0016 Black Market Shakespeare

Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il have long cornered the Dark Lord market here in North Korea, but it looks as if they’re going to have to share the limelight with Voldemort himself. Harry Potter books, Britney Spears CDs, and even literature the likes of Romeo and Juliet and Jane Eyre have found their way into Pyongyang via a thriving black market. No wand-waving will magically remove the government’s propaganda books, music, and TV programs from the secretive state’s bestseller lists, but Potter’s presence does reveal that the cultural wall between North Korea and the West is showing some cracks. I have a feeling we’re not in Hogwarts anymore. #ceas #korea #schneiderwind #tsutsui