Features
Long-form reporting on timeless issues and human interest stories by NK News journalists and contributors.
Why North Korea insists playing basketball makes you taller
State propaganda has pushed dubious claim since 60s, and it may have even driven Kim Jong Un’s obsession with the sport
Paper provocations: Inside North and South Korea’s decades-long leaflet war
Two sides have often agreed to stop launches, but trash balloons and new dynamics could make it harder to find offramp
What South Koreans think about North Korea’s barrage of trash balloons
Ordinary citizens express confusion at DPRK actions, while emphasizing need for Seoul to protect people from harm
20 years since last summit, North Korea-Japan ties still vexed by same concerns
Abductee issue has been insurmountable since Junichiro Koizumi and Kim Jong Il met, but hopes persist for third summit
Dangerous catch: The fishermen who brave perilous waters on North Korea’s edge
South Korean ships venture as close as mile from border in search of seafood, despite past abductions and high tensions
‘It slaps’: How a propaganda song praising Kim Jong Un went viral on TikTok
Videos featuring ‘Friendly Father’ have flooded popular app, even as US pushes to ban it over fears of misinformation
Biting humor: North Korea’s forgotten embrace of satirical cartoons
Magazine Hwalsal once prominently featured social criticism, revealing openness of early DPRK until regime cracked down
How a DMZ tragedy led a soldier to devote his life to ridding Korea of mines
Activist Kim Ki-ho says he has removed 10K landmines left over from war with North Korea, but warns millions remain
Flight of the Concorde? North Korea’s brief flirtation with supersonic airliners
DPRK once pursued deal to buy Concorde jets, highlighting its pursuit of new tech and desire for recognition from West
A North Korean novel searches for meaning in the dramas and joys of family life
Ri Hui Chan expounds on centrality of family in way that is striking in a country that exalts leader as father of nation
