[KS] A different approach to understanding North Korea

Jim Hoare jim at jhoare10.fsnet.co.uk
Sat Feb 17 17:12:57 EST 2007


I believe that there is a sequel and perhaps a sequel to the sequel - the
Koryo Hotel was all too familiar...

Jim Hoare

-----Original Message-----
From: koreanstudies-bounces at koreaweb.ws
[mailto:koreanstudies-bounces at koreaweb.ws] On Behalf Of Ruediger_Frank
Sent: 17 February 2007 20:58
To: koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws
Subject: Re: [KS] A different approach to understanding North Korea

Dear Brother Anthony and all,

I have read the book, quite fascinating indeed - especially for someone who
has stayed at the Koryo himself (never found a corpse, though). The author
(about who's identity we all keep  speculating wildly - could be someone
with a capital K in his first name) even seems to know my own work on the
East German reconstruction of Hamheung... 
It is a novel, not a documentary. With this in mind, it definitely is a
recommendable book, although too short for my taste; I hope for a sequel.

Best wishes,

Ruediger Frank



on Samstag, 17. Februar 2007 at 15:24 you wrote:

>   
> I think that there is a new book about North Korea that has not yet
> been  mentioned on this List, and might be of interest. I have just
> been reading an  article in today's Independent (the UK newspaper)
> about a detective novel set in  North Korea, _A Corpse in the Koryo_
> (published in October 2006 by Thomas  Dunne Books) ISBN-10 :
> 0312352085  The article explains  that "The author goes by the name
> of James Church, described by the publisher as  "a former Western
> intelligence officer with decades of experience in Asia", and  who
> in his own words has been "in, over and around the country numerous
> times,  dating from when Kim Jong Il was a young man" so I expect
> some members of the  list might know who he is. It is almost
> certainly the first  thriller written by a westerner in which the
> main character is a "stalwart  of the Ministry for the People's
> Security in the great city of Pyongyang" and  also the first novel
> written by a westerner who (the article says) "may know the  country
> as well as any Westerner" so it might be really interesting. The
> article  is currently readable at
> http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article2278038.ece   but be
> warned, most Independent articles go into "subscribers only" mode within
a couple of days.
>  
>  
>  
> I have ordered the book.
>  
>  
>  
> Brother Anthony
>  
> Sogang University, Seoul
>  
> http://hompi.sogang.ac.kr/anthony/
>   
>    








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