BarbaraDemick

People are inclined to believe anything about North Korea, the more bizarre the better. Executions using packs of hungry dogs, Christians run over by steamrollers, etc. There was a story going around once that when somebody was caught stealing food, they were burned to death and their family required to light the fire. I told a North Korean that story once, and he laughed- pointing out correctly that firewood was way to scarce to kill anybody that way. Unfortunately, the outlandish stories take away from the real tragedy-- which is that millions of North Koreans perish slowly, painfully as a result of chronic malnutrition.

I agree with Kathi Zellweger that sanctions mostly punish the ordinary people who live at the edge of starvation. But I'm not sure what other tools we have to maintain pressure on the North Korean government.

Regarding my book, Nothing to Envy, I focused on one city, Chongjin, so that I could confirm what people said with multiple witnesses. If one North Korean defectors tells you about seeing bodies of children who starved to death on the street, you don't necessarily believe them. But if there are dozens describing the same events at the same time, it adds up to a credible picture. Good reporting should have the same standard as in a courtroom -- beyond a reasonable doubt.

That Jang Sung Taek was eaten alive by a pack of hungry dogs? No, I don't believe the story. But probably many North Koreans will and that will only enhance their fear of the regime. I think the North Korean government sometimes deliberately spreads urban legend to keep people in line.

North Koreans are well-educated and rather savvy people. Until the 1980s, North Korea had a higher living standard than South Korea and certainly China. North Korea is a country that fell out of the modern world, but it was once part of it.

There is a group of British filmmakers who are trying to make an animated feature.