1st Edition
Interviews with North Korean Defectors From Kim Shin-jo to Thae Yong-ho
Originally compiled and written by North Korean defector and author Lim Il, this English-language edition, thoroughly annotated by Dr. Adam Zulawnik, is a fascinating collection of 34 interviews with highly prominent North Korean defectors residing in South Korea, ranging from religious figures, to artists, politicians, North Korea experts, and even divers and subway train operators.
The 33 interviews herein are listed chronologically according to the interviewees' date of arrival to South Korea and span almost 70 years. The book also includes six special columns addressing key issues pertaining to North Korean defectors and their lives in South Korea, such as the relationship between North Korean defectors and their South Korean counterparts (South Korean defectors to North Korea; nomenclature (how North Korean defectors have been referred to in South Korean society over time); arrival and settlement provisions from the South Korean government; the nuanced difference between defectors, defector-residents, and the displaced; North Korean defector-residents and their position in South Korean politics; and a short biography of five notable North Korean defector-residents who were not interviewed. The English translation also contains an exclusive 34th interview with Lim Il, the source text author which was carried out towards the end of the project in October 2020.
The book is a valuable testament to North Korean defector-residents and unique in that it provides a candid account of each individual’s experience. It will prove to be especially useful to students and scholars seeking to understand the complex dynamics of North Korean society and the status of exiles in South Korea, and a vital resource for students of Korean Studies.
The infinity symbol (∞) is used to separate interviewee occupations prior to and after defection to South Korea. The interviews are listed chronologically based on the year of defection to South Korea.
Map 1. East Asia;
Map 2. North Korea;
Map 3. Central Pyongyang;
Critical introduction from Adam Zulawnik;
Source text introduction by Lim Il;
Acknowledgements;
Translation Teams;
1. Kim Shin-jo | Korean People’s Army soldier ∞ pastor
2. Ahn Chan-il | Korean People’s Army soldier ∞ chairman of Sungy Dongji association
3. Chon Chol-woo | Exchange student in Germany ∞ president of Gohyang FS
4. Kang Chol-hwan | Yodok Prison Camp inmate ∞ chairman of the North Korea Strategy Center
5. Im Young-sun | Korean People’s Army soldier ∞ chairman of the Committee for the Nine Northern Korean Provinces
Special column: South Korean defectors and North Korean defector-residents
6. Kim Tae-bom | North Korean logger in Russia ∞ director of the Peace Unith Korea Defectore Alliance
7. Kang Myung-do | Premier Kang Sung-san’s son-in-law ∞ university professor
8. Cho Myung-chul | Teacher at Kim Il-Sung university ∞ member of the 19th National Assembly (2012), politician
9. Ahn Myeong-cheol | Security guard in the Korean People's Army ∞ president of NK Watch
10. Jeong Seong-san | Korean People's Army soldier ∞ musical director
Special column: North Korean defector-residents and naming problems
11. Rhee Min-bok | Agricultural researcher ∞ leader of anti-North Korean balloon propaganda program
12. Han Yong-su | Korean People's Army soldier ∞ first North Korean metro train operator
13. Jeong Nam | Railway worker ∞ president of Glov Co., Ltd. (sunflower oil producer)
14. Shim Ju-il | Korean People's Army soldier ∞ head of North Korean Soldiers of Christ Association
15. Kim Seong-min | Korean People's Army soldier ∞ founder and president of Free North Korea Radio
Special column: Arrival support and benefits
16. Park Sang-hak | trader ∞ chairperson of Fighters for a Free North Korea
17. Hong Sun-kyung | North Korean envoy to Thailand ∞ North Korea expert
18. Joo Myung-shin | University teacher ∞ chairperson of North Korean Defector Artists’ Association
19. Park Kwang-il | Middle school teacher ∞ chair of Youth Forum of North Korea Democratization
20. Song Byeok | Jik’gwan seondong (propaganda) operative ∞ artist
Special column: Displaced persons and North Korean defector-residents
21. Kim Tae-san | President of Joseon-Czech joint footwear venture ∞ North Korea expert
22. Joo Seung-hyun | Korean People's Army soldier ∞ university professor
23. Kim Heung-kwang | University teacher ∞ director of the North Korean Intellectuals Solidarity
24. Jeon Ju-myeong | Youth worker ∞ president of Unity Preparations North Korean Defectors’ Association
25. Park Seong-jin | University student ∞ Sohaegeum musician
Special column: North Korean defector-residents and South Korean politics
26. Park Myung-ho | Party loyalist ∞ first North Korean defector-resident diver
27. Ji Seong-ho | Disabled youth ∞ president of NAUH
28. Lee Ung-gil | University student ∞ president of Saeteomin Lounge
29. Jang Se-yul | University teacher ∞ president of Gyeore’eol Unification Solidarity
30. Choi Hyeon-jun | Protection agent ∞ president of Unification Future Solidarity
Special column: Other notable North Korean defector-residents
31. Kim In-chul | Trader ∞ president of Jiwon Publishing
32. Im Kang-jin | Korean People's Army soldier ∞ private business owner
33. Thae Yong-ho | North Korean minister in the UK ∞ North Korea expert
Afterword from the author
34. Exclusive interview with author Lim Il | Construction worker in Kuwait ∞ writer
Select bibliography
Biography
Lim Il is a regular contributor to Tong’il Shinmun (Unity News). He is himself a North Korean defector, having previously worked as a construction worker in Kuwait. He has authored multiple books in Korean.
Adam Zulawnik is an Academy of Korean Studies Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Monash University, Australia. He was a founding member of the Korean Studies program at the University of Melbourne, Australia. His current research focuses on the translation of the Korean and Japanese languages in political and historical settings.
"Dr. Adam Zulawnik has given us a true masterpiece through his collaboration with Lim Il on Interviews with North Korean Defectors. It holds nothing back in understanding the pain and suffering, joy and desires of those who have escaped from one of the world’s worst regimes. It is raw, honest, and candid. Nothing out there compares. The work will make you laugh, make you cry, but most of all, inspire you as a powerful testament to the human spirit. This book is your hard evidence that despite the brutal tyranny of the triple Kim dictatorships, the spirit of the Korean people, their love of family and their homeland could never be crushed. It is extremely timely as we see so much growing discontent among the North Korea people that so desire change especially as they learn more and more about South Korea’s thriving prosperity. This book introduces us to the very actors in the defector community who are working for the peaceful liberation of their homeland – most of whom plan to return to rebuild and invest so that prosperity and hope can return."---Ms. Suzanne Scholte, Seoul Peace Prize Laureate; President, Defense Forum Foundation; Chair, North Korea Freedom Coalition; Chair, Free North Korea Radio
"Through these personal interviews, which are deeply intimate and tear-jerking true stories, the reader obtains a human-faced and close-up portrait of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), its society, and the people’s sentiments. The jigsaw puzzle pieces of North Koreans’ faces come together as mosaics in a greater authentic portrait story and faithful imprints of reality."---Dr Gabor Sebo, Lecturer, Yonsei University
"This book is different, in that there is minimal interpretation. The interviewed speak for themselves, so that the reader can see ‘an accurate reflection of North Korean language’, to quote Adam Zulwanik’s introduction."---Dr James Hoare, author of Historical Dictionary of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (2012).
