The last few years have been marked by a growing interest in (and debate over) North Korean refugee testimony, especially related to the cases of political persecution. Indeed, a couple of books authored or co-authored by refugees got into best-seller lists recently, with Blaine Harden’s book Escape from Camp 14, which tells the story of Shin Dong-hyuk, being best known. The frequent public speeches by some refugees, notably Yeonmi Park, have attracted attention as well.

These marks something of a sea change, since until the late 2000s, the former North Korean prison inmates, with the notable exception of Kang Chol-hwan, had remained largely silent in the English-speaking world.