[Foreign Book] Daily Lives of North Korean Residents Written by North Korean Novelist... Published in the US

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] A North Korean novel has been published in the United States. It is '벗 (Friend)' written by author Baek Nam-ryong. Baek Nam-ryong, born in 1949 in Hamheung, is currently one of the famous writers in North Korea. He graduated from Kim Il-sung University and is a member of the 4·15 Literary Creation Group.

'벗' is a novel Baek Nam-ryong published in 1988. It was translated by Emmanuel Kim, an associate professor at George Washington University, and published by Columbia University Press on the 5th (local time).

The protagonist of the novel is Jung Jin-woo, who works as a judge in a small town. He meets a young woman named Chae Sun-hee, who files for divorce. Chae Sun-hee claims that her husband Lee Seok-chun is a gentle and diligent factory worker but lives a loveless life, being insensitive and taciturn. Above all, Chae Sun-hee says that her husband will not even help their seven-year-old son Honam succeed. Jung Jin-woo advises reconsideration, saying that divorce could especially have a negative impact on the son.

The 4·15 Literary Creation Group is North Korea's top elite literary group. According to the American daily The New York Times, the 4·15 Literary Creation Group mainly writes novels about the heroic deeds of the Kim Il-sung family. Baek Nam-ryong has also written many novels of that kind. However, '벗' is a somewhat different kind of novel. The New York Times introduced '벗' as a novel with a peculiar charm that shows the ordinary daily life of North Korea, whereas North Korea usually brings to mind missiles and military parades.

'벗' is the novel that made Baek Nam-ryong a star. It was made into a TV drama in North Korea and exported overseas. Earlier, a French edition was released in 2011. In South Korea, it was published in 1992 through the publishing company Sallimteo.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.