This list of books on North Korea ( Democratic People's Republic of Korea - DPRK) provides and annotated recommendation for understanding the country. Other books previously mentioned below such as The Man on Mao's Right and On China also add to an understanding the DPRK in context with the region.
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea, by Barbara Demick (December 29, 2009) describes the extremes of life in North Korea from the 1950’s to late 2009 through people, who lived in the North Korean city of Chongjin.
Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West, by Blaine Harden (March 29, 2012) describes the Prison Camps in North Korea, through the life and escape of a man born inside one of the camps. The book also describes the processes challenges with the transition common to defectors from North Korea who make it to South Korea, where each defector gets the three months of de-programming and why some go back to the DPRK after the deprogramming. This is a great follow-on (read) to Nothing to Envy.
The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War, by David Halberstam (September 25, 2007) describes the Korean War’s major battles (beginning to end) and leaders including General MacArthur, and LtGen O. P. Smith (USMC). The book provides both big picture perspectives along with descriptions of individuals personal experiences in small unit actions.
The Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag, by Chol-hwan Kang and Pierre Rigoulot (2001) clearly describes Kang Chol-hwan's imprisonment at the Yodok camp in 1977 at the age of nine and release 10 years later.
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