What does it mean to live at the very center of one of the world’s most secretive and repressive regimes? In this talk, Tae Yong-ho, former North Korean Deputy Ambassador to the United Kingdom, provides a rare and profound insider’s perspective on the internal mechanics of the North Korean system. Moving beyond the common narrative of economic hardship, he explores … [Read More]
Category: DPRK
Andrei Lankov on North Korea: the need for imperfect compromise
A talk on North Korean politics by Andrei Lankov, organised by the Russian Democratic Society and hosted at SOAS on 20 February. In recent years, one of Moscow’s most widely discussed allies has been the internationally isolated Pyongyang. Comparisons between the two political regimes are often made, summed up in the ironic Russian phrase “north … [Read More]
North Korean Human Rights film screenings
9th October – SOAS University of London On the Way to South Korea (남으로 가는 길) Dir Kim Sang-rae, 2025 Khalili Lecture Theatre – Lower Ground Floor of the Main Building 6.00pm to 9.30pm | Register here We will be hearing from film directors who document the heroic stories of escapes from North Korea, together … [Read More]
Voices from North Korea: Music & Talk
Join Freedom Speakers International on June 14 from 5-7 pm in Raynes Park, London, for an inspiring evening of personal stories and live music at Voices from North Korea: Music & Talk. North Korean refugee speakers will talk about their lives growing up in North Korea and their journeys to freedom, offering rare first-hand insights … [Read More]
Preston workshop: North Korea, A Country Left Behind with the Cloaked Society
A workshop to accompany the UCLan special exhibition on North Korea entitled The echo never stops Speaker 1: Dr Sojin Lim, Director of International Institute of Korean Studies at University of Central Lancashire (IKSU) Addressing Sociocultural Aspects of Period Poverty in North Korea Speaker 2: Hanna Song, Executive Director of the Database Center for North … [Read More]
[Preston] DPRK exhibition: The echo never stops
![Thumbnail for post: [Preston] DPRK exhibition: The echo never stops](https://londonkoreanlinks.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/uclan-dprk-exhibition-120x120.jpg)
While the world enjoys the cultural explosion of K-pop, K-dramas, and the vibrant expression of Korean creativity, North Korea remains a stark contrast—a country left behind with the cloaked society. In North Korea, words can lead to imprisonment, and access to information is a dangerous privilege. Given this, the International Institute of Korean Studies at … [Read More]
Sheffield Conference: Reflections on the North — The Spaces and Subjects of the DPRK
This conference explores the theme of reflection as it relates to North Korea. We approach the term in two ways. In the nominal sense, reflections are congregations of work. Whether literary, academic, or artistic, this sort of reflection attends to the state of the archive on North Korea. As a verb, reflection is an act … [Read More]
SOAS seminar: Recording memories of human rights violations in North Korea
The human rights situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea or DPRK) is exceptionally challenging to address externally, as the population remains isolated from the international community and lacks an independent civil society to advocate for people’s rights. Despite these difficulties, the situation has been captured and documented primarily through the ‘voices’ … [Read More]
North Korea: Human rights, security and beyond
Please join the Cambridge Centre for Geopolitics for a panel discussion involving representatives of the Republic of Korea’s Institute for National Unification (KINU), and leading UK Korea specialists. The discussion will consider the human rights’ situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the wider issue of how international law might be used … [Read More]
Andrei Lankov: North Korea — Masters of Survival and Control
For a long time, people tended to see North Korea as a joke, a strange country run by irrational and megalomaniac dictators. At first glance, the long-term existence of such a regime seemed to contradict the principles of social and political science. North Korean leaders have often been seen as a laughing stock. Why? Mostly … [Read More]
From Shadows to Light: An Afternoon of Talks on North Korean Human Rights
Join the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council UK Chapter for an afternoon of personal stories and professional insight on the hidden situation in North Korea. Followed by Q&A and reception 14:00 – 14:10 Event Opening 14:10 – 14:30 Opening Talk: Chulsoo Kim Chulsoo Kim, a North Korean escapee who arrived in the UK as a teenager … [Read More]
Black Girl from Pyongyang: paperback launch event
Come along to Richmond Library on 16 January for the launch of the paperback release of Black Girl from Pyongyang by author Monica Macias and co-writer, Becky Branford. This remarkable memoir details the extraordinary true story of a West African girl’s upbringing in North Korea under the guardianship of President Kim Il Sung. Join Monica and her … [Read More]
SOAS seminar: Crackdowns and Containment: K-culture and markets in North Korea under Covid
In this talk, Peter Ward will present fresh research undertaken as part of a recent paper to be published by the Korean Development Institute (KDI) about the contrasting approaches that the North Korean regime is taking to consumption and distribution of foreign content compared to other markets in North Korea today. Utilizing a close reading … [Read More]
Beyond Utopia – theatrical release
A suspenseful look at the lengths people will go to gain freedom, Beyond Utopia follows various individuals as they attempt to flee North Korea, one of the most oppressive places on Earth, a land they grew up believing was a paradise. At the film’s core are a mother desperate to reunite with the child she … [Read More]
Book Talk – Black Girl from Pyongyang
Join author Monica Macias as she explores extraordinary true story of a West African girl’s upbringing in North Korea under the guardianship of President Kim Il Sung in conversation with Jim Hoare. In 1979, aged only seven, Monica Macias was sent from West Africa to the unfamiliar surroundings of North Korea by her father, the … [Read More]
Healing Hearts: The stories and voices of North Korean refugees
Three North Korean refugees will share their experiences in North and South Korea through different voices. Co-founder of Freedom Speakers International will share his experiences meeting with more than 500 North Koreans refugees and why North Korean refugees speak out. After the forum, attendees will also be invited to watch “You Don’t Know,” a documentary … [Read More]