North Korea Confidential(9780804860017)

Named one of the best books of 2015 by The Economist, now revised and updated.

Markets, culture, survival, and everyday life inside North Korea.

Often portrayed only through the lens of politics and military tension, North Korea is also a place where millions of people navigate daily life in complex and resourceful ways. North Korea Confidential offers a rare, deeply reported look at how ordinary citizens live, work, adapt, and connect within one of the world:s most closed societies.

Drawing on interviews with defectors, traders, diplomats, aid workers, and others with firsthand experience, the authors reveal a country shaped not only by state control, but also by informal markets, evolving social norms, and growing exposure to outside culture. From the rise of grassroots entrepreneurship to the spread of foreign media, these changes are quietly reshaping daily life across the country.

Across seven engaging chapters, this book explores topics ranging from fashion and entertainment to economic survival and social hierarchy, offering a nuanced portrait of a society in transition. The result is a more human, grounded understanding of North Korea: not just as a political system, but as a place where people continue to adapt, endure, and find meaning in their everyday lives.


About the Author:
Daniel Tudor is from Manchester, England, and graduated with a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Oxford University. He has lived in Seoul, Korea for many years, and served as The Economist's Korea Correspondent from 2010-2013. His first book, 'Korea: The Impossible Country' received high praise and has also been translated into Korean, Chinese, Polish, and Thai. Daniel is a regular columnist for a Korean newspaper, the Joongang Ilbo, and has commented on Korea-related topics many times for the BBC, Al Jazeera, and others. He is also co-founder of The Booth, a small chain of craft beer pubs.

James Pearson is a foreign correspondent for Reuters in Seoul, where he covers politics and general news in North and South Korea. He holds a BA (hons) in Chinese and Korean from the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and a Master's of Philosophy (M.Phil) in Oriental Studies from the University of Cambridge.