Some time ago, I had a rather telling conversation at an office of a media outlet for which I have, for many years, been a frequent contributor.

The editor told me that he was not very happy about the columns I submitted recently since they were “not topical enough.” The editor said that they would much prefer to publish things related to breaking news, like nuclear negotiations and rumors about Pyongyang factional struggle, not stories about North Korea’s black markets, or North Koreans’ attitudes to the outside world.

It makes no sense to argue with publishers and editors, so I