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# Travels with Scott

Books to trains, Iran to North Korea

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://travelswithscott.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [WORK HARD FOR THE KIMS! An Introduction to North Korea](https://travelswithscott.com/2014/01/26/an-intro-to-north-korea-work-hard-for-the-kims/) - 'Work Hard for the Kims!' uses English translations of North Korean propaganda posters to introduce the country's history, ideology, and culture in a brief ebook.
- [Motorcycling in Korea](https://travelswithscott.com/2018/08/13/motorcycling-in-korea/) - For those interested in motorcycling in Seoul or South Korea more generally, there's my old website's motorcycling page. For more up-to-date info, with video(!), I recommend a new vlog, Motorcycle Tips for South Korea. Enjoy the ride, and stay safe!
- [North Korean Paintings from Mansudae Art Studio](https://travelswithscott.com/2013/01/19/north-korean-paintings-from-mansudae-art-studio/) - Images from North Korean painters of traditional Korean landscape paintings and seasonal paintings, from North Korea's leading art studio.
- [World views of U.S. pre/post election](https://travelswithscott.com/2016/11/13/world-views-of-u-s-prepost-election/) - Trying something new ... please let me know if you experience issues. Using data from the GDELT Project and data visualization tools from Tableau, put together this image of world opinion pre and post election. Note the huge (yuuuge?) improvement in Russian opinion, followed by Australia and Brazil, and the negative swing in Canada, England,
- [The Ugly American](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/07/27/the-ugly-american/) - A brief book review of the 1958 book, 'The Ugly American' by William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick. Stunning that a book written in 1958 about Vietnam ...
- [Escape from North Korea: The Untold Story of Asia's Underground Railroad](https://travelswithscott.com/2013/02/08/escape-from-north-korea-the-untold-story-of-asias-underground-railroad/) - Review of Melanie Kirkpatrick's "Escape from North Korea: The Untold Story of Asia's Underground Railroad" about North Korean refugees escaping through China.
- [Inside the Red Box: North Korea's Post-totalitarian Politics](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/12/12/inside-the-red-box-north-koreas-post-totalitarian-politics/) - A review of the book 'Inside the Red Box: North Korea's Post-totalitarian Politics' by Patrick McEachern.
- [The Impossible State: North Korea, Past and Future](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/11/12/the-impossible-state-north-korea-past-and-future/) - Book review of 'The Impossible State: North Korea, Past and Future' by Victor Cha.
- [Amtrak's Northeast Regional train - slow and utilitarian, but beats the hell out of I-95](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/08/09/amtraks-northeast-regional-slow-and-utilitarian-but-beats-the-hell-out-of-95/) - Information, commentary, and some bitching about Amtrak's Washington, DC to New York City, via Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Newark, Northeast Regional train.
- [SK Telecom to Protect Customers from North Korean Jamming](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/04/05/sk-telecom-to-protect-customers-from-north-korean-jamming/) - Interesting follow-up to a previous report on North Korea attempting to jam GPS signals in Seoul and other areas of the South back in early March. SK Telecom, one of the South's leading telecom providers, announced today that it had developed a new technique to protect 2G and later phones from future jamming attempts. The
- [Updated ESL Textbooks for Korean College Students and Adult Learners](https://travelswithscott.com/2015/03/27/new-esl-textbooks-for-korean-college-students-and-adult-learners/) - ESL books written specifically for Korean college students and other adult English learners - no more struggling to adapt materials to fit your students.
- [New North Korea Propaganda Posters Added](https://travelswithscott.com/2015/07/08/new-north-korea-propaganda-posters-added/) - Just added some new North Korean propaganda posters, with translations and explanations, to the blog and Facebook page.
- [North Korean Propaganda Posters](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/08/06/north-korean-propaganda-posters/) - Anti-American and anti South Korean propaganda posters from North Korea - with translations and explanations in English.
- [Time for Fresh Approaches to North Korea](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/10/12/time-for-fresh-approaches-to-north-korea/) - Two new policy ideas for U.S. relations with North Korea.
- [Researching Pyongyang?](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/10/20/researching-pyongyang/) - A South Korean daily newspaper is reporting it has census and demographic data from Pyongyang, North Korea.
- [Sleeping with the Enemy?](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/10/24/sleeping-with-the-enemy/) - I'm not sure why (boredom?), but I found this report that U.S. and North Korean negotiators are staying at the same hotel in Geneva interesting. According to the article, during the State Department's endless job security for diplomats program (also known as, 'nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea'), negotiators from the two sides have never
- [Witness to Transformation: Refugee Insights into North Korea](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/11/01/witness-to-transformation-refugee-insights-into-north-korea/) - [Book Review] Less a book to curl up with and read than a research treatise to consult. As always, Noland and Haggard provide a solid work of North Korean scholarship useful for anyone studying or writing on the North. Aside from the valuable quantitative data covering refugee/defector opinion, the conclusion is the most readable, least
- [Upcoming Wave of North Korean Boat People?](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/11/08/upcoming-wave-of-north-korean-boat-people/) - According to an article from today's Daily NK (a website run by North Korean defectors living in the South), a recent tightening of border controls by North Korea, together with a crackdown by Chinese authorities on North Korean refugees in China, is causing more people to flee the North by ship. So far this year,
- [Number of North Korean Cellphone Subscribers Continues to Grow](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/11/21/number-of-north-korean-cellphone-subscribers-continues-to-grow/) - The number of North Korean cellphone subscribers passed 800,000 in Sept. 2011 and continues to grow.
- [Choco Pie – Dangerous Symbol of Capitalism or Harmless Snack?](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/11/22/choco-pie-dangerous-symbol-of-capitalism-or-harmless-snack/) - Choco pies, the common South Korean snack, are causing trouble with North Korea in the Kaesong industrial complex.
- [Repeat Tahrir Square in Pyongyang?](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/12/01/repeat-tahrir-square-in-pyongyang/) - For those wondering if Tahrir Square and similar events across North Africa and the Middle East can be repeated in Pyongyang, recent headlines out of Korea appear to answer the question. While their compatriots are busy using the Internet and social media to link up for everything from brainstorming to demonstrations, North Korean college students
- [An Actual War on Christmas? North Korea Warns South about Christmas Tree, Lights](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/12/13/an-actual-war-on-christmas-north-korea-warns-south-about-christmas-tree-lights-2/) - Christmas tree, lights set up on South Korean side of DMZ riles North Korea
- [Konglish: Save it on the 딱딱](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/01/01/konglish-save-it-on-the-딱딱/) - Explains the Konglish / 콩글리시 expression 하드 in English.
- [Konglish: A/S Center ... 아/ㅅ 센터?
](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/01/01/konglish-as-center-아ㅅ-센터
/) - Explains the Konglish / 콩글리시 expression A/S center in English.
- [Konglish: Home-p ... 집 소변?](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/01/01/konglish-home-p-집-소변/) - Explains the Konglish / 콩글리시 expressions home-p and mini home-p in English.
- [Konglish: 백넘버 ... 뒤번호? 등에 쓴 번호?](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/01/01/백넘버-뒤번호-등에-쓴-번호/) - Explains the Konglish expression 백넘버 ("back number") in English.
- [Konglish: Good cooker = 좋은 밥통?](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/01/01/konglish-good-cooker-좋은-밥통/) - Explains the common Konglish / 콩글리시 expression "good cooker".
- [Konglish: 비닐하우스 (Vinylhouse)](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/01/01/konglish-비닐하우스-vinylhouse/) - Explains the Konglish expression 비닐하우스 (vinylhouse) in English.
- ["비 온다" is not "rain comes"](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/01/01/비-온다-is-not-rain-comes/) - How to translate the Korean expression "비 온다" into English.
- [오토바이 ... 자동 자전거?](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/01/01/오토바이-자동-자전거/) - How to translate the Korean expression "오토바이" ("auto bike") into English.
