Interviewing Mr. Wang was a unique and enlightening experience. He is a family friend that I am acquainted with, but know very little about. His stories of life in North Korea shed light on the realities of living in a country that is often shrouded in secrecy and misinformation, which was why I was drawn to his story, and why many others were interested in his narrative. His personal experiences and observations also provide a deeper understanding of the daily life, culture, and politics of North Korea. Mr. Wang’s accounts of his interactions with a North Korean national actor, South Korean defector, and Russian currency exchanger offer a glimpse into the diverse and complex networks that exist within North Korea. Instead of a reductive account through a looking glass, his story brings vividness and liveliness into a 3D view. His experience as a Chinese student also demonstrates the mutual dependence, suspicion, and competition that exist between China and North Korea. Moreover, Mr. Wang’s stories demonstrated the power of personal narratives in contributing to our understanding of history and international relations. His lived experiences provided a human face to the political, economic, and social realities of North Korea and the PRC-DPRK relationship.
Having been infused in the Western media, I, too, adopted a single-minded view of North Korea as a country of evil, oppression, and out of control. But throughout this class, and talking to Mr. Wang, I began to self-reflect. Where did they come from? How did they shape my life and attitude towards the country and the Korean people? Have I perpetuated the same narrative and influenced others? Whether it was Grace Cho’s memoir or conducting an oral history project, they all challenged the writing of history at an interpersonal level. Ultimately, it is about deconstruction. Everything we have deemed as habitual, our preconceptions and biases, routine measures of eating and reading. Everything and everyone has its history that is waiting to be told and heard.
—Karen Shi on her oral history with Wang Shuqi