Ask me about North Korea

Today I am coming to you with some updates on the podcast, several messages, and a book lottery announcement. Want to get a copy of Kim Jong-un’s biography? Just spread the word about the podcast.

Kim Il-sung is, perhaps, a name that you do not hear all that much these days, if you are not a North Korea watcher. What you might hear way more often is the name of his grandson, Kim Jong-un, who is the current head of the North Korean state. However, it was Kim Il-sung, who shaped North Korea as we know it today – as the most controlled society in the world. It was Kim Il-sung, who plunged the Korean Peninsula into the bloodbath of the Korean War and cemented the division of Korea...

Kim Jong-il, the second ruler of the DPRK, transformed North Korea in many ways – willingly or not. During the years of his rule, North Korea became a semi-capitalist isolated society in possession of nuclear weapons, a country that would not leave the front pages of international mass-media outlets...

Kim Jong-un is one of the most well-known leaders in contemporary world politics, who gets a lot of press – and a lot of very bad press. Despite that fact, very little is actually known about him as a person and, especially, about his early years of political career before becoming the leader of North Korea...

Leisure is an essential part of humans’ daily lives – wherever we are, we try to carve out some free time for our hobbies ranging from watching TV-series to going on mountain climbing expeditions. After all, working all the time is physically and mentally impossible. Thus, even in the most authoritarian of countries, both the state and the people have to think about the questions of leisure...

Palace or military coups is something that you often witness in a variety of different autocracies – ranging from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe; from one-party authoritarian regimes to personalistic dictatorships. However, you probably have never heard about one happening in North Korea. Have there been any coup attempts in the DPRK? Were they successful? What does it mean in political terms? Today I will be talking about these questions at the request of one of the listeners!

Living in a lockdown is never easy, but it is especially hard when you are stuck as a foreign citizen in North Korea. The numbers of international expats, who live and work in North Korea usually as a part of some foreign missions or international humanitarian organizations, have never been high to begin with. With the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, their numbers have fallen drastically...

In North Korea, your wedding is not just your moment – but also a ritual demonstrating your filial piety both to your family and to the state. So how do North Korean weddings look like? How do families prepare for them? What are the main wedding traditions? Are they similar to the South Korean ones? I talk about these questions in today’s episode.

When browsing some Western media outlets, you might encounter a misplaced stereotype about North Korea being a Chinese puppet. Others argue that these two countries are very close allies, recalling how Mao Zedong called the relationship as close as ‘lips and teeth’. However, the reality is that Sino-North Korean relations have never been particularly easy or straightforward...

Kim Yo-jong is another member of the Kim dynasty, who has recently been attracting a lot of attention on international social media platforms. Being Kim Jong-un’s sister, she is seen as one of the key members of the narrowest circle of top North Korean elites with many media speculating about her being Kim Jong-un’s potential successor. But how did she get to that position and what is her role in the North Korean authoritarian system? You will find out in this episode!