The Orphan Master's Son Resources

This special edition of the e-zine offers a compilation of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry written by North Korean defectors.

This website is the official face of North Korea. You'll find official information on political philosophies, customs, and cultural trivia here. Poke around and see how much the info matches Johnson's vision of the country.

If Sun Moon really existed and kept her promise after coming to America, she might have had a part in this film, which explores the stories of North Korean defectors.

Here's a Paris Review interview with Adam Johnson about the research and writing of The Orphan Master's Son.

When Electric Literature spoke with Adam Johnson about his interest in North Korea and propaganda, his initial response was quite surprising. Hint: it had to do with Bush's 2004 reelection.

This American Life's got a story about a South Korean movie star and her producer ex-husband who were kidnapped by Kim Jong Il's government—so that they could make better movies for North Korea.

It's not likely that even the suave James Bond could do much to change Kim Jong-un's totalitarian grip on the country, but some believe that the infiltration of Western pop culture may help North Koreans see what the quality of life is like in the outside world.

It's rare enough, but it actually happened during the writing of this page. A daring defection directly from North Korea into South Korea—no usual trip through China required.

Frontline uses undercover footage to check out how things are developing under North Korea's newest leader, Kim Jong-un.

This NPR interview with Adam Johnson addresses the author's experiences while visiting North Korea and poses the obvious question: why should we want to escape into a book about the darkness of a totalitarian government?

This interview with Adam Johnson took place one month after the death of Kim Jong Il. You'll learn more about what the author saw in North Korea and how he approached the development of Jun Do's character.

We're not 100% sure how The Telegraph got its hands on these pics, but they do give a unique look into the world of Kim Jong-un, current leader of North Korea.

Check out the photo galleries titled "The Cult of Kim" and "North Korea" at David Guttenfelder's website. Guttenfelder is a National Geographic Fellow who helped the Associated Press open a bureau in North Korea in 2011, the first outside news agency allowed to set up shop there. The images here have no explanatory text, but they're still fascinating.