"Nothing to Envy - Ordinary Lives in North Korea" by Barbara Demick

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"Nothing to Envy - Ordinary Lives in North Korea" by Barbara Demick   


The author of "Nothing to Envy" is Ms. Barbara Demick. She takes a remarkable view into North Korea, as seen through the lives of six ordinary citizens.


This is the first photo in the book - "Nothing to Envy", a satellite photo of Korean Peninsula at night. It is a total darkness in North Korea, with only a small white spot in Pyongyang. It was said that there were no trading and manufacturing in North Korea. This was due to the inefficiency in planning and control.


This photo is from "Nothing to Envy".
Mrs. Song (a loyal communist housewife and fully committed to the cult of Kim Jong ll), with her daughter arrangement and refugee smugglers' assistance, went across the border into the PRC and finally went to Seoul of South Korea. In appearance, she had no difference from other South Korean ladies. Initially when she was in the PRC, she wanted to go back to North Korea. Now in South Korea and she knows more about North Korea, she of course would not want to go back.

I visited North Korea in 2008 at the time North Korea (one of the countries George Bush labeled the "axes of evil") celebrated its 60th National Anniversary. Up till now, I am still very curious about this country of mystery and totalitarianism. I want to know when the Kim's Family will collapse, how splendid the Kim's Palaces are, how the people are tortured, what the people feel under such crazy totalitarian control, how the people escape to the PRC, how the daily life of the people is, how serious the famine is, and many many other questions.

I always keep close eyes on the happenings of the North Korea, like the death of Mr. Kim Jong li, and the inauguration of Kim Jong Un. When I notice there is a book written by Barbara Demick about North Korea, I am very interested to know whether there is more insider or revolutionary information about this totalitarian country. In fact, it is a book I am eager to read.

What I am going to write are those happenings I would like to draw your attention or they are not logical if they are happening in other countries, or are some special thinking and behaviour of the six main characters in the book - "nothing to envy".

1. There is no TV set manufacturing in North Korea. All imported TV sets have to set to the government channel. Other than this government channel, no reception of other channels is allowed.

=> The citizens cannot receive broadcast from the PRC, South Korea and other countries. Because of information blockage and no internet service,  what the message recevied by the North Koreans was that they were already living in the best country in the world, they should be proud of being North Koreans.

2. In the year of 2000 and under the US humanitarian aid, more than 100,000 tons plain rice was sent to North Korea, together with crude oil and other fuels. In this period, about two millions North Koreans starved to death, and about 200,000 people were sent to jail or prison camp because they did not follow, behave, think or speak as what the North Korean government expected them to do.

=> In my trip to North Korea in 2008, I did ask the local tour guide (Ms. Kim) the reason why fish was not common in our meal. Since the coastal line of North Korea on both sides of the country was quite long, there should be a lot of seafood. Her reply was that we (North Koreans) did not have sufficient oil to run fishing vessels.


This photo is 'borrowed' from the internet.


This photo is from "Nothing to Envy".


In the trip of 2008, we were welcome and saluted by two soldiers. They should be twenty something and look happily. But they were too thin and not tall. There was no sufficient food to soldiers, there was no need to mention the food supply to local citizens.


This can be further supported by a close-up.

3. Whenever a person did wrong in the eyes of North Korean government, three generations of the family were involved. This meant all three generations had to be punished at the same time because a person in their family did wrong. The whole family would have no chance to move upwards in the country hierarchy or to go back home in their life.

=> This was the measure to control the behavour of all citizens, for the ultimate goal of strengthening Kim's Family.  

4. When two young adults were in "love", they were not allowed to kiss in public. For two main characters in the book (Mi-ran and Jun-sang) who can only walk and walk in the dark side by side (basically there is no street light at night in PyongYang and other cities). They took three years to hold hands, and further six years to kiss. Kissing was the closest behaviour between them in these nine years.

5. Photo of two leaders - Kim ll Sung and Kim Jong ll should be framed and hung on the wall of each home of the general public in the whole country. The glass had to be cleaned every day. There was also regular check by government officials about whether it was cleaned every day and hung on the wall properly.

=> More photos of personality cult in North Korea can be found here            .

6. When a female Doctor of her early thirty - Ms. Kim, smuggled to the PRC, she misunderstood that the villagers welcomed her by supplying rice with pork. She later noticed that these were in fact to feed dog. She realized food eating of a dog in the PRC was much better than a doctor in North Korea.


This photo is from "Nothing to envy".

7. Because of famine and malnutrition, the height of an adult male character (Mr. Kim Hyuck, in the above photo) in the book was only 146cm (i.e. less than 5 feet).

8. There was no sex education to the general public in North Korea. Sex knowledge of single adults of twenty something was less than that of children in the PRC. The main character Jun Sang at the age of 25 did not know sexual intercourse and mensuration. But the Kim's Family members were sensual.

What a ridiculous and shameful Kim's Family!

For more about North Korea from my eyes, please visit           .


This, taken in a hotel in North Korea by me, was the introduction of DPRK in 2008, at its 60th anniversary. They had the mission of becoming a prosperous and powerful nation. But in reality, it was completely the opposite and a failure.