Contrary to what we often read, North Koreans are not that different from us. They have hopes and dreams. They date and fall in love. They celebrate marriages, births and graduations. 

They also mourn the loss of their loved ones. But until recently, how people do this in North Korea has largely been a mystery.

Now, interviews with those who have left the DPRK make clear that some 70 years of Kim family rule and a devastating famine have altered North Koreans’ relationship with loved ones who have passed away. 

From life to death, and into the spiritual realm, the