- [iPad? Kindle? Nook? Why not the 'Future 2.0'?](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/01/28/ipad-kindle-nook-why-not-the-future-2-0/) - UPDATE (3 July 2012): Apparently, the North isn't stopping at e-book readers - check out Pyongyang's tablet PC in this recent story on the Pyongyang Trade Fair (yes, such a thing does exist). Tired of iPad, Kindle and Nook? Searching for a truly innovative e-book reader? One that comes pre-installed with detailed explanations of Juche,
- [Kindle vs. Nook vs. iBook - My Experience with Ebook Publishing](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/09/16/kindle-vs-nook-vs-ibook-my-experience-with-ebook-publishing/) - Advice for writers and readers, from an author's perspective, on ebook publishing with Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, and Apple iBooks / iTunes.
- [Apple's new iBooks Author, a shot at Adobe?](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/02/04/apples-new-ibooks-author-a-shot-at-adobe/) - Apple's latest software release, iBooks Author, is not only a shot across the bow of the publishing industry, it may also be a looming threat to Adobe.
- [First Three Weeks with iBooks Author](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/02/23/first-three-weeks-with-ibooks-author/) - My initial thoughts on working with iBooks Author, Apple's new program for developing iPad textbooks.
- [Kim Jong-il's Death: What to Watch for Going Forward](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/12/19/kim-jong-ils-death-what-to-watch-for-going-forward/) - An analysis of key indicators of how the succession process is playing out and which factions in North Korea's government are gaining power.
- [NK Cracking Down on Defectors?](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/01/06/nk-cracking-down-on-defectors/) - Brief story about defector reports from inside North Korea indicating a crackdown is underway on those attempt to defect.
- [North Korea Blamed for Cyber-Attack on Korea University](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/01/16/north-korea-blamed-for-cyber-attack-on-korea-university/) - Korea University, one of the South's leading schools, was reportedly the victim of a cyber-attack from North Korean hackers.
- [Kim Jong-nam Predicts Trouble for Kid Brother, the New Ruler of North Korea](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/01/18/kim-jong-nam-predicts-trouble-for-kid-brother-the-new-ruler-of-north-korea/) - Comments by Kim Jong-nam, Kim Jong-il's oldest son, on his younger brother Kim Jong-eun, the new leader of North Korea.
- [The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/02/21/the-coldest-winter-america-and-the-korean-war/) - Brief book review of 'The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War’ by David Halberstam
- [China Ignores Seoul, International Treaty Obligations; Repatriates North Korean Defectors](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/02/24/china-ignores-seoul-international-treaty-obligations-repatriates-north-korean-defectors/) - China disregards South Korean opinion and demonstrations, forcibly returns North Korean defectors to the North in violation of international treaties
- [Latest U.S. Deal with Pyongyang: good for hungry North Koreans ... barren cupboard for U.S., SK](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/03/01/latest-u-s-deal-with-pyongyang-good-for-hungry-north-koreans-nearly-meaningless-for-u-s-sk/) - The U.S. and North Korea reached an agreement to freeze North Korea's nuclear weapon and long-range missile development programs in exchange for U.S. food aid.
- [New AP Bureau in Pyongyang Provides Photos, Video of NK Live Fire Exercises](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/03/06/new-ap-bureau-in-pyongyang-provides-photos-video-of-nk-live-fire-exercises/) - Video link and photo of North Korean live fire exercises reported on by AP's new Pyongyang bureau.
- [FP Magazine: The Black Hole of North Korea](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/03/09/fp-magazine-the-black-hole-of-north-korea/) - Great article (subtitled: What economists can't tell you about the most isolated country on Earth) on the North Korean economy by Marcus Noland. While the best quote comes at the end of the article ("Former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale once counseled me that anyone who claims to be an expert on the North is
- [North Korea Continues to Expand Cyber Capabilities; Cheap, Domestic Alternative to Buying Weapons from China, Russia](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/03/28/north-korea-continues-to-expand-cyber-capabilities-cheap-domestic-alternative-to-buying-weapons-from-china-russia/) - North Korea expanding cyberspace capabilities as a cheap, secret alternative to importing weapons.
- [North Korean Missile Launch](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/04/13/north-korean-missile-launch/) - Possible reasons for North Korea testing a missile shortly after negotiating a food aid deal with the United States.
- [Pyongyang adds new Kim Jong-il statue to skyline](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/04/14/pyongyang-adds-new-kim-jong-il-statue-to-skyline/) - As part of the celebrations honoring regime founder Kim Il-sung, North Korea unveiled a giant new statue of his son on Mansu Hill, overlooking Pyongyang.
- [NK Resumes GPS Jamming in SK](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/05/09/nk-resumes-gps-jamming/) - North Korea reportedly resumed jamming GPS signals in South Korea from late April, after attempting a similar harassment campaign for a few days last March.
- [How to send mail to North Korea; China to grant visas to 40K NK workers, miners](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/07/02/how-to-send-mail-to-north-korea-china-to-grant-visas-to-40k-nk-workers-miners/) - Links to a story on mailing (i.e. smuggling) items to North Korea and another story on China granting visas to 40,000 North Korean workers.
- [Reuters Insight: North Korean Defector Smuggling Networks](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/07/12/reuters-insight-north-korean-defector-smuggling-networks/) - Great overview from Reuters today about North Korean refugee smuggling networks and how they get cash into, and information out of, North Korea. Aside from a much longer article in April's The Atlantic, this is one of the better English-language overviews on the subject. For a case study on how effective these networks can be,
- [Workers' Party vs. Military Fight in North Korea?](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/07/20/workers-party-vs-military-fight-in-north-korea/) - Reports of a power struggle, including an actual gun battle, between North Korea's Worker's Party and the military, with the new leadership siding with the party.
- ["To Expect 'Change' from DPRK Is Foolish Ambition: Spokesman"](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/07/30/to-expect-change-from-dprk-is-foolish-ambition-spokesman/) - North Korea's official news agency responds to recent outside speculation on reforms and change inside the country.
- [Photos of Pyongyang's Giant Ryugyong (류경) Hotel](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/09/28/photos-of-pyongyangs-giant-ryugyong-류경-hotel/) - Exterior and interior photos from the giant Ryugyong (류경) Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea.
- [North Korea's Air Koryo adds online flight booking system](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/10/24/north-koreas-air-koryo-adds-online-booking-system/) - Air Koryo, the official airline of North Korea, has launched a new online flight booking and reservation system for international flights from China and Russia.
- ["Now that the election's over" ... U.S. policy options on North Korea](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/11/13/now-that-the-elections-over-u-s-policy-options-on-north-korea/) - With the election fading, I’m seeing lots of articles on what to do with X now that the U.S. political scene is settled, with U.S. policy on North Korea having several turns as X. Already, I’ve read everything from ideological chest thumping in the Washington Times, to calls for more diplomatic make-work programs "a new
- [Liberty in North Korea - Campaign for North Koreans](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/11/16/liberty-in-north-korea-campaign-for-north-koreans/) - Video and link to the North Korean human rights organization 'Liberty in North Korea' and their campaign to shift the focus of debate to humanitarian issues.
- [North Korea and Iran - cyber power BFFs?](https://travelswithscott.com/2014/12/15/north-korea-and-iran-cyber-power-bffs/) - North Korean cyber attack on Sony, Iranian cyberattacks on U.S. banks and casinos, North Korean hacker attacks on South Korea - how to prevent? Deter? Respond?
- [Living in the past: South Korean Defense Ministry steps up radio broadcasts into DPRK](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/08/18/living-in-the-past-south-korean-defense-ministry-steps-up-dprk-broadcasts/) - Instead of increasing radio broadcasts into North Korea, South Korea's Defense Ministry should help defector groups using cellphones to get info out of North.
- [Tried Reading 'Current History'?](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/09/11/tried-reading-current-history/) - The September issue of Current History magazine covers East Asia, with interesting articles on South Korea, China, and Japan, plus North Korea.
