stepping up education for its own officials and police to train them not...
Forced repatriation to North Korea: The silence of the victims
This feature is Part One of a four-part series. It is based on the writer’s personal experience If silence is negligence, as the saying goes,...
What is causing North Korea’s low birth rate?
With North Korea’s fertility rate under the 2.1 needed to maintain the current population level, Kim Jong-un recently is urging mothers in the country to...
Call me oppa: the changing dating culture in Kim Jong-un’s Korea
“Don’t wait for a man who’s in the military. In fact, don’t date anybody who is going to go into the military.” This is something...
There’s ideology in those blue jeans
Everyone has at least one pair of jeans. They have the distinction of being ordinary and fashionable at the same time. The designer Yves Saint...
My mother, the Iron Lady
One of my most terrifying memories was the day the secret police ransacked our family’s house. Three men barged in and one of them barked...
Why North Koreans would vote for Trump if they could
With the US presidential election campaign picking up steam and, despite the controversy and legal issues swirling around him, Donald Trump might win in November....