{"product_id":"i-was-a-north-korean-myung-jin-han-9798251587517","title":"I was a North Korean Diplomat: Inside the Secret World of Pyongyang's Foreign Service","description":"\u003cb\u003eWhat Does the North Korean System Look Like from the Inside?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003eHan Jin-myung served for years within the North Korean state apparatus before leaving the regime in January 2015. \u003cb\u003eAlthough more than a decade has passed since his departure, the fundamental structures of power in Pyongyang remain largely unchanged. His testimony therefore offers a rare and invaluable window into the inner workings of one of the world's most secretive political systems.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMoving beyond clichés and sensational headlines, this book presents an insider's account of the daily life of a North Korean diplomat and the mechanisms that sustain Kim Jong-un's regime. \u003cb\u003eThrough a series of candid conversations, Han Jin-myung recounts what he witnessed from within the system: the internal dynamics of North Korean embassies, the hidden economic activities that help sustain the regime abroad, and the strategic thinking that shapes Pyongyang's diplomacy.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe book also sheds light on little-known aspects of North Korea's state machinery, including insights into the country's drone program, the financial pressures placed on diplomatic missions, and the complex survival strategies developed by North Korean officials and ordinary citizens alike.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs the dialogue unfolds, the reader is drawn into a rare exchange between two observers of North Korea: one who lived and worked inside the system, and another who studies it from the outside. \u003cb\u003eThe result is a vivid and revealing portrait of the North Korean state-a system that is at once rigid and adaptive, opaque yet deeply strategic.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCombining personal testimony with political analysis, this book offers a compelling and unprecedented perspective on the inner logic of the North Korean regime.\u003c\/p\u003eAbout the Authors\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHan Jin-myung\u003c\/b\u003e is a former North Korean military officer and diplomat. Trained in French at Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies and Kim Il-sung University, he later served in the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he worked on relations with Africa and on the overseas dissemination of Juche ideology. From 2013 to 2015, he held the position of Third Secretary at the North Korean embassy in Hanoi. In January 2015, he defected and sought asylum in South Korea.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter his defection, he worked with South Korean intelligence services and later lived in the United Kingdom with his family before returning to South Korea in 2023. Today, Han Jin-myung participates in international conferences, produces analytical work, and continues his studies in electronics, offering a rare insider's perspective on the inner workings of North Korean diplomacy and power.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNicolas Levi\u003c\/b\u003e is a researcher at the Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He is the author of ten books on North Korea. Nicolas Levi has visited the Korean Peninsula on numerous occasions and has conducted advisory missions on North Korea for various international organizations. He is currently persona non grata in North Korea.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Myung-Jin Han,Nicolas Levi\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798251587517\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/13\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 188\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.42lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.00h x 5.00w x 0.40d","brand":"Myung-Jin Han","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48801514619135,"sku":"9798251587517","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/i-was-a-north-korean-myung-jin-han-9798251587517","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}