blog

5 Must-Read Books about North Korea

December 16, 2019
People reading books about North Korea.

Finding new information about North Korea can be hard, especially when news outlets focus almost entirely on things like politics, nuclear weapons, and Kim Jong-un’s latest haircut.The good news is that there are amazing books that go beyond the surface of North Korea and reveal the in-depth stories and lives of the North Korean people.

Here are 5 books we highly recommend to learn more about North Korea!

Book Cover of Under the Same Sky by North Korean Defector Joseph Kim with Stephan Talty

Under The Same Sky by Joseph Kim

A story of survival, escape, and a new life in America

Now an internationally renowned advocate, Joseph Kim shares his journey of survival, escape, and building a new life in the United States. When Joseph was young, the Great Famine tore his family apart. After his father starved to death, his mother and sister went to find food in China, leaving Joseph to fend for himself in the streets. To survive, he crossed into China, where he lived in hiding before connecting with LiNK’s network and resettling in the U.S. as a refugee. Check out the Reddit AMA we did with Joseph Kim here!

Book cover of the Aquariums of Pyongyang by Chol-hwan Kang and Pierre Rigoulot

Aquariums of Pyongyang by Kang Chol-Hwan and Pierre Ragoulot

A first-hand account of growing-up in a North Korean Political Prison Camp

Kang Chol-Hwan is a survivor. He was sent to the infamous Yodok political prison camp at just nine years old. He spent 10 years in the camp and experienced the brutality of the North Korean regime firsthand. After being released, he was finally able to escape to South Korea. Today, he advocates for human rights in North Korea. Read more about political prison camps in North Korea here.

Book cover of Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick

Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick

The stories of 6 people who survived the North Korean famine

Award-winning journalist Barbara Demick dives deep into the lives of 6 North Koreans during the North Korean famine. Through these stories you’ll see what life is like inside the country and the incredible resiliency of the North Korean people. This book is a staff favorite! Read about the challenges the North Korean people face..

Book cover of North Korea Confidential by Daniel Tudor and James Pearson

North Korea Confidential By Daniel Tudor and James Pearson

A great summary of life in North Korea today

This book will get you caught up on North Korea! Known as the “hermit kingdom,” North Korea is a mystery to many. But beyond the political headlines is a North Korea that is rapidly changing. Tudor and Pearson explore what life is like in North Korea today, the one where citizens carry USBs filled with South Korean dramas and k-pop and run their own businesses in underground markets. Read about modern North Korea and how the country is changing here.

Book cover of The Great Successor by Anna Fifield

The Great Successor By Anna Fifield

A compelling portrait of the North Korean regime and Kim Jong Un

We like to focus on the people of North Korea, not the regime. But this book by the talented journalist Anna Fifield (and friend of LiNK’s) is a must-read. She explores the life of Kim Jong Un and interviews people who have actually met him. Fifield gives a behind-the-scenes look into the rise of Kim Jong Un while at the same time highlighting the incredible changes happening inside the country that are pressuring the regime to adapt and change.

39 North Koreans Now Free | Liberty In North Korea’s 2024 Annual Report

May 22, 2025

We’re excited to share LiNK’s 2024 Annual Report — a celebration of the work we accomplished together in 2024, and as a movement over the past two decades.

Read the full 2024 Annual Report here

2024 Impact Highlights

39 North Korean refugees rescued
35 resettled
140 supported in resettlement
208 empowered through LiNK programs
$4,895,367 raised
11,586,504 people reached ONLINE
2,923 people reached IN-PERSON
3 information access projects

Our Work Towards Liberty in North Korea

  • Refugee Rescues & Resettlement Support: Helping North Korean refugees reach safety and freedom, and gain stability and independence during the first years of their new lives.
  • Empowering Resettled North Koreans: Working with resettled North Korean refugees to support their success and develop their capacity as agents of change. 
  • Increasing Information Access for North Koreans: Researching, innovating, and developing initiatives to empower North Korean people inside the country with greater access to information and technology.
  • Changing the Narrative on North Korea: Focusing on the stories of the North Korean people and mobilizing a global movement of support for this issue.

Note from our CEO


It’s hard to believe it’s already been 20 years since the beginning of Liberty in North Korea and the pursuit of this ambitious vision — the day when every North Korean man, woman and child is free.

I am perpetually in awe of the strength, resilience, and determination of North Korean people. Their willingness to endure unimaginable risks and hardships transcends mere survival — it reflects a profound human yearning for freedom, and the pursuit of dignity and choice.

To date, we have rescued almost 1,400 North Korean refugees and their children from some of the most difficult circumstances in the most dangerous countries around the world; we have helped women escape forced marriages and trafficking; we have reunited families and been privileged to witness new marriages, new babies, and new dreams big and small being achieved.

We have worked with our North Korean friends to identify the tools they need to unlock their unlimited potential: from 1:1 English tutoring and educational scholarships to leadership, storytelling and advocacy training, career mentorship and grants to incubate transformative ideas.

We have invested in one of the most critical and direct areas of impact inside the country — increasing North Korean people’s access to outside information and technology.

