Jang Jin-Sung - Dear Leader


This book is an absolutely mesmerising account of how a senior propagandist in North Korea fled to China. Reading almost like a thriller, rather than a memoir, Jang Jin-Sung, a talented writer who came to the attention of Dear Leader himself, explains how he felt increasingly compromised working for the regime, until he had to run for his life. The tension just doesn't stop, and interwoven in his personal story is an account of life in North Korea. Some of this we all know - the starvation, systematic abuse and unrelenting propaganda. But there are a lot of surprises - like how much the North Korean leadership hates China.

Even if you have no particular interest in North Korean politics (like me) this book is an outstanding read. It also comes as a startling reminder of the incredible reality that we share a planet with a whole nation of people whose lives are an ongoing torment beyond anything we can imagine.



Publisher: Atria / 37 Ink; 0037- edition (January 27, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1476766568
ISBN-13: 978-1476766560