- [South Korea's Ministry of Defense to double size of cyber command in face of cyber attacks from North; effort unlikely to succeed](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/08/30/south-koreas-ministry-of-defense-to-double-size-of-cyber-command-expand-offensive-capabilities-to-ward-off-cyber-attacks-from-north-effort-unlikely-to-succeed/) - South Korea's Ministry of Defense to double the size of cyber command, adding offensive and defensive capabilities, as online struggle with North continues
- [Want to make millions from North Korea? Become a luxury goods exporter in China during the next succession](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/10/05/want-to-make-millions-from-north-korea-become-a-luxury-goods-exporter-in-china-during-the-next-succession/) - From 2009 to 2011, luxury goods imported to North Korea from China nearly doubled as Pyongyang worked for a smooth succession from Kim Jong-il to Kim Jong-eun.
- [Security issues knocking on South Korea’s door](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/10/11/security-issues-knocking-on-south-koreas-door/) - A North Korean soldier crossed the DMZ, walked up to a South Korean army barracks and knocked on the front door, asking to defect - all undetected by SK's army.
- [North Korea suddenly hikes taxes for businesses in Kaesong, threatens to make hike retroactive for up to 8 years](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/10/18/north-korea-suddenly-hikes-taxes-for-businesses-in-kaesong-threatens-to-make-hike-retroactive-for-up-to-8-years/) - North Korea told South Korean businesses in the Kaesong industrial zone that it was unilaterally raising their taxes, defying an agreement with the South.
- [2009-2013 Internet attacks on South Korea part of ongoing cyber espionage campaign - McAfee Labs](https://travelswithscott.com/2013/07/12/2009-2013-internet-attacks-on-south-korea-part-of-ongoing-cyber-espionage-campaign-mcafee-labs/) - McAfee Labs finds 2009-2013 cyberattacks on South Korean media, bank, and other websites part of ongoing cyber espionage campaign; South blames attacks on North
- [South Korea hit with cyber attacks on major banks, media outlets ... again; North Korea blamed ... again](https://travelswithscott.com/2013/03/21/south-korea-hit-with-cyber-attacks-on-major-banks-media-outlets-again-north-korea-blamed-again/) - Brief story outlining North Korea's recent cyber attack on South Korean banks and major media outlets, including why the North has turned to cyber
- [The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/03/12/the-black-banners-the-inside-story-of-911-and-the-war-against-al-qaeda/) - Book Review of 'The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda', by Ali Soufan. Leaves the reader angry, frustrated, and ...
- [Apple's new iBooks Author vs. Adobe's Digital Publishing Suite and new Creative Cloud](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/03/14/apples-new-ibooks-author-vs-adobes-digital-publishing-suite/) - Comparison of Apple's iBooks Author and Adobe's Digital Publishing Suite (including Creative Cloud), with Author's ease and low cost but Adobe's larger market.
- ['Escape from Camp 14' and North Korean Defectors](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/03/29/escape-from-camp-14-and-north-korean-defectors/) - Brief look at North Korean defectors, their writings, where to get more information, and the new book 'Escape from Camp 14', by a North Korean gulag escapee.
- [Problems with Audio Files and Quizzes in Apple's iBooks Author](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/06/29/problems-with-audio-files-and-quizzes-in-apples-ibooks-author/) - While easy to use in general, Apple's new iBooks Author has issues with displaying the controls for audio files, plus problems with the quizzing widget.
- [New 'Konglish' Category](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/07/04/new-konglish-category/) - New 콩글리시 (Konglish) blog section, based on 15+ years of research, translates and explains common Konglish expressions found in my latest book, 콩글리시 to English.
- [Iraq - Life on Base (Book Excerpt, Iraq 2)](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/10/11/iraq-life-on-base-book-excerpt/) - As I got more comfortable with the job and figured out a routine, plus got to know some of the people I was working with, I was able to get out and explore ...
- [My Ticket into Iraq (Book Excerpt, Iraq 1)](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/10/12/my-ticket-into-iraq-book-excerpt/) - It's called a ‘tactical landing’. Wary of missiles or other ground fire, planes ferrying troops and cargo into Iraq's Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) ...
- [Arrival in Iran (Book Excerpt, Iran 1)](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/10/27/arrival-in-iran-book-excerpt/) - Iran – Khomeini – Hostages – Evil: For Americans of a certain age these four words are inextricably linked. The Iran hostage crisis forever burned Iran and ...
- [First Day in Iran (Book Excerpt, Iran 2)](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/10/26/first-day-in-iran-book-excerpt-iran-2/) - First day traveling in Iran - Morning brought a better look at the hotel. My room was tiny and the bathroom miniscule. I almost had to stand with one foot in...
- [Kaesong and the North's cellphone network - two indicators of conditions on the peninsula](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/12/08/kaesong-and-the-norths-cellphone-network-two-indicators-of-tensions-on-the-peninsula/) - How operations in the North-South trade zone in Kaesong, plus the status of North Korea's cellular network, can be used to assess conditions in North Korea.
- [South accuses North of cyberattacks; Pyongyang relying less on spies, more on cyber?](https://travelswithscott.com/2013/01/17/south-accuses-north-of-cyberattacks-pyongyang-relying-less-on-spies-more-on-cyber/) - South Korea accuses North Korea of cyber attacks, finds multiple attacks used Chinese IP address owned by North Korea's Ministry of Post and Telecommunications.
- [Brief History of North Korean Cyber Attacks](https://travelswithscott.com/2015/01/07/brief-history-of-north-korean-cyber-attacks/) - North Korea has been blamed for cyber attacks on South Korean banks, media companies, government websites, and other organizations since at least 2009.
- [North Korea conducts third nuclear test: two alternate response proposals](https://travelswithscott.com/2013/02/12/north-korea-conducts-third-nuclear-test-two-alternate-response-proposals/) - No more sanctions, no more UN; two alternate ideas for how the international community should respond to North Korea's nuclear test.
- [North-South tensions on the Korean peninsula - indicators for the future](https://travelswithscott.com/2013/03/12/north-south-tensions-on-the-korean-peninsula-indicators-of-whats-to-come/) - Signs on the Korean peninsula that indicate where current tensions in the confrontation between North and South Korea are heading
- [Qom, Home of the Mullahs (Book Excerpt, Iran 5)](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/10/25/qom-home-of-the-mullahs-book-excerpt-iran-5/) - Home of the Mullahs – Qom (Day 16) I’d been told by one Iranian that, “an American in Qom is like an Al Qaeda in the White House.” So I was a little nervous about this stop, and I could tell Professor was too. Qom (rhymes with ‘gnome’) is home to one of Iran’s (and
- [Book Review of 'The Real North Korea: Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia' by Andrei Lankov](https://travelswithscott.com/2015/01/14/book-review-of-the-real-north-korea-life-and-politics-in-the-failed-stalinist-utopia-by-andrei-lankov/) - Lankov is one of the world's top North Korea specialists, in English or Korean, and has the rare benefit of speaking Korean and having lived in the North ...
- [Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/07/17/learning-to-eat-soup-with-a-knife-counterinsurgency-lessons-from-malaya-and-vietnam/) - Book review of LTC John A. Nagl's 'Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife' about the adaptability, or lack thereof, in military organizations and bureaucracies.
- [Nation Building in South Korea: Koreans, Americans, and the Making of a Democracy](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/08/13/nation-building-in-south-korea-koreans-americans-and-the-making-of-a-democracy/) - Brief review of the book 'Nation Building in South Korea: Koreans, Americans, and the Making of a Democracy'.
- [Welcome to the redesigned blog!](https://travelswithscott.com/2015/05/20/welcome-to-the-newly-redesigned-blog/) - Welcome to the redesigned and updated TravelswithScott blog! The new site features a more efficient, attractive design and greater layout flexibility - allowing the addition of the new Jobs page. I hope you enjoy the new site; please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. Scott
- [콩글리시 to English (Konglish to English)](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/07/18/콩글리시-to-english-konglish-to-english/) - 콩글리시 to English (Konglish to English), a new book addressing 100 common Konglish mistakes, now available for download from Apple's iTunes bookstore.
