Why North Korean comic books don’t have superheroes - Ep. 250 | NK News
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March 09, 2025Mar 09, 2025
North Korea News Podcast

Why North Korean comic books don’t have superheroes – Ep. 250

Host Jacco Zwetsloot joins the show as a guest for the first time to discuss DPRK graphic novels, the podcast and more

Over the last four years, Jacco Zwetsloot has hosted 249 episodes of the NK News podcast, interviewing everyone from longtime Korea watchers and prominent defectors to Donald Trump’s point man for negotiations with Pyongyang. But the podcast’s 250th episode features a particularly special guest — the host himself.

This week, Zwetsloot talks with NK News Deputy Editor Arius Derr (@AriusDerr) about the first-ever North Korean to stand before a U.S. court and his research on DPRK comic books. They discuss why North Korean comics don’t depict Kim family leaders, the challenges of navigating South Korean restrictions on DPRK materials, what he has learned from hosting the podcast and more.

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