By
Jang Jin-sung
Atria
Books, 2014. 339 pgs. Nonfiction
Having
shown his gifts as a poet while still a teenager, Jang was given a job in North
Korea’s United Front Department, the government section responsible for
inter-Korean espionage. Honored by being invited to meet Kim Jong-il because of
his poetry, he becomes one of the “Admitted,” making him virtually immune to
punishment for any infraction without approval from the “Great Leader” himself. In his work he was allowed to read and study
books, newspapers and magazines from South Korea so that he could write
propaganda as though it had been written in South Korea. Gradually Jang becomes
disillusioned with the government of North Korea. Having lived his whole life
in Pyongyang, he is horrified when he visits a friend in the countryside and
sees the starvation and poverty of ordinary North Koreans. When he violates the
rules of his job and loans a restricted book to a friend he suddenly finds
himself being investigated by his unit.
Knowing that it is only a matter of time before he is arrested, he and
his friend cross the Tumen River into China.
This
memoir is far different from other recent books about refugees from North Korea
because the author is so familiar with the propaganda tools and techniques of
the North Korean government. He was an
insider who experienced the privileged lifestyle of the elites close to Kim
Jong-il. He is also a gifted writer, and currently the editor of a website that
reports on North Korea. I highly recommend this memoir to those who are
interested in North Korea.
SH
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