- [Hell Train (Book Excerpt, Iran 6)](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/10/20/hell-train/) - After a fantastic three weeks traveling around Iran, it was finally time to turn towards home. As an American, the only way to obtain an Iranian visa had been to book a guided tour, and while the guide had been sage-like in his knowledge and helpfulness, I was looking forward to a little time on
- [Arrival in Esfahan (Book Excerpt, Iran 4)](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/10/25/arrival-in-esfahan-book-excerpt-iran-4/) - Central Iran - Arrival in Esfahan (DAY 12) Newspapers, websites, TV news – it seemed that every one of them had run a feature on Iran’s rejuvenated nuclear program in the days leading up to this part of my trip. In nearly every story Esfahan was listed as the major city closest to the program’s
- [The Great Railway Bazaar](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/12/18/the-great-railway-bazaar/) - [Book Review] Early Japanese bullet trains, travel across the Soviet Union on the Trans-Siberian, the old Orient Express, Theroux's book (originally written in the mid-70s, but reissued in the version here) is a classic of travel and railway literature. Especially suitable for reading on a cold day somewhere in eastern Russia on the Trans-Siberian, but
- [NK to Qaddafi: Sucks to Be You; Should Have Kept Your Nukes](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/03/24/nk-to-qaddafi-sucks-to-be-you-should-have-kept-your-nukes/) - A Foreign Ministry spokesman from North Korea announced the North’s takeaway from the situation in Libya: never give up your nuke program. “The present Libyan crisis teaches the international community a serious lesson. It was fully exposed before the world that ‘Libya′s nuclear dismantlement’ much touted by the U.S. in the past turned out to
- [Ahmadinejad vs. Khamenei](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/05/11/ahmadinejad-vs-khamenei/) - Interesting article in today's Foreign Policy on the current power struggle in Iran between President Ahmadinejad (representing the Revolutionary Guards and Iranian nationalism) and Supreme Leader Khamenei (representing the clerical hierarchy and Iranian revolutionary Islam). While I disagree that, "Khamenei's survival and that of the clerical system is in the West's interest," (mainly because I
- [A Time to Betray](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/07/12/a-time-to-betray/) - [Book Review] Subtitled, "The Astonishing Double Life of a CIA Agent Inside the Revolutionary Guards of Iran," the book reads more like fiction than autobiography. I have no idea how much ... polishing ... the author did to make the story and dialog flow, but the end result is a fascinating book that reminded me
- [Axis of Evil World Tour - An American's Travels in Iran, Iraq and North Korea](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/08/05/axis-of-evil-world-tour-an-americans-travels-in-iran-iraq-and-north-korea/) - A book on my travels in Bush's three Axis of Evil countries. Excerpts from the book are available in the Iraq, Iran, and North Korea sections of this blog, with additional photos on the book's website at: AxisofEvilWorldTour.com. My goal in writing the book is to present the countries as I saw them, without adhering
- [Israel Considering Strike on Iran's Nuclear Facilities?](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/11/04/israel-considering-strike-on-irans-nuke-facilities/) - Interesting, and somewhat ominous article in the Times today (and another one in the Post) about Israel possibly stepping up preparations for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities in Natanz. Having been on the ground in the area, I can attest to the tightness of the security – not two minutes after pulling off to
- [NYT's Kristof in Iran](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/06/26/nyts-kristof-in-iran/) - New York Time's columnist Nicholas Kristof recently spent some time in Iran and posted some interesting columns (including videos) on the trip: Hugs From Iran, Pinched and Griping in Iran, In Iran, They Want Fun, Fun, Fun, and Not-So-Crazy in Tehran. He was able to travel without a guide (theoretically at least), which I envy.
- [Iran and North Korea cooperating on cyber-defense, 'domestic Internets'?](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/09/20/iran-and-north-korea-cooperating-on-cyber-defense-domestic-internets/) - Are Iran and North Korea working together to develop domestic audience only versions of the Internet?
- [North Korea Entering Information Age with Cellphones, Domestic-only 'Intranet'](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/11/12/north-korea-entering-information-age-with-cellphones-domestic-only-intranet/) - North Korea continues to enter the information age, though with domestic-only 'intranet' instead of the Internet and cellphones only capable of domestic calls.
- [Confront and Conceal: Obama's Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power](https://travelswithscott.com/2013/07/03/confront-and-conceal-obamas-secret-wars-and-surprising-use-of-american-power/) - [Book Review] The author, David Sanger, appears to have better access to classified information than most gov’t intel analysts; he certainly has better access to policy makers and strategists. The coverage of cyber operations, especially Stuxnet and Olympic Games, is the most powerful and revealing section of the book – given that Sanger was at
- [UNESCO adds North Korea, Iranian sites to Heritage List](https://travelswithscott.com/2013/06/24/unesco-adds-north-korea-iranian-sites-to-heritage-list/) - North Korean site includes buildings and commemorative steles in and around Kaesong; Iranian site is the palace of the shah's, mainly from the 19th century.
- [Amtrak's DC-Orlando Auto Train](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/07/03/amtraks-dc-to-orlando-auto-train/) - Information, description and images of Amtrak's Washington, DC to Orlando, Florida Auto Train - a great way to avoid I-95, especially during the holiday rush.
- [New North Korean Propaganda Posters Added](https://travelswithscott.com/2013/12/09/new-north-korean-propaganda-posters-added/) - The main North Korean Propaganda Posters Page now has additional images, with translations and explanations.
- [Censored in South Korea?](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/08/14/censored-in-south-korea/) - Article, images, and links on growing Internet censorship in South Korea, a country that markets and prides itself on ultra-fast, hyper-modern Internet speeds.
- [Miami to New York on Amtrak's Silver Meteor](https://travelswithscott.com/2014/01/22/miami-to-new-york-on-amtraks-silver-meteor/) - Info on Amtrak's Silver Meteor, part of the railroad's overnight Silver Service between Florida (Miami, Tampa, Orlando) and the northeast (DC, Philly, NYC).
- [Travel meets "history": photos from my 1993 Trans-Siberian trip](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/07/25/travel-meets-history-photos-from-my-1993-trans-siberian-trip-posted-on-facebook/) - Photos and commentary on my 1993 trip on the Trans-Siberian train from Beijing to Moscow through Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and the Siberian city of Irkutsk.
- [The Train They Call the City of New Orleans](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/05/22/the-train-they-call-the-city-of-new-orleans/) - Travel story on Amtrak's 'City of New Orleans' sleeper train from Chicago to New Orleans.
- [When will North Korea collapse?](https://travelswithscott.com/2015/02/23/when-will-north-korea-collapse/) - Will North Korea collapse? When will the North collapse? Common questions for North Korea researchers & analysts, but why? A better question is how to prepare.
- [Driving Past Natanz, Home of Iran's Nuclear Program (Book Excerpt)](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/12/10/driving-past-natanz-home-of-irans-nuke-program-book-excerpt/) - A brief book excerpt about security near the Iranian nuclear facility at Natanz, plus photos and a tour of the nearby mountain town of Abyaneh.
- [A Few Months in Central Asia](https://travelswithscott.com/2014/06/05/a-few-months-in-central-asia/) - Sorry for the absence of postings these past few months, but am currently most of the way through a few months in Central Asia. Hopefully back online and blogging come July. Thanks for stopping by, Scott
- [Back from Afghanistan](https://travelswithscott.com/2014/09/12/back-from-afghanistan/) - Apologies for the lack of postings this year, but have spent most of 2014 in Afghanistan, away from reliable Internet access. Am finally back in the States though, and ready to resume posting here on the blog. The time in Afghanistan is still too fresh to write about, at least here, so have uploaded photos
- [North Korea's Sony Cyber Attack: North Korea 1 ... Sony 0 ... Free Speech 0 ... U.S. 0](https://travelswithscott.com/2014/12/18/north-koreas-sony-cyber-attack-north-korea-1-sony-0-free-speech-0-u-s-0/) - Sony cancels 'The Interview' after successful cyberattack by North Korea - a textbook demonstration of cyber capabilities used to achieve national goals.
