North Korea is firmly fixed in the Western imagination as a ""rogue"" nation that refuses to abide by international norms. It is seen as belligerent and oppressive, a poor nation bent on depriving its citizens of their basic human rights. Even the North's literary output is stigmatized and dismissed. Immanuel Kim's book confronts these stereotypes, offering a more complex portrayal.
North Korea is firmly fixed in the Western imagination as a ""rogue"" nation that refuses to abide by international norms. It is seen as belligerent a...