May 07, 2024

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jin

Jin is a pseudonym for a North Korean defector writer. She was born and raised in North Korea and lived there until she defected in 2014. She now resides in South Korea.

Ask A North Korean

Ask a North Korean: What do North Koreans think of foreign countries?

Schools teach very little about the outside world as Kim regime focuses on nurturing pride for the DPRK above all

JinJanuary 27, 2023
Ask A North Korean

Ask a North Korean: What are the most popular university majors?

Most North Koreans have little choice over their course of study, unless they can pay hefty bribes

JinDecember 8, 2022
Ask A North Korean

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

Ceremonies are simple affairs quite different from those in South, while food is an important part of the ritual

JinNovember 17, 2022
Ask A North Korean

Ask a North Korean: What is beach culture like in North Korea?

Much like people around the world, North Koreans like to eat, drink and play at the beach. The problem is getting there.

JinSeptember 2, 2022
Ask A North Korean

Ask a North Korean: How do you move to a new house in the DPRK?

North Koreans can only move under specific circumstances, and even then finding affordable housing is nigh impossible

JinAugust 12, 2022
Ask A North Korean

Ask a North Korean: The long, dangerous journey to freedom in the South

The final chapter in a harrowing escape from North Korea that forced one defector to leave her child and husband behind

JinJuly 8, 2022
Ask A North Korean

Ask a North Korean: How bright lights in China inspired a defection

‘You cannot change where you were born, but you can choose where you live’

JinMay 17, 2022
Ask A North Korean

Ask a North Korean: Was there a specific experience that drove you to defect?

A defector describes how imprisonment by secret police separated her from family but strengthened her resolve to live

JinApril 13, 2022
Ask A North Korean

Ask a North Korean: When did you first begin to consider defecting?

A young woman recounts the series of events that drove her to rethink her life in the DPRK

JinApril 6, 2022