- [Using the ‘Internet’ inside North Korea](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/12/11/using-the-internet-inside-north-korea/) - Yes, North Korea does have the 'Internet' - though a domestic-only version with little to no content from the outside world.
- [Ever thought of working overseas? Read on](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/12/05/ever-thought-of-working-overseas-read-on/) - Brief article about working abroad - it's not for everyone, but may be for you.
- [Photos from mid-90s, post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia, late 90s Borneo](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/08/05/photos-from-mid-90s-post-khmer-rouge-cambodia-late-90s-borneo/) - Photos from mid-90s trip through post-Khmer Rouge Cambodia, including Angkor Wat and the Killing Fields; plus another collection from late 90s Malaysian Borneo
- [Average South Korean Household Spends $200 a Month on 'Media'](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/08/01/average-south-korean-household-spends-200-a-month-on-media/) - New survey results released showing the average monthly household spending on media, Internet, phones, and TV in South Korea.
- [Riding Amtrak Cross-country](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/03/07/riding-amtrak-cross-country/) - Brief comments on the joys, and possible pain, of traveling via train, whether in the U.S., Vietnam, Iran, or Russia.
- [New Feeds Added for International Development, Foreign Affairs Job Listings](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/02/11/new-feeds-for-international-development-foreign-affairs-job-listings-added/) - AlertNet and Reliefweb job postings added to job listings from the UN, USAID, USAjobs and Foreign Affairs magazine.
- [Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/01/18/dark-star-safari-overland-from-cairo-to-cape-town/) - Brief book review of 'Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town' by Paul Theroux
- [What Is the What](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/01/18/what-is-the-what/) - A brief book review of 'What Is the What', by Dave Eggers and Valentino Achak Deng.
- [Hoya Saxa!](https://travelswithscott.com/2012/01/09/go-hoyas/) - A quick congrats to Georgetown's School of Foreign Service - the top MA program in International Relations, as reported this month by Foreign Policy magazine. How to pay for it? I would suggest winning the lottery, adoption by Bill Gates, or getting a job at the university. I'll put in a good word for you.
- [River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/11/07/951/) - [hang1column element="div" width="122"] [/hang1column] [Book Review] A great example of the 'expat experience' genre of travel writing. River Town tells the story of Peter Hessler, currently the Beijing correspondent for The New Yorker, during his two-year Peace Corps stint in Sichuan, China. For anyone who has struggled to learn a language overseas from an unforgiving
- [Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?: A Swashbuckling Tale of High Adventures, Questionable Ethics, and Professional Hedonism](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/11/02/do-travel-writers-go-to-hell-a-swashbuckling-tale-of-high-adventures-questionable-ethics-and-professional-hedonism/) - [hang1column element="div" width="122"][/hang1column] [Book Review] Hilarious. One of the funniest travel (in the 'hedonism on tour' genre) books you'll ever read. The story of the author's travails, and then successes, while traveling around Brazil putting together the Lonely Planet Brazil guidebook. As a nice side benefit, Kohnstamm's book confirms all of your worst suspicions about
- [One Program, Three Countries - Study in Korea, China and Japan](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/10/31/one-program-three-countries-study-in-korea-china-and-japan/) - Information on studying abroad in programs combining top universities in Korea, China, and Japan.
- [SK President Lee Visiting US; Obama Takes Him to ... Detroit?](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/10/12/sk-president-lee-visiting-us-obama-takes-him-to-detroit/) - Got a chuckle at the first sentence in this article from today's Times on SK President Lee's visit to the U.S. - especially the part right after the word "treated": "During the state visit of South Korea’s president, Lee Myung-bak, which began on Wednesday, he will be feted at a White House state dinner, invited
- [Apologies!](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/10/11/apologies/) - Getting ready for Afghanistan leaves little time for blogging ...
- [Suspected North Korean cyberattack raises fears for S. Korea - Washington Post](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/08/30/suspected-north-korean-cyberattack-on-a-bank-raises-fears-for-s-korea-allies-washington-post/) - An article from today's Post provides a solid outline of recent North Korean cyberattacks on the South; a story we have been following here (NK Hackers Working with SK Organized Crime?, NK Hackers Take Down SK Bank, SK Cops: North Responsible for March Cyberattack, Cyberwar in Korea – Kim Jong-eun’s Key to the Throne?) for
- [WTF?!? Georgetown basketball exhibition in China ends in brawl](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/08/20/wtf-georgetown-basketball-exhibition-in-china-ends-in-brawl/) - [hang2column element="div" width="440"][/hang2column] I've been in, or nearly in, fights at plenty of stadiums in the U.S., but to have an entire team and stadium full of people attack visiting players, coaches, and fans, as happened to Georgetown's basketball team in China last week, is both new and disgusting. Even the normally nationalistic Chinese are
- [Tips on Dealing with English Teacher Recruiters for South Korean Schools and Language Institutes](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/08/13/tips-on-dealing-with-english-teacher-recruiters-for-south-korean-schools-and-language-institutes/) - Advice, the questions to ask, and the answers to look out for when talking to recruiters for English teaching positions in South Korea.
- [North Korea's Newly Rich Business/Entrepreneur Class](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/08/11/north-koreas-newly-rich-businessentrepreneur-class/) - North Korea has rich people? Yes, they are the ones buying all the new cellphones. NK specialist Andrei Lankov wrote an article examining this rare new species for yesterday's Asia Times (hat tip to NK Economy Watch for pointing out the story). According to the article, "North Korea's new rich made their fortunes amid the
- [With U.S. Support, Private Security Company Trains African Troops in Somalia - NYT](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/08/10/with-u-s-support-private-security-company-trains-african-troops-in-somalia-nyt/) - Eye-catching article in today's Times about the State Department, CIA, and other interesting bits of the U.S. government funding African troops in Somalia, in part via a private U.S. company located over on Embassy Row, one of the swankiest parts of Washington, DC. Seems the U.S. doesn't want any reminders of the Black Hawk Down
- [NK Hackers Working with SK Organized Crime?](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/08/04/nk-hackers-working-with-sk-organized-crime/) - Report on South Korean organized crime establishing links with North Korean hackers based in China, creating a new challenge for South Korean police.
- [New Books Category](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/07/18/new-books-category/) - I've added a new section featuring book reviews, some taken from my previous writings on 1stopKorea.com, but most written here for the first time. To keep all of the new reviews from flooding the front page, I'm back-dating most of them. To see the entire list, click on the "Books" category, above.
- [The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why It Matters](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/07/17/the-cleanest-race-how-north-koreans-see-themselves-and-why-it-matters/) - [hang1column element="div" width="122"][/hang1column] [Book Review] Fantastic. Someone finally went through Seoul's expansive archive of North Korean domestic media (magazines, TV programs, movies, etc.) to see what the North was/is telling its populace. The conclusion refutes those who see the North primarily through a communist ideological prism, instead painting a picture of the nation as a
- [Paper Excerpt II:  Case Study on Using North Korean Defector-run Networks to Monitor Conditions Inside North Korea](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/06/26/paper-excerpt-ii-case-study-on-using-north-korean-defector-run-networks-to-monitor-conditions-inside-north-korea/) - Paper excerpt examining North Korean defector use of cell phones and satellite phones to report on the late 2009 currency revaluation in North Korea.
