North of the 38th Parallel: How Life is in North Korea

North Korea, still incredibly secretive, is beginning to stop being a "black box" for the world. It seems that the radical social experiment that began there in the 1940s is coming to an end. And behind it are the fates of people — countless lives. The well-known orientalist and publicist Andrei Lankov tells about how these lives were lived and what is happening in the country now.
"Permits for private travel are issued for a valid reason — funerals or weddings of close relatives, for example, or by official invitation. The standard travel permit specifies the name of the owner, place of work, purpose of the trip, destination, and the validity period of the document."
The author has repeatedly visited North Korea and communicated with people from various layers of society. These include security personnel and smugglers, newly rich North Koreans and defectors, intellectuals (who seem prestigious to be, but are still dangerous) and drivers (who are safe and still prestigious to be).
The book discusses technologies (from exotic gas generator engines to the North Korean internet) and monuments to leaders, houses and trains, hunger and delicacies — about the everyday life of North Koreans, their cares, worries, and joys. About how the DPRK is gradually and unwillingly opening up to the world.