“Ask a North Korean” is an NK News series featuring interviews with and columns by North Korean defectors, most of whom 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 asks what is it like to be a musician in North Korea.

Jin — who was born and raised in North Korea and lived there until she defected in 2014 — writes about her experiences as a musician and the sacrifices that artists must make in the DPRK to create