- [Skilled Korean-English Translator? The SK Gov't Needs Your Help](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/06/03/skilled-korean-english-translator-the-sk-govt-needs-your-help/) - After finding over 200 errors in the Korean-language translation of the Korean-EU free trade agreement, delaying its ratification and forcing multiple resubmissions to the Korean Cabinet and National Assembly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade announced today that it had found 296 errors in the Korean translation of the free trade agreement with the
- [Save U.S. Healthcare -  Outsource It](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/05/31/save-u-s-healthcare-outsource-it/) - Great article on Foreign Policy's website today about outsourcing U.S. healthcare to other, cheaper (pretty much every country on the planet) countries as one method for reducing American healthcare costs. For example, rather than paying for a knee replacement procedure that costs over $10K in the States, offer the patient the choice of having it
- [My Korean Deli: Risking It All for a Convenience Store](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/05/15/my-korean-deli-risking-it-all-for-a-convenience-store/) - [hang1column element="div" width="122"][/hang1column] [Book Review] Insipid. A combination of pretentious rich kid, publishing connections, caricatured first and 1.5 generation Korean immigrants, and a storyline built around a sheltered intellectual meeting 'real' people and engaging in 'real' work. People who have never done either may find this book interesting, for everyone else, don't waste your time.
- ['Homemade' Bombs Explode at Seoul Station, Express Bus Terminal; No Injuries, Little Damage Reported](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/05/12/homemade-bombs-explode-at-seoul-station-express-bus-terminal-no-injuries-little-damage-reported/) - It's not every day that you wake up to read reports of bombings at bus and rail stations in South Korea, but today was suddenly that day. Yonhap, as well as MBC and the Chosun Ilbo, report that two "homemade" bombs went off just before noon, one at Seoul Station and the other at the
- [NK Refugees in U.S. Number 101](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/05/09/nk-refugees-in-u-s-number-101/) - The Department of Homeland Security recently released immigration statistics through the end of 2010 for refugees and asylum seekers. It gives an overview of the major sources of international refugees for the U.S., which North Korea certainly is not. Instead, for the North, there is Table 14, an Excel spreadsheet listing all refugee arrivals by
- [Amnesty Releases New NK Study](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/05/04/amnesty-releases-new-nk-study/) - Amnesty International released some new photos and info about conditions inside North Korea yesterday. Reading the defector testimony helps bring home just how bad things are north of the border. Check it out when you have a few minutes.
- [SK Police Raid Google Korea; NK Hackers Take Down SK Bank](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/05/03/sk-police-raid-google-korea-nk-hackers-take-down-sk-bank/) - Wow, it's getting tough to run a website in South Korea. Between cyberattacks from North Korean intel agencies (possibly led by Kim Jong-il's son and heir apparent, Kim Jong-eun) and the police raiding your offices to see who you're spying on … stalking … collecting data on, life is getting tough for webmasters in Seoul.
- [Teach Entrepreneurship in North Korea (yeah, really)](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/05/02/teach-entrepreneurship-in-north-korea-yeah-really/) - If the offer to teach English in Pyongyang from a couple of weeks ago didn't tempt you, how about this one? The Choson Exchange (motto: "Building Trust through Academic Cooperation") is looking for volunteers to lead workshops on economic issues this summer (outside Pyongyang) and fall (in Pyongyang). If you know (or can convince the
- [Good Day](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/05/02/good-day/) - Just wanted to say a quick thank you to all of the civilian and military professionals who made today possible. Well done. The photo below is from today's New York Times. Kind of a closing of the circle from 9/11.
- [Aid for North Korea - No Longer Just for Bleeding Hearts?](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/04/29/aid-for-north-korea-no-longer-just-for-bleeding-hearts/) - Former President Carter's recent trip to North Korea, and resultant call for a resumption of humanitarian (mainly food) aid to the North, once again brings attention to the controversial issue of sending aid to North Korea. Many people disagree strongly on this one, some blaming aid provision for prolonging the rule of the Kim clan,
- [Measuring North Korean GDP from Space?](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/04/27/measuring-north-korean-gdp-from-space/) - Naver, the popular South Korean portal site, has an interesting article about using lights at night to measure economic growth. Three researchers at Brown University used imagery taken from 1992-2009 by U.S. Air Force weather satellites to develop a proxy for measuring GDP growth (or contraction) by measuring the amount of light visible at night
- [Genocide in North Korea?](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/04/21/genocide-in-north-korea/) - Check out today's Washington Post for a column comparing genocide in North Korea to the Holocaust, by Robert Park, the jackass guy who thought it'd be a good idea to walk into North Korea to proselytize (background from BBC or Wikipedia). He closes the column with a call for action, "to save the North Korean
- [North Sends Message to Recent Defectors](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/04/20/north-sends-message-to-recent-defectors/) - “There are family members of the four who have died or are still unconscious after waiting for their loved ones.” A quote from North Korea directed at the four people who chose to remain behind while their comrades, who were all on a boat that drifted into South Korean waters in February, were repatriated to
- [Smart Power Put to Dumb Uses?](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/04/19/smart-power-put-to-dumb-uses/) - Interesting counterpoint in Foreign Policy today to Joseph Nye's recent column, on the same site, about the U.S. government's use of smart power, especially efforts undertaken by State and USAID. In the counterpoint, the successful, oft-underestimated uses of smart/soft power by the U.S. military seem especially salient. Give both columns a read if you have
- [Users, Revenue Grow for Koryolink, North Korea's Cellphone Service](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/04/19/users-revenue-grow-for-nk-cellphone-service/) - Update to previous posting on whether there are cellphones in North Korea. Orascom Telecom, the Egyptian company that runs Koryolink, North Korea's only cellphone provider, reported yearly results for 2010 [.pdf from Orascom's website] that showed nearly a quintupling of subscribers to 431,919 and a 156% increase in revenues to $66 million. Not bad numbers
- [NK: Forest Fires Are a 'Gift from Heaven'](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/04/18/nk-forest-fires-are-a-gift-from-heaven/) - There have been reports over the past couple of weeks of forest fires in North Korea, including one fire that came across the border and into the South's side of the DMZ. NASA has even detected the fires, mainly along the North's east coast. While forest fires might be expected to be bad news, especially
- ['Room Salon' in DC?](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/04/17/room-salon-in-dc/) - After years of living in Korea, it was odd to open the Post this morning in DC and find an article on authorities busting a local Korean room salon. Two people, the owner and the "primary 'madam'", were sentenced to jail for reportedly employing dozens of illegal immigrant women as ... ahem, "hostesses." This was the kind
- [Costs Rise for North Koreans Seeking Medical Treatment](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/04/13/costs-rise-for-north-koreans-seeking-medical-treatment/) - A recent survey of 370 North Koreans reported by Radio Free Asia (and picked up by MBC News in South Korea) found that 90% of those surveyed had given gifts (of money, food, cigarettes, or alcohol) to a doctor in exchange for treatment. Though medical care in the North is supposed to be free, the
- [Bored? Tired of the Internet? Try Teaching English in Pyongyang](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/04/11/bored-tired-of-the-internet-try-teaching-english-in-pyongyang/) - According to a recent story from Radio Free Asia, English teachers, even American nationals, are needed in North Korea. Organizations including the Mennonite Central Committee (in the U.S. and Canada), the New Zealand-based NZ-DPRK Society, the British Council, Canada’s Trinity Western University, and Global Resource Services in the United States have all sent, or plan
- [NK Doctor: Problem with Radiation? Drink Beer!](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/04/08/nk-doctor-problem-with-radiation-drink-beer/) - North Korea announced on 7 April that it had discovered traces of radioactive materials from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, though at levels below that deemed dangerous. In response, the North's state-run TV also reportedly ran a special on how to prevent radioactive contamination and flush it from your body, including advising people to wear
- [SK Cops: North Responsible for March Cyberattack](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/04/06/sk-cops-north-responsible-for-march-cyberattack/) - The "cyber cops" at South Korea's National Police Cyber Terror Response Center announced today that North Korea was responsible for an early March cyber attack on South Korean websites (related posting here). The latest attack reportedly used the same techniques and IP addresses as a 7 July 2009 attack also blamed on the North. The
- [North Korea Continues to Pass the Tin Cup](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/04/04/north-korea-continues-to-pass-the-tin-cup/) - The Chairman of North Korea's Supreme People’s Assembly was recently in Britain begging for food, part of a recent campaign by the North to acquire food supplies for: The brutal April to May 'hardship period' (춘궁기) when the previous year's harvest has been largely consumed, but food from the spring plantings has yet to arrive.
