New book details uneasy lives of North Korea’s privileged but powerless



Opinion New book details uneasy lives of North Korea’s privileged but powerless Jieun Baek’s study of elite defectors probes fear, loyalty and the prospects for regime change in North Korea Stephen Mercado May 22, 2026 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae at a New Year’s Eve concert in Pyongyang \| Image: KCNA (Jan. 1, 2026) CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the title of Jieun Baek’s book. It is “Privileged but Powerless.” For North Korea’s elites, privilege has never guaranteed power. Jieun Baek’s new book, “Privileged but Powerless: How North Korean Elite Grievances Reveal the Regime’s Greatest Weakness,” examines the fears and grievances of senior defectors who once belonged to Pyongyang’s favored class, arguing that their disillusionment could help weaken the regime from within — while raising questions about whether outside pressure pushes those same elites to close ranks. Baek, an American law student with family roots in North Korea © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

Opinion

New book details uneasy lives of North Korea’s privileged but powerless

Jieun Baek’s study of elite defectors probes fear, loyalty and the prospects for regime change in North Korea

Stephen Mercado May 22, 2026

New book details uneasy lives of North Korea’s privileged but powerless

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae at a New Year’s Eve concert in Pyongyang | Image: KCNA (Jan. 1, 2026)

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the title of Jieun Baek’s book. It is “Privileged but Powerless.”

For North Korea’s elites, privilege has never guaranteed power.

Jieun Baek’s new book, “Privileged but Powerless: How North Korean Elite Grievances Reveal the Regime’s Greatest Weakness,” examines the fears and grievances of senior defectors who once belonged to Pyongyang’s favored class, arguing that their disillusionment could help weaken the regime from within — while raising questions about whether outside pressure pushes those same elites to close ranks.

Baek, an American law student with family roots in North Korea

About the Author

Stephen Mercado

Stephen Mercado is a retired officer of the CIA’s Open Source Enterprise (originally the Foreign Broadcast Information Service). A researcher primarily interested in Japanese intelligence history and Asian open-source intelligence, he earned a master’s degree in international affairs at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He is the author of "Japanese Spy Gear and Special Weapons: How Noborito's Scientists and Technicians Served in the Second World War and the Cold War" (Pen & Sword Military, 2025), "The Shadow Warriors of Nakano: A History of the Imperial Japanese Army’s Elite Intelligence School" (Brassey’s, 2002), a dozen articles and several dozen book reviews.

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