March 28, 2023

About the author

Oliver Jia

Oliver Jia is Social Media Editor at NK News and a Kyoto-based graduate student currently pursuing his PhD in international relations at Ritsumeikan University. His research focuses on Japan-DPRK relations and comparative foreign policy. Follow him on Twitter @OliverJia1014

More articles by 'Oliver Jia'

The despot and The Worm: Remembering Dennis Rodman’s strange North Korea odyssey

The despot and The Worm: Remembering Dennis Rodman’s strange North Korea odyssey

Ten years on, the eccentric NBA star’s friendship with Kim Jong Un stands as one of stranger chapters in DPRK history

The despot and The Worm: Remembering Dennis Rodman’s strange North Korea odyssey
Oliver Jia
Oliver Jia February 27, 2023
Shinzo Abe’s posthumous memoir sheds light on North Korea diplomacy and Trump

Shinzo Abe’s posthumous memoir sheds light on North Korea diplomacy and Trump

Former Japanese prime minister explains why Trump sought summit with DPRK, criticizes ‘criminal’ Moon Jae-in and more

Shinzo Abe’s posthumous memoir sheds light on North Korea diplomacy and Trump
Oliver Jia
Oliver Jia February 22, 2023
Book review: The Korean War and the birth of modern American espionage

Book review: The Korean War and the birth of modern American espionage

‘Agents of Subversion’ reveals how the conflict provided a shot in the arm for a fledgling agency called the CIA

Book review: The Korean War and the birth of modern American espionage
Oliver Jia
Oliver Jia February 3, 2023
Kenneth Rowe, North Korean pilot who defected in Soviet plane, dies at 90

Kenneth Rowe, North Korean pilot who defected in Soviet plane, dies at 90

Rowe fooled the DPRK air force into thinking he was loyal to Kim Il Sung, all while he was planning his great escape

Kenneth Rowe, North Korean pilot who defected in Soviet plane, dies at 90
Oliver Jia
Oliver Jia January 9, 2023
The best North Korea books of 2022: A gift guide for the holiday season

The best North Korea books of 2022: A gift guide for the holiday season

Thrilling accounts of anti-regime activism and DPRK cybercrime join deep dives into history among the year’s top titles

The best North Korea books of 2022: A gift guide for the holiday season
Oliver Jia
Oliver Jia December 13, 2022
How a US veteran became a POW in North Korea 60 years after the Korean War

How a US veteran became a POW in North Korea 60 years after the Korean War

Merrill Newman’s ill-fated trip to the DPRK would reveal the ways in which for Pyongyang, the conflict never ended

How a US veteran became a POW in North Korea 60 years after the Korean War
Oliver Jia
Oliver Jia October 28, 2022
The Flower Girl: How a North Korean propaganda film achieved international fame

The Flower Girl: How a North Korean propaganda film achieved international fame

Kim Jong Il’s operatic passion project remains a nostalgic classic in China and elsewhere, 50 years after its release

The Flower Girl: How a North Korean propaganda film achieved international fame
Oliver Jia
Oliver Jia September 20, 2022
Filming the unfilmable: Director explores cost of Koreas’ ideological struggle

Filming the unfilmable: Director explores cost of Koreas’ ideological struggle

In ‘Soup and Ideology,’ Yang Yong-hi documents her mother’s fading memory of Jeju massacre and tragedy of division

Filming the unfilmable: Director explores cost of Koreas’ ideological struggle
Oliver Jia
Oliver Jia August 3, 2022
One country, one system: How North Korea-Hong Kong ties pivot around China

One country, one system: How North Korea-Hong Kong ties pivot around China

Hong Kong-based entities continue to be key nodes in Kim Jong Un’s sanctions-busting and money laundering schemes

One country, one system: How North Korea-Hong Kong ties pivot around China
Oliver Jia
Oliver Jia May 4, 2022
When North Korea and China hosted an Olympics for prisoners of war

When North Korea and China hosted an Olympics for prisoners of war

The bizarre episode during the Korean War was an attempt to brainwash captured soldiers into believing in communism

When North Korea and China hosted an Olympics for prisoners of war
Oliver Jia
Oliver Jia February 18, 2022
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