- [USAID Switcheroo](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/04/04/usaid-switcheroo/) - In a notice sent out to applicants on Sunday, USAID (the U.S. Agency for International Development) notified applicants that a recent job listing for a permanent, worldwide position is, in fact, neither permanent nor worldwide. Instead, and thank you very much for applying, the position is limited to a maximum term of five years and
- [New Beijing-Lhasa Luxury Train?](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/04/04/new-beijing-lhasa-luxury-train/) - Have ridden everything from 'the train they call the City of New Orleans' to the Trans-Siberian, I'm always on the lookout for a new train trip. Recent word out of China and Tibet is that the Beijing-Lhasa route may finally be getting a fancy new luxury service, one costing upwards of $10,000 for a one-week
- [Head of USAID: GOP Budget Would Kill 70,000 Children](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/04/01/head-of-usaid-gop-budget-would-kill-70000-children/) - UPDATE (8 April): For pretty much the exact opposite take, check out Rajiv Shah cries wolf. Excerpted from a posting on yesterday's ForeignPolicy.com: "As Congress struggles to negotiate a budget deal to keep the government running, the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) told lawmakers Wednesday that the GOP version of the
- [Double Whammy for Detroit](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/03/30/double-whammy-for-detroit/) - A week after the Census announced Detroit’s population had shrunk by 25% (!!) in 10 years, to the lowest level since 1910, the latest S&P/Case-Shiller Home Prices Indices show housing prices in the D have fallen to the levels of 1994. Ouch … unless you’re looking to buy, in which case you’re all set …
- [June Trip to North Korea for NK Specialists, Academics](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/03/22/june-trip-to-north-korea-for-nk-specialists-academics/) - I got an email over the weekend from Asia Pacific Travel, Ltd. announcing an 8-18 June trip to North Korea for "Koreanists and other academics". The trip is billed as an "educational tour" and includes Charles Armstrong, a Korean Studies professor at Columbia. Click here for more info from the company's website about the trip.
- [North Accuses U.S. Soldiers of ... Partying](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/03/22/north-accuses-u-s-soldiers-of-partying/) - Perhaps tired of calling us imperialist, colonialist oppressors, the North on Sunday accused U.S. soldiers of trespassing in the DMZ to party. Specifically, according to the South's Herald Media, quoting the North's official media, the U.S. soldiers, "came within 20 meters of the military demarcation line with women, taking photos and throwing bottles of alcohol
- [April's The Atlantic Does Story on "North Korea’s Digital Underground"](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/03/15/aprils-atlantic-does-story-on-north-koreas-digital-underground/) - Interesting story from this April's The Atlantic on how North Korean defector organizations are successfully pursuing information collection inside North Korea. I've read defector reports for years and this article does a great job outlining their methods, dangers, and reach. For a case study on how effective the reports can be, please see an early
- [The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/03/12/the-accidental-guerrilla-fighting-small-wars-in-the-midst-of-a-big-one/) - [hang1column element="div" width="122"][/hang1column] [Book Review] Ooof. A lot to digest in this one: COIN (counterinsurgency) doctrine, anthropology, history, military affairs (with the requisite acronym overload) ... get some coffee, put the brain on high, and start reading. I first read the book as part of grad school coursework and that's what it is; a good
- [Food Crisis in North? Or Pyongyang Planning Big Bash for 2012?](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/03/10/food-crisis-in-north-or-pyongyang-planning-big-bash-for-2012/) - A couple of days after reports emerged of North Korean officials “begging” for food, even from countries in some of the world’s poorest regions, comes another report quoting an official at the Blue House (the home of South Korea’s president) casting doubt on the North’s need for food. According to the official, the North’s requests
- [Cyberwar in Korea - Kim Jong-eun's Key to the Throne?](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/03/09/cyberwar-in-korea-kim-jong-euns-key-to-the-throne/) - South Korea’s Defense Minister accused the North today of attempting to jam military communications in the South during joint U.S. – South Korean military exercises, with the GPS-disrupting signals used in the attack being traced back to military bases in North Korea’s Kaesong and Mt. Geumgang/Kumgang. Along with that attack, a South Korean defector organization,
- [GPS Problems in Seoul?](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/03/07/gps-problems-in-seoul/) - UPDATE (5 April): SK Telecom announced today that it was updating its systems to protect from future jamming attempts. Only a few days after a 3 March attack on South Korean government and business websites (Yonhap), Korean media is reporting today that North Korea attempted to jam GPS signals in the Seoul metropolitan area, causing
- [Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/03/06/nothing-to-envy-ordinary-lives-in-north-korea/) - [hang1column element="div" width="122"][/hang1column] [Book Review] Powerful addition to English-language literature on North Korean refugees - the book tells the stories of six different North Korean refugees, both prior to their leaving the North and after they fled. The deterioration of the North Korean economy, a growing lack of medicine, decreasing food supplies and the threat
- [Pyongyang City Officials: Stop Raising Pets for Food!](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/03/04/pyongyang-city-officials-stop-raising-pets-for-food/) - Authorities in Pyongyang recently ordered residents to stop raising pets for food, as part of a citywide campaign to improve health and sanitation. The order has reportedly resulted in a sudden price decrease at restaurants serving dog meat, as city residents rush to comply with the order by selling their animals all at once, thus
- [Are there cellphones in North Korea?](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/02/28/are-there-cellphones-in-north-korea/) - Yep. Ironically, given the recent events in Egypt, the North's sole cellphone provider is an Egyptian company, Orascom Telecom. Their North Korean subsidiary, called Koryolink, reportedly has over 300,000 customers in 10 cities, all on 3G (wish I could say the same about my AT&T service in DC ...). Cellphones were banned for several years
- [Paper Excerpt: Case Study on Using North Korean Defector-run Networks to Monitor Conditions Inside North Korea](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/02/27/paper-excerpt-case-study-on-using-north-korean-defector-run-networks-to-monitor-conditions-inside-north-korea/) - UPDATE (26 June): Part II of this excerpt can be found here. Excerpts from a paper on the effectiveness of monitoring conditions inside North Korea by using Chinese cellphone-based networks operated by North Korean defectors in the South. Long thought of as the world’s most isolated nation, with little information flowing to outsiders on conditions
- [Rations Reduced for Soldiers Guarding Pyongyang; Isolated Demonstrations Reported in North](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/02/25/rations-reduced-for-soldiers-guarding-pyongyang-isolated-demonstrations-reported-in-north/) - GoodFriends, one of the leading North Korean defector organizations trying to keep the world apprised of conditions inside the North (previous post on GoodFriends here), reported the current food situation is getting so bad soldiers in the army corps guarding Pyongyang are only getting an average of 400-500 grams of corn per day in their
- [Hey soldier, trade you a month’s leave for 150 kilos of corn](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/02/24/hey-soldier-trade-you-a-months-leave-for-150-kilos-of-corn/) - A defector organization in South Korea reported North Korea’s economy is in such poor shape the country’s army can’t even feed its own soldiers, instead ordering some military personnel to go home for a month and return to their unit with 150kg of corn. However, according to one contact inside the country assigned to an
- [Helping Defectors Escape the North - Interview with a 'Broker'](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/02/23/helping-defectors-escape-the-north-interview-with-a-broker/) - A Korean news magazine (Sisa Journal) recently published an interview (in Korean) with a "broker" specializing in helping North Koreans defect to the South. The broker in the interview is identified as the head of a new organization dedicated to helping rescue North Korean defectors and refugees. I’ll put a brief translation of the interview
- [Pyongyang to Seoul – 12 Days?](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/02/15/pyongyang-to-seoul-12-days/) - A drive from Pyongyang to Seoul, should such an event ever become possible, would take 3-4 hours, depending on traffic once you neared Seoul. Lacking that connection, plus mail and phone connections (not to mention an Internet connection), North Korea’s legislative body, the “Supreme People’s Assembly,” decided to send a letter to the South’s parliament
- [No Underwear for You!](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/02/15/no-underwear-for-you/) - While I can understand the reasoning behind not sending aid, especially fungible items like food and fuel, to a regime that bombards you, sinks your ships, and prefers nukes to feeding its own people, but underwear for kids? That would seem pretty safe from diversion to the military or corrupt officials (though I’m sure a
- [Detroit in the Super Bowl](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/02/07/detroit-in-the-super-bowl/) - Well, not in the actual game, but in one of the commercials. Apparently, I wasn't the only one impressed by the spot - the Detroit Free Press had a front page story on the ad the day after the game. Check it out, below. UPDATE (8 FEB): The Free Press put a few more stories
- [Househunting in Detroit](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/02/03/househunting-in-detroit/) - My first day househunting in Detroit, I met my realtor, we’ll call him Greg, in front of our first prospective home on a cool, clear March morning. We were in the heart of Detroit’s historic Boston-Edison neighborhood (previous post on Boston-Edison here), former home of Henry Ford and other titans of the Motor City, but now
- [Watch Kaesong](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/01/15/watch-kaesong/) - UPDATE (15 JAN): With North Korea's shelling of Yeonpyeong Island, and the South's vow of a stronger response, the key to judging Seoul's seriousness was once again the industrial park at Kaesong. Despite some tough talk and South Korean artillery drills in the days and weeks after the incident, Kaesong continued to operate. By the
- [Investing in the 'D](https://travelswithscott.com/2011/01/02/investing-in-the-d/) - UPDATE (7 FEB): Detroit's mayor just announced a plan to help Detroit cops move back into the city (many left, for the same reasons so many others left). A part of the plan calls for fixing up abandoned homes in the Boston Edison neighborhood. ———————————- Need a unique, stunningly cheap place to live? Don't mind
- [Sleeping with a Fan on Can Kill You! Or not ...](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/12/29/sleeping-with-a-fan-on-can-kill-you-or-not/) - Examines the widely-held belief, or superstition, in South Korea that sleeping with a fan on can kill you.
