In 2010, while working on a PhD in South Korea, Andray Abrahamian visited the other Korea, a country he had studied for years but never seen. He returned determined to find a way to work closely with North Koreans. Ten years and more than thirty visits later, Being in North Korea tells the story of his experiences helping set up and run Choson Exchange, a non-profit that teaches North Koreans about entrepreneurship and economic policy.

Abrahamian was provided a unique vantage into life in North Korea that belies stereotypes rampant in the media, revealing instead North Koreans as individuals ranging from true believers in the system to cynics wishing the Stalinist experiment would just end; from introverts to bubbly chatterboxes, optimists to pessimists. He sees a North Korea that is changing, invalidating some assumptions held in the West, but perhaps reinforcing others.

Amid his stories of coping with the North Korean system, of the foreigners who frequent Pyongyang, and of everyday relationships, Abrahamian explores the challenges of teaching the inherently political subject of economics in a system where everyone must self-regulate their own minds; he looks at the role of women in the North Korean economy, and their exclusion from leadership; and he discusses how information is restricted, propaganda is distributed and internalized, and even how Pyongyang's nominally illicit property market functions. Along with these stories, he interweaves the historical events that have led to today's North Korea.

Drawing on the breadth of the author's in-country experience, Being in North Korea combines the intellectual rigor of a scholar with a writing style that will appeal to a general audience. Through the personal elements of a memoir that provide insights into North Korean society, readers will come away with a more realistic picture of the country and its people, and a better idea of what the future may hold for the nation.

About the Author
From 2018-19 Andray Abrahamian was the Koret Fellow at Stanford University. He is an advisor to Choson Exchange, a non-profit that trains North Koreans in economic policy and entrepreneurship. His previous work as Choson Exchange executive director, along with supporting sporting exchanges and a TB project, has taken him to the DPRK nearly 30 times. He has published extensively, including the book North Korea and Myanmar: Divergent Paths. Abrahamian has a PhD in International Relations from the University of Ulsan, South Korea ,and an MA from the University of Sussex.


Book Information
ISBN 9781931368568
Author Andray Abrahamian
Format Paperback
Page Count 206
Imprint Asia/Pacific Research Center, Div of The Institute for International Studies
Publisher Asia/Pacific Research Center, Div of The Institute for International Studies
Weight(grams) 336g
Dimensions(mm) 231mm * 156mm * 14mm