Our work with the international media and also on a grassroots level through our chapters and advocacy fellows has changed the narrative on North Korea. We’ve redefined North Korea by its people, rather than its politics, and have created new language to talk about the issue.

As we celebrated 20 years of impact, we also reaffirmed our conviction and our commitment to seeing this vision fulfilled; to doing everything we can to support the North Korean people until we have exhausted every possible solution. And we haven’t, yet. Our work today is more urgent than ever, and I ask you to continue standing with us until this vision is fulfilled. Until the North Korean people win their freedom.

Because I know it will be in our lifetime.

With unwavering hope,
Hannah Song

North Korean Refugee Rescues & Resettlement Support

LiNK is one of the few groups that still operates in the underground railroad, forever changed by the effects of the pandemic. Our field team continues to navigate a more difficult operating environment, amidst increased restrictions and surveillance in China.

In 2024, we’re grateful to have welcomed 39 North Korean refugees and their children to freedom. As we regain momentum with rescues, our team is committed to finding ways to make rescue missions safer, reduce costs, and diversify our routes to build up the resilience of our networks.

Once North Korean refugees begin their new lives, LiNK journeys alongside them through this crucial period of transition. Whether this looks like financial assistance, home visits, or connecting people to resources and services, we help ensure a smoother, more successful resettlement experience.

  • 39 rescued
  • 35 newly resettled
  • 140 supported

Empowering Resettled North Koreans

When North Korea is finally free, North Korean people themselves will be the ones to determine the future of their country. 

As we work towards that day, LiNK invests in building the capacity of North Koreans to succeed in resettlement, reach their goals, and lead change. We identify current challenges in the defector community and develop programs to address gaps in career, education, and skill-building opportunities.

As North Koreans become leaders on campus, in their workplaces, and in their communities, it also develops their potential as agents of change on this issue. We’re already seeing the next generation of North Koreans spearheading progress with their unique talents — writers sharing their stories with global audiences, tech-savvy engineers developing information access strategies, entrepreneurs creating more opportunities for North Koreans in business, and activists speaking about North Korean human rights at the highest forums of international policy and diplomacy.

  • 208 empowered through our programs

Increasing Information Access for North Koreans

North Korea is one of the most physically and digitally isolated countries in the world. By controlling what North Koreans see and hear through propaganda, the regime disempowers them from making informed choices or scrutinizing the government. Increasing the people’s access to outside information and technology is therefore one of the most effective ways to accelerate forces of change and opening.

LiNK’s Information Access Programs (formerly known as Labs) explores this opportunity with three key areas of impact — creating and curating content tailored to the interests of North Koreans, developing technologies with built-in security to protect users, and devising strategies to increase the flow of information into North Korea. 

In 2024, we grew our small Information Access Programs (IAP) team and laid the foundation for ambitious expansion in 2025.

  • 2 technology projects
  • 1 digital security research project
  • 52 North Korean defector collaborators
  • 4 media features broadcast into North Korea (via Radio Free Asia and Voice of America)

As always, we are limited in what we can share publicly to protect end users, partners, and the projects themselves.

Changing the Narrative on North Korea

For decades, North Korea has been defined by dictators, politics, and security threats. Media outlets often perpetuate the narrative of a distant and hopeless country, playing right into what the regime wants — to stymie change and distract from the real story, the North Korean people. 

LiNK empowers North Koreans to redefine and humanize this issue through their stories. We partner with them to create original media, as well as work with international media outlets to foster a people-centered approach to reporting.

Today, we see a broader narrative on North Korea that highlights forces of change and invites international audiences to join us in taking action. North Koreans themselves are now leading the charge, creating their own documentaries, books, digital media, and art to rewrite the future of North Korea — one where every man, woman, and child is free.

  • 11,586,504 reached online
  •  2,923 reached in-person

20 Years of Impact on the North Korea Issue

  • 1,382 North Korean refugees rescued
  • 1,245 resettled in South Korea
  • 37 resettled in the U.S.
  • 1,101 empowered through our programs
  • 46.6 million people reached online
  • 350,000+ people reached in-person
  • 1,273 total media mentions
  • 1000+ LiNK Teams worldwide

"I am sending my congratulations to LiNK on its 20th anniversary. Few groups have done as much for North Koreans… Its long history is remarkable: many people have been discouraged by the lack of spectacular success, while LiNK has continued its operations, doing what was possible, often on a small scale. Such persistence is rare and commendable.
 
Most likely, North Korea will remain a challenge for a long time, and its people will need all kinds of support, including the assistance LiNK is providing. I wish LiNK continued success in its important work.”

– Andrei Lankov, historian, professor of Korean Studies at Kookmin University, author of The Real North Korea

Read the full 2024 Annual Report here

Your generous donation will rescue and support North Korean refugees
Donate Now
Learn more about the North Korean people
Awesome! You're subscribed!
Oh no! Looks like something went wrong.
Check these out!
Stand with the north korean people

Join Liberty and give monthly in support of the North Korean people

The logo for Refinery29A logo for CNNThe logo for Fox NewsThe logo for Time MagazineThe Logo for the Washington PostThe logo for National Public Radio