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

North Korea, still incredibly secretive, is ceasing to be a "black box" for the world. It seems that the radical social experiment that began there in the 1940s is coming to an end. Behind it are the fates of people — countless lives. The well-known orientalist and publicist Andrei Lankov tells about how these lives have been lived and what is happening in the country now.
The author has had the opportunity to visit North Korea several times and communicate with people from various walks of life. These include security officials and smugglers, new wealthy North Koreans and defectors, intellectuals (who are seemingly prestigious but still dangerous to be) and drivers (who are both safe and still prestigious to be).
The book talks about technologies (from exotic gas generator engines to the North Korean internet) and monuments to leaders, about houses and trains, about hunger and delicacies — about the everyday life of North Koreans, their concerns, anxieties, and joys. About how the DPRK is gradually and reluctantly opening up to the world.