By Rachel Browne
Frustrated at seeing North Korea ridiculed by Western media, author Suki Kim challenged herself to write a book portraying the hermit kingdom in a more realistic light.
"It was always going to be difficult because what is accessible in North Korea is made up. Propaganda. A lie," she said.
Korean-American writer Suki Kim hid the notes for her book on North Korea.Credit: Ed Kashi
The Korean-American writer persevered, spending six months in the country posing as an English teacher at the Western-funded Pyongyang University of Technology where she taught 270 sons of North Korea's elite.
Kim, who is in Sydney this week to speak at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, knew her mission was risky but was already committed to writing her non-fiction account of North Korea, Without You, There Is No Us.
"What frustrates me is that the country is often portrayed in this very shallow light," she said.
"It gets turned into a joke very casually because of the weird factor. It is the world's most brutal nation. It is not some kind of joke. It is shocking to me that people make light of it."
The South Korean-born, New York-based author understood the consequences of being exposed were serious and took extreme measures to disguise her writing.
"I made such detailed notes, I knew that if they read them it would end badly for me," she said. "I did not want to get stuck there for the rest of my life."
She hid her notes within other documents, erased what she wrote everyday and transferred her material to separate USB sticks, keeping one on herself and the others hidden in her room at the university.
The surveillance was constant, with minders and staff known as "counterparts" keeping a watchful eye on material provided to students.
Western staff were not permitted to leave the university without a minder, talk to outsiders or discuss anything controversial with their students.
Kim described the environment as a "five-star prison".
It is the world's most brutal nation. It is not some kind of joke.
Suki Kim
The students' devotion to the Great Leader, Kim Jong-il, was all pervasive, particularly in the absence of other distractions such as uncensored television, radio, literature or the internet.
"The Great Leader is their universe, their god and their parent," Ms Kim said.
"There is control by physical force, military brutality, then there is this spiritual control and practical control, like cutting off access to the internet, cutting off travel. It is an absolute abuse."
Ms Kim's book has not been well-received by the North Korean regime or by the university, which is backed by evangelical Christian groups. She knows she will never be allowed back in the country.
"I will never see North Korea again unless the regime changes, but I am comfortable with that because I feel I have seen as much as I would ever be able to see."
The Festival of Dangerous Ideas is on from September 5 to 6. Without You, There Is No Us is published by Penguin Random House.