Why I Decline 'North Korean Defector' Interview Requests

Over the past few years, journalists from all sorts of global media have contacted me to get my ‘defector point of view’ on all things North Korean. And the current inter-Korean drama has been yet another occasion. A famous European TV station crew, flying to South Korea for the Apr. 27 inter-Korean summit, suddenly wanted a side story to complement their summit coverage, in the form of yet another dramatic defector tale. I was reluctant, and declined the offer. Here’s why. The annoying truth i