He was also fully indoctrinated by the state, believing the propaganda fed to him at school. This is Paradise! : My North Korean Childhood by Hyok Kang and Philippe Grangereau, translated by Shaun Whiteside (2007) – Hyok Kang was the son of a rich, patriotic North Korean family that enjoyed the kind of privileges most North Koreans could only dream of.
By signing up you agree to our terms of use Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Bush’s hands and was one of the first ways the US government began learning about North Korea’s human rights abuses. This book would eventually make its way to former President George W. In this memoir, Chol-hwan details how starvation brutalized even the most sensitive parent, how desperate people were to escape, and the many ways the guards and state sought to terrorize them. His family’s crime? His grandfather and grandmother had lived in Japan for a time, which the state would arbitrarily decide made them all traitors. The Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag by Chol-hwan Kang and Pierre Rigoulot, translated by Yair Reiner (2005) – In 1977, when Chol-hwan Kang was only nine years old, he and his family were sentenced to 10 years hard labor in the Yodok labor camp. This is to prevent confusion among our readers, most of whom are used to the Western style. * Note: All names are written in the Western style of individual name first, family name last. The books below are often difficult to read and contain events that many people might find triggering such as physical and sexual assault, psychological torture, and starvation. Their stories, more than any other narrative, paint a comprehensive picture of the country. It is largely because of them that we know the full extent of the government’s human rights violations. They have faced imprisonment, torture, forced labor, and sex trafficking, sometimes losing their families in the process. However, there are many courageous people who have managed to escape from North Korea.
Due to the government’s iron grip on its citizens, its media, and basically every aspect of society, it’s extremely difficult for outsiders to learn about what is really going on in the country – especially since it is illegal for citizens to leave it. As fellow contributor Jen Sherman pointed out in her article, Becoming Fascinated with a Mysterious State: A North Korea Reading List, North Korea is one of the world’s most isolated countries.
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