“Ask a North Korean” is an NK News series featuring interviews with and columns by North Korean defectors, most of who left the DPRK within the last few years.

Readers may submit their questions for defectors by emailing [email protected] and including their first name and city of residence.

Today’s question is about North Koreans’ familiarity with the concept of individualism and how that manifests in everyday life.

Sersong Han — who was born and raised in North Korea and lived there until he defected in 2014 — writes about the regime’s emphasis on collectivism, how people express their individuality and