About the author
More articles by 'Ji-Min Kang'
Defection and the trouble with freedom
This week's Ask a North Korean describes the hardships of adapting to a competitive society where one's life isn't planned for them
How the famine helped improve our choices in North Korea
How North Korea's devastating famine surprisingly helped improve local access to food and consumer goods
How foreign movies changed my life in North Korea
Ask a North Korean: How do North Koreans view Western and South Korean movies, DVDs and songs?
How law and order works in North Korea
Police exist to collect bribes, punishment is determined by social status
Fortune-tellers, spirits and ghosts: North Korea’s unofficial faith
While authorities do not tolerate official religion, Shamanism and fortune-telling popular in North Korea
How North Korea’s economy shafts its students
Young people lack ways to make money even as schools' demands add up
How does the dating scene work in North Korea?
Pyongyang tries to instill 'love for revolutionary comrades' over romance, but people reject it
Neighborhood Watch: Inside North Korea’s secret police system
Ask A North Korean: "Let me tell you this: the Ministry of State Security system is a lot harsher than you'd think"
Why democracy might not be the best replacement for dictatorship in N. Korea
Ask a North Korean: Would you ever go back to North Korea? If so, under what conditions?
The dilemma of leaving my family behind in North Korea
Ask a North Korean: What happened to the family you left behind in Pyongyang?
