Great Material About North Korea

Michael Weilert MD

Nothing to Envy, by Barbara Demick

This haunting non-fiction book traces the lives of six North Koreans through years of research and interviews with defectors.

North Korea’s Slave Labor Camps, Vice

Even if Vice isn’t for everybody, this is a dark and fascinating documentary about Vice CEO Shane Smith’s journey through Siberia to search for “off-shored” North Korean labor camps.

The Orphan Master’s Son, by Adam Johnson

This Pulitzer Prize-winning work of fiction was praised by the Washington Post for making North Korea a real and riveting place that’s hard to forget.

The Cleanest Race, by BR Myers

Myers examines the ideology of the Korean state, which borrows from both communism and the proto-fascist traditions of Imperial Japan. Its all-devouring propaganda program not only builds up a massive myth behind the Kim dynasty, but also plays upon some strong racial themes.

The Aquariums of Pyongyang, by Chol-hwan Kang

In this book, Kang tells the story of his family’s 10-year ordeal in a forced labor camp in North Korea.

The Game of Our Lives

This documentary takes a look at one of North Korea’s prouder moments: the 1966 World Cup where their relatively unknown soccer team took the other players by storm to earn the respect of soccer fans around the world.