Media Advisory

In the current international controversy over North Korea and its nuclear weapons program, people will be turning to news outlets for an understanding of both the North Korean state and life and culture in the country. Reporters looking for sources for such stories should consider speaking with Sonia Ryang, an associate professor in the Anthropology Department at The Johns Hopkins University. Ryang visited North Korea many times in the mid-1980s and has first-hand knowledge about the country. Her expertise lies in North Korea's state ideology and political history. She is also well-informed about North Korea's cultural and behavioral patterns and to some extent about broad matters in daily life, including gender relations. Ryang also specializes in Koreans in Japan who support North Korea. She is the author of North Koreans in Japan: Language, Ideology, and Identity (1997, Westview Press); and Koreans in Japan: Critical Voices from the Margin (2000, Routledge, editor). To speak with Ryang, contact Amy Cowles at 410-516-7160.