North Korean Talks Aren't Just About Nukes — Think About the People

Just over 25 years ago, Kang Chol-Hwan crossed the Yalu River under the light of the moon. A few weeks earlier he had smuggled himself and a friend to North Korea's border with China, using risky bribes and loose connections to weave through a web of dangers that could have collapsed on them at any moment. Even on the other side of the river, the danger persisted as they were hunted by squads of soldiers. All of this Kang endured at great peril, not just to his own life, but to the lives of his family. What compels a man to risk everything so desperately? For Kang Chol-Hwan, it was a need to taste the freedom that had been stripped from him and crushed by the state of North Korea.   Continue reading...