- [The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/11/17/the-sex-lives-of-cannibals-adrift-in-the-equatorial-pacific/) - [hang1column element="div" width="122"][/hang1column] [Book Review] Fun, and shows the difference between an expat writer and a travel writer - one showing the dirty, mundane, often boring reality of a place, the other superficially highlighting its "entrancing nature" and "delightfully colorful locals" - whatever that means. Troost's book gets past the fairytale images of living on
- [GoodFriends Korea - Info on North Korea](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/11/11/goodfriends-korea-info-on-north-korea/) - For anyone who speaks Korean (or wants to learn how the North Koreans write things), then try the defector-run website GoodFriends Korea. Operated by North Korean defectors in South Korea, the information on the site is used by journalists, intel agencies, aid groups, academics, and others interested in the North. Much of the information is
- [Road South along Iraqi Border (Book Excerpt, Iran 3)](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/10/26/road-south-along-iraqi-border-book-excerpt-iran-3/) - Road South along the Iraqi Border (DAY 5) Almost a year to the day after I left Baghdad, today’s drive would take us within sight of the Iran-Iraq border. Traveling south along the low mountain chain that divides the two countries felt almost surreal. Here I was relaxing in a car, sipping tea with my
- [Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/10/18/under-the-loving-care-of-the-fatherly-leader-north-korea-and-the-kim-dynasty/) - [hang1column element="div" width="122"][/hang1column] [Book Review] At over 700 pages, plus nearly 150 pages of notes, this is one of the most detailed English-language books on North Korea I have ever read. The author's journalism background makes for a more enjoyable, less-academic read than many other North Korea books reviewed here, plus the controversial use of
- [North Korea: Another Country](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/08/18/north-korea-another-country/) - [hang1column element="div" width="122"][/hang1column] [Book Review] Hands down the worst book on 'North Korea' I have ever read (and I've been studying Asia and the North since the early 90s). The second half of the book actually talks about the North. Unfortunately, the first half mainly contains random writings about the author's personal views on U.S.
- [Licensed to Kill: Hired Guns in the War on Terror](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/08/17/745/) - [hang1column element="div" width="122"][/hang1column] [Book Review] While the title initially sounds melodramatic, as you read through the book the accuracy becomes striking. Pelton, widely known for his series on The World's Most Dangerous Places (which is how I first heard of him, while researching my trips to North Korea and Iran), looks at the use of
- [To Dream of Pigs: Travels in South and North Korea](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/08/17/to-dream-of-pigs-travels-in-south-and-north-korea/) - [hang1column element="div" width="122"][/hang1column] [Book Review] Suggested by a reader and a personal favorite, the, somewhat-dated, book is an often funny, always vivid portrayal of a British writer's adventures in South and North Korea. Anyone looking for a new place to visit in the South is especially urged to read the book's section on Ulleungdo (Ulleung
- [Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/07/17/aquariums-of-pyongyang-ten-years-in-the-north-korean-gulag/) - [hang1column element="div" width="122"][/hang1column] [Book Review] The author, Kang Chol-Hwan, tells the awful story of his life growing up in a North Korean prison camp. Likely due to some intemperate words and actions by his grandfather (for some crimes in North Korea three generations of the offender's family are imprisoned), the entire family was ripped away
- [Korea and Her Neighbours: A Narrative of Travel, with an Account of the Recent Vicissitudes and Present Position of the Country](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/07/17/korea-and-her-neighbours-a-narrative-of-travel-with-an-account-of-the-recent-vicissitudes-and-present-position-of-the-country/) - [hang1column element="div" width="122"][/hang1column] [Book Review] Though rare, this is one of the best travel narratives on Korea, both for the picture it paints of the country at a rough time in Korea's history and for propelling the reader back into a very different, Euro-centric cultural milieu. The personal account of an upperclass British woman journeying
- [Spat between Amnesty International and the World Health Organization over North Korea?](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/07/16/spat-between-amnesty-international-and-the-world-health-organization/) - A day after Amnesty International issued a report on the state of North Korea’s healthcare system, a spokesman for the World Health Organization (WHO) defended the North’s system and called the Amnesty report unscientific. This after the Director General of the WHO, Margaret Chan, called [PDF] the North Korean healthcare system, "something which most other developing
- [Absenteeism Rising at North Korean Mine - Who Cares?](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/06/16/absenteeism-rising-at-nk-mine-who-cares/) - A Korean defector-run website reported on 16 June that absenteeism is rising at a mine in North Pyongan Province, North Korea because workers aren’t getting their state-issued supply of food [and there is no other supply of food]. Why is this news important? Two reasons: We know about it. It took years for details on
- [June's Local SK Elections - Influenced by the North?](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/06/11/junes-local-sk-elections-influenced-by-the-north/) - Hmm, combine this story about Twitter and similar Internet services influencing the results of Wednesday's (2 June) election in South Korea with this one on North Korean hackers stealing the IDs of South Korean citizens in order to make postings on South Korean websites and you can make a very interesting case about North Korea
- [Time for a New Tool](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/05/27/drop-phones-not-bombs/) - Every time North Korea pops into the headlines, whether for testing nukes, starving its people, or killing South Korean sailors, the media is filled with articles demanding something be done, this time ... and then, further along in the story, lamenting the lack of decent policy options. After dismissing the old standbys - diplomatic remonstrations,
- [Motorcycle Ambulances](https://travelswithscott.com/2010/05/26/motorcycle-ambulances/) - It seems the good people at Seoul city hall have finally discovered there is a bit of a traffic problem. A problem, wonder of wonders, that makes it difficult for ambulances to get to people quickly. So, starting in April, the city is conducting a 6-month experiment [opens in new window, in Korean] using specially-equipped

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- [About](https://travelswithscott.com/about/) - Hat tip to Steinbeck's Travels with Charley. A lot of these articles will focus on Korea, especially North Korea, because I've been studying and working on Korea-related issues since the early 90s, including 15 years living in Seoul. My academic background includes an MA in Korean Studies from Seoul National University, an MA in International
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