Getting Acquainted with North Korea: A Journey of Gradual Discovery
After the flood devastation of the mid-1990s, I was one of the two Americans the North Koreans requested to help them seek humanitarian assistance to their country. Thus began a long journey of discovery of the DPRK humanitarian space filled with uncertainties and challenges. In delivering aid, I got to know the North’s rural communities and townships for the first time even though I had been visiting the country since 1988. I gained precious insights and perspectives about North Korea not available to occasional or casual visitors.