a true story comicbook

If you’re looking for something on North Korea that is entertaining, light, and humorous, I recommend this true story comicbook. I read Guy Delisle’s Pyongyang a Journey in North Korea prior to visiting North Korea and I found it to be a delightful way to become more familiar with the country, especially through the eyes of a visiting foreigner.

The book is based on Delisle’s two months in Pyongyang for animation related work. He illustrates phenomena such as the brainwashing and propaganda, cult-like devotion to Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, constant “minders” following everywhere, and the absence of disabled and elderly people. It’s quite funny that Delisle brought George Orwell’s 1984 into the country, which made for quite an awkward moment when he had to explain the book to the North Korean customs agent.

From Wikipedia

“Guy Delisle is a Canadian cartoonist and animator, best known for his graphic novels about his travels, such as Shenzhen, Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea, Burma Chronicles, and Jerusalem.”

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