Andrei Lankov is a Director at NK News and writes exclusively for the site as one of the world's leading authorities on North Korea. A graduate of Leningrad State University, he attended Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung University from 1984-5 - an experience you can read about here. In addition to his writing, he is also a Professor at Kookmin University.
Kim Jong Un’s regime has applied smarter, not stricter, policies to bring down escapees
Speculation of coup risk in Pyongyang or S. Korean president's decision not to attend unrelated
Neighborhood surveillance among many facets of life changed by markets
Private economy creates alternative means to privileges once only accessed by party members
Pursuit of catchy headlines, trendy stories ignores real long-term developments in the North – and elsewhere
Pro-emancipation rhetoric, need for female labor, clashes with engrained patriarchal ideas
Pyongyang remains secretive about even minor data, leaving rest of world to guess
Region surrounding inter-Korean complex features standards of living rest of the country can only imagine
Language barriers, propaganda and harsh realities keep barbs from 'The Interview' and 'Team America' from sinking in
Many women see arrangement, while potentially abusive, as relatively stable
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