March 19, 2024

About the author

Alek Sigley

Alek Sigley is a PhD student at Stanford University's Modern Thought and Literature program, where he is writing a dissertation on North Korea. From 2018-2019 he studied for a master's degree in contemporary North Korean fiction at Kim Il Sung University's College of Literature. He speaks Mandarin, Korean and Japanese. Follow him on Twitter.

More articles by 'Alek Sigley'

Pyongyang Chronicles: The North Korea I choose to remember

Pyongyang Chronicles: The North Korea I choose to remember

While state police cut short my studies, I also experienced unforgettable beauty and kindness during my time in the DPRK

Pyongyang Chronicles: The North Korea I choose to remember
Alek Sigley
Alek Sigley March 22, 2023
Pyongyang Chronicles: A modern-day Judas at Kim Il Sung University

Pyongyang Chronicles: A modern-day Judas at Kim Il Sung University

An early friendship ends with betrayal, demonstrating how the North Korean system begets hypocrisy and doublethink

Pyongyang Chronicles: A modern-day Judas at Kim Il Sung University
Alek Sigley
Alek Sigley February 23, 2023
Pyongyang Chronicles: ‘Why doesn’t Australia develop nuclear weapons?’

Pyongyang Chronicles: ‘Why doesn’t Australia develop nuclear weapons?’

A visit to a North Korean restaurant facilitated frank discussion about racism, the Korean War and the merits of Juche

Pyongyang Chronicles: ‘Why doesn’t Australia develop nuclear weapons?’
Alek Sigley
Alek Sigley February 6, 2023
Pyongyang Chronicles: The North Korean roommates who spied on foreign students

Pyongyang Chronicles: The North Korean roommates who spied on foreign students

It was an open secret that local students wrote reports on us, but some took their mission more seriously than others

Pyongyang Chronicles: The North Korean roommates who spied on foreign students
Alek Sigley
Alek Sigley January 10, 2023
Pyongyang Chronicles: Why North Korean scholars love Shakespeare but hate Freud

Pyongyang Chronicles: Why North Korean scholars love Shakespeare but hate Freud

Professors at the DPRK’s top university are passionate and curious but face considerable obstacles in their work

Pyongyang Chronicles: Why North Korean scholars love Shakespeare but hate Freud
Alek Sigley
Alek Sigley December 21, 2022
Pyongyang chronicles: Why the DPRK is no fan of ‘The Lord of the Rings’

Pyongyang chronicles: Why the DPRK is no fan of ‘The Lord of the Rings’

All education must be revolutionary, and Kim Il Sung University instructors had no time for fantasies of Middle Earth

Pyongyang chronicles: Why the DPRK is no fan of ‘The Lord of the Rings’
Alek Sigley
Alek Sigley November 28, 2022
Pyongyang chronicles: Late-night mahjong and K-pop at the DPRK’s top university

Pyongyang chronicles: Late-night mahjong and K-pop at the DPRK’s top university

Foreign students’ lives in North Korea can vary dramatically based on where they’re from — and how much money they have

Pyongyang chronicles: Late-night mahjong and K-pop at the DPRK’s top university
Alek Sigley
Alek Sigley November 11, 2022
Ask a North Korean: What is retirement like for the elderly?

Ask a North Korean: What is retirement like for the elderly?

Most retirees fend for themselves and eek out a living at marketplaces due to collapse of public distribution system

Ask a North Korean: What is retirement like for the elderly?
Alek Sigley
Alek Sigley November 9, 2022
Pyongyang chronicles: The privileges of life as a foreign student in North Korea

Pyongyang chronicles: The privileges of life as a foreign student in North Korea

Students enjoy wider access than almost all other outsiders, but they can still run afoul of DPRK authorities

Pyongyang chronicles: The privileges of life as a foreign student in North Korea
Alek Sigley
Alek Sigley October 17, 2022
Ask a North Korean: What are toilets like in the DPRK?

Ask a North Korean: What are toilets like in the DPRK?

Public restrooms and toilet paper are in short supply, while expense of flush toilets results in a porcelain ‘hierarchy’

Ask a North Korean: What are toilets like in the DPRK?
Alek Sigley
Alek Sigley July 29, 2022
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