''Comrades and Strangers'' is the memoir of Michael Harrold, the first British person to reside in

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

. The book was written to demystify North Korean society.

History

Harrold, who sought a year or two of adventure after graduating from university, flew to

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...

, North Korea, in the spring of 1987 after accepting employment in the country's Foreign Languages Publishing House, where he assisted in the translation of President

Kim Il Sung Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...

’s words into English. In the book, Harrold intertwines his personal experiences living and working in the country with the recent history of Korea. In the early days, Harrold enjoyed his important status and the accompanying trappings of his work in

. In addition to revising the words of President Kim Il Sung, he was given a prominent position at ceremonial events. Moreover, he was relatively well-paid. This relatively high salary allowed for a social life that was closed to all but the other foreigners in Pyongyang and a small North Korean elite. Although his interaction with North Koreans was severely restricted, he did become acquainted with some of Pyongyang’s better off. Harrold spent nearly seven years in North Korea. He also developed a relatively unique understanding of North Korean society. Eventually, circumstances led to Harrold's being forced to leave the country. As a result, he was left with a deep sense of resentment toward North Korea. Looking back on his experiences, Harrold admits his earlier naïveté, when he believed that "international problems could best be resolved by ordinary people over a pint or two of beer (403)." In the end, he was critical of North Korea; nevertheless, he refused to blame the North Korean leadership for all the problems facing the country today, arguing that international actors, namely the United States, share the responsibility.

Release details

*''Comrades and Strangers: Behind the Closed Doors of North Korea'' John Wiley and Sons, 2004,

References

{{reflist 2004 non-fiction books Books about North Korea Society of North Korea