Skip to main content
Outdated Browser

For the best experience using our website, we recommend upgrading your browser to a newer version or switching to a supported browser.

More Information

Contributor

Shirley Lee

Contributor

Shirley Lee

Shirley Lee was born in South Korea. She is editor of the leading Web site about North Korea by North Koreans in exile, New Focus International. She is also the translator and editor of the memoir and poems of exiled North Korean state poet Jang Jin-sung.

Articles by Shirley Lee

Reclaiming North Korean Literature
By Shirley Lee
Engaging with ancient literature has its difficulties. Even if we put aside the unfamiliar details of cultural context, there remain factors such as genre, function, and form that can be daunting for…
Introduction
By Shirley Lee
The mere use of everyday language is a subversive act in the North Korean literary context.
The Poet Who Asked for Forgiveness
By Gwak Moon-an
He came to accept that art had no value unless it was used as a tool of propaganda.
Translated from Korean by Shirley Lee
Multilingual
Pillow
By Jang Jin-sung
Nothing to offer but themselves / In Pyongyang’s marketplace
Translated from Korean by Shirley Lee
Multilingual
A Rice Story
By Kim Sung-min
Food bartered for your sister’s chastity.
Translated from Korean by Shirley Lee
Multilingual
After the Gunshot
By Lee Ji Myung
You can’t drink when you have the money on you.
Translated from Korean by Shirley Lee
Multilingual