Ask A North Korean
Your chance to ask questions to North Koreans about life growing up in the DPRK
Ask a North Korean: What is it like working as a nurse in North Korea?
A defector recalls hospital shortages, patients she could not save and why she ultimately left the profession she loved
Ask a North Korean: Why I smuggle media content into North Korea
David explains why outside media matters for North Koreans, reflecting on how a propaganda leaflet changed his life
Ask a North Korean: Why was stealing so prolific in North Korea?
A North Korean defector recalls being a victim of theft on the train and at home, where her family's cauldron was stolen
Settling in Seoul: How an alternative school in South Korea helped find my dream
An escapee reflects on adapting to South Korea, preparing for university and discovering her ambitions
Ask a North Korean: What made you want to leave North Korea?
A defector from Hyesan remembers his mother’s escape, a crackdown over South Korean media and the road to freedom
Ask a North Korean: What is nursing school like in North Korea?
A defector recalls why she trained as a nurse, what students studied and the classroom order that stayed with her
Ask a North Korean: What does a ‘hometown’ mean to a defector?
An escapee recalls the taxi ride, train station goodbye and family trauma that turned departure into permanent loss
Ask a North Korean: How does DPRK society view people with disabilities?
A defector writes about prejudice toward wounded veterans, and the desperate choices that parents face
Ask a North Korean: Do North Koreans read Shakespeare?
A defector writes about majoring in literature and discovering the freedom of interpreting poems in unapproved ways
Ask a North Korean: How do North Koreans deal with trash and recycling?
A defector writes about differences between rural and urban waste management and how some trash is treated as precious
