Features
Long-form reporting on timeless issues and human interest stories by NK News journalists and contributors.
Without a trace: Missing North Korean defectors expose gaps in welfare system
New report reveals 70 defectors’ whereabouts are unknown in South Korea, leading experts to call for increased support
From boy to dictator: ‘My Friend Kim Jong Un’ traces life of North Korean leader
Keum-Suk Gendry Kim discusses far-right anger at her graphic novel and challenges of writing about man she couldn’t meet
Why North Korea’s first girl group vanished without a curtain call
Moranbong Band injected sex appeal to DPRK pop but hasn’t been seen in years, likely due to conservative propaganda turn
Zero to hero: How North Korean women’s soccer became a juggernaut
DPRK national team has achieved success at highest levels of the game, despite starting from nothing in the 1980s
Spick and span: How North Korea’s clean streets sanitize its image abroad
Foreign friends and foes have long fixated on Pyongyang’s tidiness, highlighting regime’s success in hiding its flaws
Lost in translation: When US and North Korean filmmakers made a movie together
‘The Other Side of the Mountain’ aimed to transcend politics, but was weighed down by a sappy plot and pro-DPRK message
How a motley crew of Americans convinced North Korea to compete at the Olympics
A New Jersey restaurateur brokered country’s participation in Atlanta, showing lengths it may take to get the DPRK to LA
In Paris, North Korea’s Olympians punched well above their weight
DPRK athletes won six medals at first Games in years, but moments when their humanity shone through stole spotlight
The athletes striving to win North Korea sporting glory at the Paris Olympics
14-person contingent is without powerhouse weightlifters but still going for gold in wrestling, table tennis and more
Shock, then silence: What Washington thinks of the charges against Sue Mi Terry
Indictment of North Korea expert has stunned policy community, spurring reflection on Seoul’s influence in DC
