|
|
 |
|
 |
|
The Daily NK is publishing a translation
of “Hwang Jang Yop's Memoirs (2006)” with the permission of
the publishing company, Zeitgeist, and Hwang Jang Yop himself.
"Hwang Jang Yop's Memoirs” are not simply one individual's retrospective
on his life, but a book covering Korean history from the time
of Japanese colonialism, through the Korean War and subsequent
disintegration of the Socialist Bloc, right up to his defection
during the great famine of the 1990s.
By reading these memoirs we can observe the Kim Il Sung family
structure, transitions in his thought, the means by which Kim
Jong Il grasped the levers of power and more, all from the point
of view of an insightful, philosophical insider. It will surely
bring you the reader much closer to understanding the country
of North Korea, its system and ruling principles.
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
| The year 1958 was a turning point in the history of North Korea. After collectivizing the farms, North Korea declared that the socialist economic system was complete. In politics, anti-Kim Il Sung, pro-Soviet and Yanan factions were ruthlessly purged, establis..
[2010-05-05 21:05] |
| In August of 1958, my mother passed away at the age of 80. She had first gotten sick while we were living in the school house at Kim Il Sung University. There was a fireplace in the corridor of the house. She did not see the fireplace in the dark, tripped and hu..
[2010-04-29 22:05] |
| Shim Jae Yoon, a former Principal of Pyongyang Special Economics School, was in charge of the Department of Communications at Kim Il Sung University when that purging whirlwind blew through. When Choi Chang Ik of the Yanan Group was arrested, Shim went pub..
[2010-04-22 10:39] |
| It is known that Kim Il Sung, or Kim Sung Ju, his real name, left for the Soviet Union in late 1940. He became commander of the 1st Battalion of the 88th Infantry Brigade in the Far East Infantry and a captain in the Red Army. The reason why Kim was chosen..
[2010-04-14 10:20] |
| The philosophy lecturers were mostly people who had crossed over to the North Korean side during the Korean War. They had experience of teaching at Seoul National University and other universities in the South. Even though I was younger than they, they treated..
[2010-04-06 11:46] |
| In the November of 1953, I came back to Pyongyang from life in Moscow. Pyongyang was not what it had been before I left. There was literally not a single decent house on the ground; only huts filled the city. I felt so guilty for having enjoyed a comfortable lif..
[2010-04-02 09:52] |
| When news of our relationship reached the Korean students, my fiancée had to decide whether she would continue her studies or go back to Korea after the wedding. The Party secretary in the embassy had been the Party chairman of the school when I left Kim..
[2010-03-25 16:55] |
| Before I talk about how I met my wife, first I have to talk about another woman. In my second year in Moscow, I met a woman. She had graduated from the Department of Education at Kim Il Sung University and come to Russia for her master’s degree. She was famous for..
[2010-03-15 10:28] |
| In early October of 1949, I left Pyongyang with a group of researchers and college students. We crossed the Tumen River to find Russian army trucks waiting for us. They were driven so violently that the weaker trunks got broken as we traveled to a small station..
[2010-03-04 10:42] |
| While doing whatever tasks were given to me, I also had to think about my future. So I decided to study Communism. In order to study more efficiently, I ate uncooked rice and slept less, just like I had in Japan. When Principal Shim found out I was studying C..
[2010-03-01 14:12] |
|
 Most
Popular |
 |
13.05.01 |
| |
|
|
|
| |
8,470 |
8,580 |
8,500 |
| |
5,600 |
5,700 |
6,300 |
|
|
|
|
NORTH
KOREA