April 18, 2024

About the author

Oliver Jia

Oliver Jia is a Kyoto-based graduate student currently pursuing his PhD in international relations at Ritsumeikan University and a regular contributor to NK News. He previously worked as Social Media Editor for Korea Risk Group. His research focuses on Japan-DPRK relations and comparative foreign policy. Follow him on Twitter.

More articles by 'Oliver Jia'

The strange case of the Japanese man who chose to stay in North Korea

The strange case of the Japanese man who chose to stay in North Korea

Captured decades ago, Takeshi Terakoshi still lives in Pyongyang with his North Korean wife and kids

The strange case of the Japanese man who chose to stay in North Korea
Oliver Jia
Oliver Jia August 19, 2021
Documenting North Korea’s unsolved mysteries and unguarded moments of daily life

Documenting North Korea’s unsolved mysteries and unguarded moments of daily life

Re-released documentaries pull back curtain on 1966 World Cup team, Mass Games performers and Americans in Pyongyang

Documenting North Korea’s unsolved mysteries and unguarded moments of daily life
Oliver Jia
Oliver Jia July 12, 2021
New film about North Korean abductions striking an emotional chord in Japan

New film about North Korean abductions striking an emotional chord in Japan

“We can’t let our human rights be stolen” -- Film’s director discusses his motivations for making "The Pledge to Megumi"

New film about North Korean abductions striking an emotional chord in Japan
Oliver Jia
Oliver Jia March 9, 2021
New documentary tackles the assassination of Kim Jong Un’s half-brother

New documentary tackles the assassination of Kim Jong Un’s half-brother

"Assassins" tells the story of how North Korea tricked two women into killing Kim Jong Nam

New documentary tackles the assassination of Kim Jong Un’s half-brother
Oliver Jia
Oliver Jia February 8, 2021
‘Laugh, cry and be angry’: New film depicts life in North Korea’s prison camps

‘Laugh, cry and be angry’: New film depicts life in North Korea’s prison camps

"True North" retells the horrors of North Korean human rights abuses through narrative fiction and animation

‘Laugh, cry and be angry’: New film depicts life in North Korea’s prison camps
Oliver Jia
Oliver Jia November 15, 2020
Why North Korea will be a chronic headache for Japan’s new prime minister

Why North Korea will be a chronic headache for Japan’s new prime minister

The future of Japan-DPRK relations are uncertain in a post-Abe era and experts say Suga has little leverage to work with

Why North Korea will be a chronic headache for Japan’s new prime minister
Oliver Jia
Oliver Jia September 24, 2020
The giant’s miniature garden: Masayuki Aramaki’s Pyongyang odyssey

The giant’s miniature garden: Masayuki Aramaki’s Pyongyang odyssey

The Japanese filmmaker has been to North Korea 35 times, meticulously capturing daily life. Why does he keep going back?

The giant’s miniature garden: Masayuki Aramaki’s Pyongyang odyssey
Oliver Jia
Oliver Jia March 12, 2020
A North Korean school of rock: teaching heavy metal to Pyongyang school girls

A North Korean school of rock: teaching heavy metal to Pyongyang school girls

Funky Sueyoshi reflects on his time at the June 9th school — and whether music could ever inspire change in the DPRK

A North Korean school of rock: teaching heavy metal to Pyongyang school girls
Oliver Jia
Oliver Jia January 8, 2020
From North Carolina to North Korea and beyond: meeting a U.S. defector in Japan

From North Carolina to North Korea and beyond: meeting a U.S. defector in Japan

Charles Robert Jenkins spent 39 years in the DPRK, working as everything from translator to silver screen star

From North Carolina to North Korea and beyond: meeting a U.S. defector in Japan
Oliver Jia
Oliver Jia November 27, 2019