This remarkable, insightful and intimate account of North Korea breaks through the stereotypes to reveal the complexity and contradictions of North Korean life. Byung-Ho Chung's sensitive analysis of North Korea's cultural politics is a poignant reminder of the continuing tragedy of the division of Korea along Cold War lines, and is essential reading for anyone who seeks to make sense of that tragedy.

Tessa Morris-Suzuki, Australian National University

Anthropologist, educator, humanitarian and activist, Byung-Ho Chung has written a book distilling decades of close observation of, and deep empathy for, the evident suffering and the enigmatic smiles of the North Korean people. Suffering and Smiling: Daily Life in North Korea examines the lives of North Korean refugees in China, those who have resettled in South Korea, and those inside the still isolated country, bearing witness to their protracted march through hardship and famine and their powerful will to survive and draw pleasure where they can find it. In a divided world and across the divided Koreas, Byung-Ho Chung’s book seeks to build a bridge of understanding.

W. Courtland Robinson, Johns Hopkins