He lost my compassion at the part where he turned in his mother and brothers for more rations.

While serving in southeast Asia in the military, my bunkmate and I used to dream of a "Burger King" burger. It sustained us through the year. While my hardship was minimal, I do have an appreciation for the driving desire Shin must have had for a good meal. I wish for him a long and delicious tour of the world's freedoms and cuisines.

Wonderful article - I recently read "Nothing to Envy" a book that was filled with stories of people who had escaped North Korea. The nation these people describe is filled with starvation, repression that makes the society described in '1984' seem mild by comparison, death and misery. What I found most perplexing about the book, however, was the author's barely hidden admiration for the regime's policies up to the time when the Soviet Union fell. This is akin to madness, since it is juxtaposed with stories of the ultimate in repression - even prior to the loss of Soviet aid.

So, don't expect books like this to dim the Democratic left's enthusiasm for socialism - Democrats, the left, have an amazing ability to ignore facts, embrace fantasy and make excuses. One is at a loss to understand how otherwise bright people are unable to accept that their recommended way of governing leads to gulags, repression, corruption starvation and misery.

I am so tired of the Elie Weisel "never again" crowd. Not a peep about DPRK. Proves Weisel and his fellow Holocaust hustlers are 100% FRAUDS.